I first met Brian and Amber in 2009, when they were participants in the (then) RSB Young Business Leaders' program. At this point, I feel like I should mention that Brian won the program that year - his major fundraising event simply blew the judges away. 

When I saw some of their proposal photos show up on Facebook (and as kindly shared in this blog post by Vintage Bliss Photography), I just had to know the story behind it. 

This is Amber and Brian's special night, in Brian's own words..

In my job I hear both the glowing and the snide comments whispered by wedding guests. And although you don’t want your wedding day to be an anxious rollercoaster-ride-of-people-pleasing-pain, if you didn’t care about your family and friends, you would have had your ceremony at the registry office, yes?

There are 3 pesky details, the same annoying issues, that come up for my winery wedding couples time and time again. If you can plan ahead and follow the golden rules, it is much more likely that your guests will remember your wedding for all the right reasons.

Maria Athanasopoulos from Zink: The Element of Hair, Plympton gives Brides the low-down on how to make sure that your hairstyle is one you'll love - not just on your wedding day, but years down the track as well.

Justine and Michael are a gorgeous couple inside and out. They are understated and generous and their love for their little son, Mitchell is just beautiful to witness. It was a pleasure to work with them on their winter wedding at TEN22 Boutique Venue; a welcome addition to the list of indoor wedding options in Adelaide. Located a few minutes south of the city, it's a veritable blank canvas for those who want to create a unique space that expresses their personality. 

And that's just what Michael and Justine achieved on their wedding day - a gorgeous, understated and generous celebration of love. Enjoy!

2015 has been a massive year for me and my business.

On top of all of the incredible weddings, renewal of vows, commitment and naming ceremonies that I have been a part of and all of the beautiful people that I have met along the way, I have also achieved some big business and personal goals too.

I was absolutely thrilled to have my first article: 'No Ugly Crying' published in the Huffington Post earlier this month. A little surprised and very grateful to receive the 2015 ABIA Marriage Celebrant Award in October. And then on Thursday I was told that I had been chosen as a finalist in the Flying Solo Business Awards for customer service.

Australia's big wedding website, Easy Weddings, released the results of their 2015 annual survey of around 2200 brides and grooms last week. And I'm not going to lie to you, there are some pretty scary figures in there. But if you look close, behind the stats, there is also some useful insider information that you could use to your advantage to get the very best result possible from your months (and months!) of wedding planning and your hard earned dollar. 

Here are my top-line takeaways from this year's survey.

"Darcy proposed to Emily at the picturesque Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, equipped not only with a ring, but also with French champagne, Haigh's chocolates, and the key to Emily's heart, Mexican food. Needless to say, her answer was a resounding ‘yes’."

When we were planning Emily and Darcy's ceremony, they made it clear that they wanted their wedding to be a fun and relaxed celebration. Not being ones to take themselves too seriously, they also wanted to include a generous dose of humour as well, which meant Darcy promising to feed Emily when she is hungry (Mexican, of course) and Emily promising to treat Darcy with patience and understanding, even when he does things that are gross. 

Did you know that there is just one question you need to ask to help determine if someone is a trained, experienced and professional wedding DJ? 

It was during my interview with wedding photographer and nice guy, Luke Simon, when I first heard about this cool DJ/businessman that I have never crossed paths with before; David Bartholomeusz. David's level of commitment to client satisfaction and business excellence is inspiring. And even though David and I couldn't match our schedules for a face to face chat, he generously volunteered to record his answers to my hard-hitting questions for us.

I hope you enjoy his take on DJ trends, the science of holding a crowd and the difference between extroverted and introverted DJs as much as I did. One day, we may even get to have that face to face chat.

***READ ON TO FIND OUT HOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 14-PAGE, 300+ SONG EBOOK: WEDDING CEREMONY MUSIC GUIDE!***

Over to you, David!

It's been almost 6 years since I first met the Shobbrooks, when I conducted the ceremony for Emma and Tom's amazing, travel-themed wedding extravaganza. Fast forward to 2015, and I found myself at the family's Seppeltsfield property again, ensconced in their welcoming warmth and humour, for Paris and Sam's special day. 

Photos are courtesy of Chanel of The Visionary Photographic Art of Chanel Baran. 

One of the most romantic and naturally beautiful venues for a wedding ceremony in Australia is on one of our many stunning, sandy beaches. On a sunny day, there is an atmosphere of freedom and fun that is hard to replicate in any other setting.

That said, with the experience I’ve had conducting beach ceremonies over the last 7 years, I have learned a lot about the difference between a successful, enjoyable celebration and those that have proved to be challenging at best. With a little prior planning you can be sure to get the most from your beachside location while avoiding some common pitfalls.