wedding planning, wedding advice
Camille Abbott
How to Change Your Name After Your Wedding in ...

If you’re looking to change your last name after your wedding, but don’t know where to start, you’re not alone.

In my experience as a marriage celebrant, up to 90% of newly-married brides (and a few pioneering grooms and spouses) choose to change their last or family name after marriage and are super confused about how to go about it.

It’s a real process that can take around 8 hours over several days or weeks to complete. This is because every company or institution has their own unique process and is not legally permitted to share your details with anyone else.

The good news is, I can help save you a lot of time and even some money too.

Let’s get started!

How to Change Your Name After Your Wedding in Australia
real wedding
Camille Abbott
Alana and Peter’s McLaren Vale Micro wedding

Alana and Peter's wedding plans (like so many engaged couples worldwide) were thrown into disarray in 2020.

Between the NSW border closures due to COVID-19 and their original venue in Byron Bay burning down (true story!) Peter and Alana tried for a 3rd and final time to have a super low-key, no stress day just for them and their immediate family.

Something simple, but beautiful, elegant, but without any pretence.

Alana and Peter’s McLaren Vale Micro wedding
real wedding
Camille Abbott
Emily and Sam's Romantic Adelaide Hills Wedding

Sam and Emily make time to see their families, to share special moments together, and they love talk on the phone often. They wanted to bring this warmth and appreciation, that had always been shown towards them, into their wedding ceremony too.

With COVID border closures, the tyranny of distance and for those who'd passed away, some of their family were not able to be with us in person, so we incorporated them and their interests as much as we could through readings, a memorial and with a big smoochy kiss right down Alex's lens. 😅

Emily and Sam's Romantic Adelaide Hills Wedding
wedding planning
Camille Abbott
EVEN MORE unique wedding ceremony readings

I’m not one for fluffy and OTT poetry and I think it’s fair to say that the majority of my couples aren’t massive fans either.

But I do recognise how the power of a well chosen wedding reading in a ceremony can be instrumental in bringing about a feeling of gratefulness, humanity, and hope.

And a great reader who takes the time to deliver a quote, reading or poem with poise and intention can really lift a modern wedding ceremony above and beyond the ordinary.

But first, you need a great wedding reading.

Hopefully this post, along with 5 Wedding Readings That Aren’t Too Soppy and More Unique & Beautiful Wedding Readings For Your Ceremony, will help you to narrow down the search.

EVEN MORE unique wedding ceremony readings
wedding advice
Camille Abbott
5 wedding readings that aren't too soppy

What are your options if you want to include a reading in your wedding ceremony, but aren't a fan of Shakespeare and don't want to have 1 Corinthians 13?

The great thing about civil ceremonies in Australia is, apart from 3 sentences that I have to say from The Marriage Act 1961 and 1 legal sentence you have to say in your vows, the rest is completely up to you. The sky's the limit.

And you can make your ceremony even more meaningful by finding a reading (or two) that you LOVE - rather than something you think is 'just okay'. Readings can come from anywhere; lyrics from songs, quotes from movies or the words from your team's victory song (God help us all..)

Here are five of my favourites..

5 wedding readings that aren't too soppy

wedding planning

,

How to Change Your Name After Your Wedding in Australia

,
How to Change Your Name After Your Wedding in Australia

If you’re looking to change your last name after your wedding, but don’t know where to start, you’re not alone.

In my experience as a marriage celebrant, up to 90% of newly-married brides (and a few pioneering grooms and spouses) choose to change their last or family name after marriage and are super confused about how to go about it.

It’s a real process that can take around 8 hours over several days or weeks to complete. This is because every company or institution has their own unique process and is not legally permitted to share your details with anyone else.

The good news is, I can help save you a lot of time and even some money too.

Let’s get started!

EVEN MORE unique wedding ceremony readings

EVEN MORE unique wedding ceremony readings

I’m not one for fluffy and OTT poetry and I think it’s fair to say that the majority of my couples aren’t massive fans either.

But I do recognise how the power of a well chosen wedding reading in a ceremony can be instrumental in bringing about a feeling of gratefulness, humanity, and hope.

And a great reader who takes the time to deliver a quote, reading or poem with poise and intention can really lift a modern wedding ceremony above and beyond the ordinary.

But first, you need a great wedding reading.

Hopefully this post, along with 5 Wedding Readings That Aren’t Too Soppy and More Unique & Beautiful Wedding Readings For Your Ceremony, will help you to narrow down the search.

MORE unique and beautiful wedding readings for your ceremony

MORE unique and beautiful wedding readings for your ceremony

For many of my couples who want to create a heartfelt and inclusive ceremony, they know that asking a friend or family member to do a reading for them is a smart choice.

The reader feels honoured to be asked to be a part of the couple's ceremony, the couple feels like they have elevated the reader to a more visible role and everyone feels validated.

Until the actual reading needs to be chosen.

That's when it all hits Stress-Town.

If you're on the lookout for something sweet, romantic, a little left-of-centre, then I might have some gold for you right here.

Failing this, there is always the post: 5 Wedding Readings That Aren't Too Soppy

,

How To Book A (Great) Celebrant

,
How To Book A (Great) Celebrant

Such a cute photo from Meg Hansen Photography of little April at Tyler and Angela's wedding ceremony, yes? She was telling everyone who she thought that they loved the most; it was an adorable and precious moment for everyone.

What I see in this shot, is how far I have come in 11+ years.

Wedding Ceremony Wine Box Ritual (what it is and how to do it)

Wedding Ceremony Wine Box Ritual (what it is and how to do it)

Most of my couples are not dove/butterfly/ferret-releasing kind of people.

Many are a bit uncomfortable being in the limelight on their wedding day and don't want over-the-top, grand gestures or anything said that's too soppy. That's when I tell them about the wine box ritual. I like to think of it as a time capsule with interest.

Let me explain..

,

What does a celebrant do?

,
What does a celebrant do?

It's been a pretty busy week for me, which I'm guessing is par for the course for most celebrants in peak season. When family and friends ask me what I've been up to, I invariably answer 'just busy with work' which is often met with a raised eyebrow and some exasperation. The look on their faces says 'are you really THAT busy, when your job is just to stand at a ceremony and talk for 20 minutes?'

It used to make me angry when people didn't get what I do, but I have learned over the years that many people are simply not aware of what goes on behind the scenes, how much preparation goes into a ceremony and the contingencies that a good celebrant needs to account for.

So in the interests of being open and trying to educate rather than explode, here's a snapshot of what I get up to in an average week.

,

5 tips for a successful surprise wedding

,
5 tips for a successful surprise wedding

Fun, funny and oh so memorable; I think that these photos from Be Frankie Photography say it all..

And although Lucas and Claire's family and friends were supportive and got into the spirit of things when the big reveal was made, there was a lot of groundwork that went on behind the scenes to make it all look easy and effortless on the day.

Here are a few key points that you need to address and/or consider to ensure that your surprise wedding is just as successful and doesn't fall flat.

,

Confetti - c'mon, you know you love it..

,
Confetti - c'mon, you know you love it..

Weddings have changed a lot in the last 40 odd years, but the need to celebrate and mark the occasion with memorable moments and demonstrations of love and hope, hasn't.

While I can acknowledge (albeit, begrudgingly) that it's not 1977, I still challenge anyone not to appreciate the childlike fun of a good 'ol confetti toss. I mean, look at this awesome photo by Kate Pardey - it simply oozes happiness and joy, right? And who doesn't want an extra big helping of that on their wedding day?

,

Hey, I'm Camille..

,
Hey, I'm Camille..

I've been meaning to make a celebrant video for my website for ages.

You know, something simple and to the point, just to say hi and let people know a little of what I'm about. And I am well aware that if I were 20 years younger, I'd be snapchatting my way through most weekends.

But when I tried to take a handful of short videos for Bridechilla Club last week at Luke Simon's studio (thank you again, Luke), I discovered that it wouldn't be the walk in the park I hoped it would be.

But then, I had a revelation.

Do we have to include religious content in our wedding ceremony?

Do we have to include religious content in our wedding ceremony?

In Australia, there are three different ways to get married. The Marriage Act 1961 allows for marriages to be solemnised by:

1. Ministers of religion of recognised denominations,
2. State and Territory Officers (most commonly at a State or Territory office of Births, Deaths and Marriages) and
3. Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants. This category contains both civil (non-religious) celebrants (like me!) and ministers of religion who are not aligned with a recognised denomination.