Weddings

Congratulations on your decision to get married – an occasion to celebrate your love and commitment to each other and to share that with your friends and family.

Getting things started and deciding how to celebrate can sometimes be a bit daunting. There are many choices – simple or elaborate; traditions to honour and/or personalisations to add. Sometimes there are too many ideas coming at you, maybe a complete blank, or anywhere in-between. I would love to help you develop something that will be special for the two of you.

We can begin by a free, no obligation get-together to get the ball rolling. We will also discuss the legalities and basics of ceremony planning and explore questions that come up. You will go away with some useful information and can then make a decision as to if you want to continue with me or not.

Fee Options:

Personalised Cermony – my total fee is $550 – just $50 secures the date. A further $200 due 3 months out from your wedding, begins the process of drafting your ceremony. Full payment is due prior to your special day. The options are there for you to explore so you can add special touches to reflects something of your story, making it unique and special for the two of you. The only limits come down to your preferences and/or any restrictions the chosen venue may have. My fee covers:

Up to three face to face get-together’s including the rehersal.
Email, text and phone conversations to bring it all together.
Travel to venue (up to two times to include rehersal) within a 40k radius of my home/office.
Arrival at least half an hour prior to ceremony and the ceremony itself.
A presented copy of the ceremony script (inclusive of photos if provided by you/your photographer).

Registry Ceremony – The fee is set by DIA and is currently $90. This is a very simple ceremony and has none of the ‘trimmings’. We simply meet at an agreed time and place (my home or yours, or a public garden or park) and use a script provided by DIA. The ceremony takes about 10mins including the signing of the documents. For more info click here. The ceremony is still special; it is your day and your celebration. A Registry Ceremony must be held during business hours, Mon-Fri (not on a public holiday), guest numbers are restricted to 10 people, I am not allowed to travel further than 10k’s from my home.

If your ceremony falls outside of the requirements of a Registry Ceremony but you are still wanting a very simple ceremony, we can look at a THIRD OPTION. We would still meet on the day but, keeping it simple, you can have your ceremony on a weekend, public holiday, outside of business hours, and/or have up to 20 guests. I have a script as the basis and small variations can be made. My fee for this is $300.

Need some inspiration or ideas for your ceremony, have a look here.

The two essential things that ‘get you married’ are your licence (obtained through the court no sooner than 3 months and no later than 3 days before your event) and a registered person to officiate. Everything beyond that and how you make it ‘your event’ is pretty much your choice. For full details of how to apply for your licence click the link below:

https://www.govt.nz/browse/family-and-whanau/getting-married/get-a-marriage-licence/#how-you-apply

I am a validated member of the Celebrants Association of New Zealand (VCANZ). You can access their Code of Conduct, Professional Standards and Complaints Procedure via their website: http://www.celebrantsassociation.co.nz/