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Moreton Bay Celebrancy

Vendor Profile

Owner	Sally-Ann Thomas
Services Available	Celebrant
Experience	Less than 1 year
Location	North Brisbane
Travel available	Yes
Website	moretonbaycelebrancy.com.au
Facebook	@Unique.Sallybrations
Instagram	@moretonbaycelebrancy
Rating on Google	5 stars

Getting to know Moreton Bay Celebrancy

Originality, Compassion, Intelligence

What wedding moment has given you the biggest “feels” so far?

With the year we’ve just had, I had the biggest lump in my throat “meeting” a bride’s mum on a Skype call just before the ceremony started. Looking out over the sea of faces, all of whom were holding up their phones so that overseas relatives could still watch, made me sad and happy at the same time.

What advice can you give couples when choosing someone to officiate their special day?

Choose someone who makes you feel special and is on your wavelength. If you are both shy and quiet, then someone who is loud and brash might feel intimidating. Likewise, if you’re pretty out there, someone quiet and reserved may not be able to deliver the punch you’re looking for. There are so many celebrants to choose from you definitely will find someone who feels just right so don’t be afraid to meet a few before you choose.

How early should couples book a service like yours?

The minimum time to book a celebrant is 1 month and the maximum is 18 months. Without a celebrant it’s not actually a wedding, yet a lot of couples book everything else and leave the celebrant to the last minute which does limit their choices.

* The Busy Bride’s note – your Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form must be lodged at least 1 month before your wedding date, so make sure you have all the relevant paperwork submitted before this to avoid having to delay your wedding date! Click here for more information on the legalities in Queensland.

Sally-Ann’s top tips for the practical elements of a ceremony, like choosing music and writing vows, are…

• One of the most important things about music in a ceremony is timing. You don’t want the music to cut out before you finish your entrance or sign the register. You also don’t want to have to stop it at the best bit. Rehearsals beforehand help smooth out those sort of wrinkles.
• Couples need to be honest with me. If I write or suggest something you don’t like, say so right away and don’t be afraid to say what you do want, however unconventional. More than anything else I want my couples to feel confident and comfortable. The more relaxed they are, the less can go wrong.
• I stress that writing your vows does not have to be literature. This part is personal, heartfelt and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to let your loved know exactly how you feel in front of your closest friends and family.
• As a guide, think about addressing three main elements – 1. How you see your partner, 2. How they make you feel, and 3. What promises you make to them for the future. If you can come up with even one sentence for each of those points, then relax baby, your vows have written themselves.

What is your favourite love quote, poem or song, and why?

Prayer for a Marriage by Steve Scafidi.  I like it because I’m “not young” and can relate to love late in life, but also because it acknowledges that even though some things change over time, love remains.

“When we are old one night, and the moon
arcs over the house like an antique
China saucer, and the tea cup sun

follows somewhere far behind
I hope the stars deepen to a shine
so bright you could read by it

if you liked and the sadness
we will have known will go away
for a while, in this hour or two

before sleep, and that we kiss,
standing in the kitchen, not fighting
gravity so much as embodying

its sweet force, and I hope we kiss
like we do today, knowing so much
good is said in the primitive tongue

from the wild first surprising ones,
to the lower dizzying ten thousand
infinitely slower ones – and I hope

while we stand there in the kitchen,
making tea and kissing, the whistle
of the teapot wakes the neighbours.”

Sally-Ann’s warmth and thoughtful nature just oozes out of her answers to our questionnaire. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you, Sally-Ann!

If you have any questions about Moreton Bay Celebrancy, please reach out at the details provided or drop us a line in the comments below.