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!
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.
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. 😅
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.
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..
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..
When a couple has been together for around 5+ years, I call their wedding an "at last" celebration. There is definitely a more chilled atmosphere at the ceremonies of long-term couples and their guests are also especially buoyant and almost cheeky.
For Leigh and Ada, who were married in February over 8 years into their relationship, there were all of these feelings and so much more.
With family and friends who had travelled from London and all around Australia literally cheering them on, the Bride and Groom laughed and cried their way through their ceremony in the glorious sunshine on the Longview Vineyard lawn.
Ada's dress was incredible, Lana and Hannah's white non-matching dresses were so classy, the flowers were gorgeous and I also loved that they both wrote their own vows and kept them a secret from each other until the day.
These pics are by the ever delightful Kerry Rose Photography.
Enjoy!
Tysen and Kelly's ceremony is a great example of what can be achieved when there is trust and consistent and open communication. Right from our first meeting around 13 months before the big day, they knew what they wanted and better still, told me all about it.
The vision was a warm and intimate, pared-back, but still elegant celebration inclusive of their best friends and family. Kelly's skills as a graphic designer were going to be at the core of the fresh and romantic aesthetic.
For Will and Abby, their search for the perfect wedding venue was a pretty short one. Longview Vineyard in Macclesfield was the place where they first said 'I love you' and so, combined with efforts of their award-winning event manager, Jess, they felt quite at home on their wedding day.
All of this would have been like a wonderful, colourful dream should the lovely Rachael Farmer of Rachael Elizabeth Photography (Rachael's Insta and Facebook) have not captured it all in such a spectacular way. The story of Will and Abby's day is brought to life in this series of photos. I tried to cull it down as much as I could (!), but really feel like each picture is an essential insight to their celebration.
I can't express in words how much I love it when a couple gets in touch with me about their wedding and they already know what they want.
I mean, if you don't know and you want a little advice, some direction or my recommendations, that's cool too and it's why I wrote my 52 page Ceremony Planning Guide in the first place.
Their photos are courtesy of the generous and talented Pete Thornton of What Pete Shot.
Enjoy!
Living in Victoria and trying to organise a wedding in South Australia could pose a bit of a logistical challenge for some couples. But for Shelli and Brayden, they took it all in their stride.
Shelli has since told me that all of their suppliers (see detailed list at end of this post) were "absolutely fantastic throughout the planning and made the day so easy and relaxing for us."
That's just how Brayden and Shelli roll.
Nathan and Stephanie wanted to make sure that their family was made to feel welcomed and appreciated on their wedding day, so we added a few personal touches to their ceremony that acknowledged the people they love the most.
Stephanie's (90-something year old) Gran was invited up to read Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1 to 13 and both of their Mums were honoured with the presentation of a single rose; Nathan giving his rose to Steph's Mum and vice versa.
These beautiful photos are courtesy of Gianna from Gpix Photo.
Nicole and Hung first met over 10 years ago when they worked as ushers at Greater Union Cinemas in Arndale.
They were grateful to be given the tedious task of cleaning out the cinema rubbish bins one night because it gave them the opportunity to talk and find out a little more about each other.
Their hopes for the future are quite simply to raise an army of sausage dogs and to grow old and wrinkly together.
Photos by Luke Simon Photography.
Lee and Leonie value their families and close friendships above everything else; in fact, this was one of the qualities that first attracted them to each other. With all of Lee's family in England and all of Leonie's family in Australia, they decided to chase this sunshine with an Adelaide hills winery wedding and timed it to maximise the number of friends and family who could make it from overseas.
It was imperative for them to be able to relax, laugh and truly enjoy their guests' company on their wedding day and Barrister's Block in Woodside was the perfect backdrop for their laidback celebration. So much love and warmth.
I hope you enjoy their photos from Leonie's very talented brother, Pete Thornton and Karina from What Pete Shot.
When your husband-to-be vows to protect, care for and love you just as much as he loves North Melbourne, you know you're special (and that he has a wicked sense of humour).
Nicole and Rick have a wonderful attitude to life - they laugh with each other, at each other and regard the complexities of life with curiosity and enthusiasm. It was an absolute pleasure to get to know them a little over the months that we worked together on their ceremony. With Rick and Nicole being very clear about what they wanted, we created a gorgeous and very personalised celebration that all of their guests enjoyed as well.
Photos are courtesy of Courtney of Macfarlane Photography.
Enjoy!
