~ with Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant Kari ~
Ever dreamed of being married at your favourite surf break? Congratulations to Rob and Beck who chose just that.
Rob wanted to be able to see his two favourite girls on his wedding day; Beck in the foreground, and his favourite Caloundra surfbreak in the background. Beck is easy going and loves the outdoors. When looking for a celebrant they sought “relaxed and laid back”, to suit their style, and their desire for a casual and simple wedding, just a fun day for them and their guests to enjoy.
Many a wedding day on the Sunshine Coast is celebrated by the beach. We are a beach culture after all. And on this special day of your life it is natural to wish to join the natural scheme of life with a wedding on the beach. In this case, in view of Rob’s favourite surf spot at Dicky Beach; a place which also reflected their favourite colours; green for Rob, and blue for Beck.
The park was a casual place which suited their love for outdoors, a place perfect for their union. I would not have been surprised if we had all been requested to kick off our shoes in honour of the informal nature of this wedding. And what a day. It had rained solidly all night, but cleared up totally in time for the wedding ceremony, with blue skies and warm air.
What surprised us all was when the groom and his best man turned up to the blaring sound track of Eagle Rock, carrying a surfboard! Hmm … had we got the date wrong?
Rob proceeded to create a signing table from the board and board stands. A perfect wedding altar! Suitably sacred, yet a place to rest the wedding certificates, and high enough for all to witness the signing and need no chairs.
So a surf themed wedding is possible. I’m even happy to wed you on your boards if that is your perfect wedding! But I think Rob and Beck found the perfect balance; finishing on a high five, and photos with the board…then off home for a BBQ with the wedding party.
Photos by their friends.
~ with Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant Kari ~
Many a bride wishes to arrive at her wedding in a glamorous car. However when I was a bride, I arrived with my husband-to-be in a retro wooden canoe …… but that’s another story.
Cars have been the traditional wedding arrival vehicle for as long as the car has graced our lives. And many modern weddings hark back to that early era of cars with classic vintage wedding cars and lovingly restored retro beauties for their wedding day.
I have had the privilege of working with some absolute classic wedding cars. Today I’d like to share some Sunshine Coast classic cars with you, one totally vintage and two definitely retro.
First cab off the rank, actually is a cab!!! It’s a genuine London cab, residing in Australia, at Maleny. Classical with poise.
BLACK LONDON CAB
Steeped in history and full of stories this shiny black Taxi Cab was originally used by the London Metropolitan Police as an ‘undercover’ vehicle. Then he was used as a cab in London. If you’ve ever been to London, you’ll understand how iconic these cars are…. and how roomy they are in the back. I nearly sat on the floor when I jumped into one the first time! So there’s heaps of room for a large bride dress, train and bridesmaids.
But back to the tale of the car….the cab was next brought out to Australia by Lumley’s Insurance to be used as a chauffeur cab for their directors. They restored the cab, together with a new engine. It was next purchased at Shannon’s Auctions and driven to the hills of the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
“After many years of working in London, I now live in Maleny. My name is Dickens. Boris is my uniformed chauffeur. He provides a professional service to our clients. Let us roll out the red carpet for you!”
If you have chosen a classic hinterland wedding location, this car will enhance your wedding photos with absolute class and vintage English style. Your love story will add to Boris’ already colourful tale. See Dickens in the background here:
Next is for the Elvis within you. A topless car treat.
RED MUSTANG
As I promised in another story, here is the Red Mustang. Absolutely immaculate, shiny as new, upholstered in creamy white leather, this car is a classic wedding car with attitude. Matt, the young handsome chauffeur brings his pride and joy to put the rock’ n ‘roll into your wedding day. The fellas will adore a ride in this car, and the girls can’t wait for their turn. Shiny and red, with the top wound down, this classic car is a hoot. Please can I have a turn?
And for the laid back and casual beach wedding for the surfing spirit within you.
A CLASSIC KOMBI
If you’re into red car or classic car how can one go past the newly restored 60’s Kombi from Kombi Deluxe. Rescued from a car graveyard and restored over four years by a local family business with a passion for Volkswagons, this van has most of its original features and is maintained impeccably. You can hear it coming with its classic VW sound, and watch the guests smile. This classic and genuine Kombi car is beautifully finished in lotus white over salmon red. Hm-Hmmmmmm.
As a Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant I’m in love with retro weddings or vintage wedding style. My own car is a retro Pt Cruiser, so it is no wonder that I adore this Kombi. Many of us dream of a surf themed wedding, so here is the car to match. Hey I’ll even wed you on your surfboards if you wish, at your beach wedding!
On the other hand, up in the hills overlooking the coastal view, I have seen this car draw up at classic Hinterland wedding locations and cause the awaiting wedding party to go,”Awwwhhhhh” with delight. What a way to get the guests in a happy mood before the ceremony starts.
I can’t wait for a ride.
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~ with Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant – Kari.
“You are thought and I am sound.
I am the words and you are the melody.
I am the melody and you are the words.”
Congratulations Belinda & Biju, married in an Australian Hindu wedding ceremony on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Belinda and Biju came to me requesting an unusual wedding ceremony. Biju comes from India and wished to include several Hindu elements into the ceremony. Belinda is Australian and wanted a wedding ceremony that reflected this land and the traditions of Australia. And so we wove a truly multicultural ceremony, an occasion to honour both cultures.
The Golden statue was centre of the setting; an altar to Ganesha. Around the statue were placed several ceremonial objects; a candle, flowers and fruit in offering to Ganesh. The theme colours were vibrant and alive; deep pink, bold red, fragrant yellow and burnt orange. Gerberas in all these flame colours were placed around Ganesh.
And for the fun of colour and festive atmosphere, paper lanterns in deep orange and pink were hung in the branches of the centuries old fig tree; an ancient witness to the sacredness of the celebration.
Biju was very confident when he asked me, the celebrant, to sing the essential incantations in the Sanskrit language. For who else would do it, he asked. And so I did! His trust helped me to learn the appropriate blessings, and the role they played in the ceremony. And I sang for this lovely couple, to bless their married lives.
Photos by Darren Frankish of Kish Photography
In any culture marriage is a sacred and treasured union. According to Hinduism, marriage between two persons is a sacred relationship that is not limited to this life alone. It extends across seven or more lives, during which the couple help each other progress spiritually. The adage that marriages are made in heaven is very much true in the case of Hinduism. Two souls come together and marry because their karmas are intertwined and they have to resolve many things together upon earth in order to ensure their mutual salvation.
In an ancient Hindu text it is said that when the one man loves the one woman and the one woman loves the one man, the angels abandon heaven and go sit with the couple and sing for joy. Just looking around the guests we could see the angels present.
In Hinduism every auspicious occasion begins with an invocation to Lord Ganesha. Blessings are sought for a ceremony that will be free from impediments and for a marriage free from all hardships and obstacles. Ganesha’s grace is invoked for the health, happiness, prosperity, and peace of the bride and groom and their families. The offerings included flowers for beauty, coconut for fertility, rice for sustenance, and sweets to ensure a sweet life!
The ceremony included many traditions and customs from a Hindu Wedding in India, involving the family, water and fire, and song and walking circles around Ganesha and the altar.
A special moment is when the bride and groom take seven steps; steps towards their lives together, a set of wedding vows,
On the first step; Together we shall cherish each other in sickness and health, in happiness and sorrow
On the second step; Together we shall be lifelong friends
On the third step; Together we shall share each other’s ideals
On the fourth step; Together we shall nurture each other’s strengths, talents, and aspirations
On the fifth step; Together we shall make each other happy
On the sixth step; Together we shall love, provide and care for our children and our families
On the seventh step; Together we will look forward to the mysteries of the future with awe, open-mindedness, and inspiration
We have taken the seven steps. You have become mine forever. Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours. Hereafter, I cannot live without you. Do not live without me. Let us share the joys. We are word and meaning, united. You are thought and I am sound. I am the words and you are the melody. I am the melody and you are the words.
These vows are poignant and poetic. They are not dissimilar to vows from an Australian ceremony. Walking around the altar added an extra poetry to the steps of marriage they undertook. I congratulate Belinda and Biju on blending their two cultures seemlessly and with great love and patience.
As a marriage celebrant I am often requested to accommodate the unusual. This is my specialty. I have sung in sanskrit, read in Afrikaans, waxed poetic in French, and played my wooden flute or lap harp. Just ask me, you never know what I will agree to!
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Married on the farm
Congratulations Lisa and Rupert, married on the family property in Obi Obi, Kennilworth.
Arrival of the Groom
The Groom doesn’t have to wait for his bride at the altar, he can arrive in style too! This Groom planned to arrive on the motorbike he had spent many loving hours renovating. For on their first date, he had whisked Lisa away on a bike to a country village lolly shop…..and….
However on the awaited day, the starter motor was not happy. His brother knew the answer; kick start it down the driveway of the family property near Kennilworth, then burn up behind the house to collect the Groom on this perfect wedding day. We had a sneak preview of what was to come, and Rupert’s dream of arriving by bike was manifest.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”36352″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]
And the groomsman too
His brother Jake rode behind tossing frangipani flowers in a path for the bride; a masculine bent on the flower girl theme. The bride, Lisa chose to walk on the arm of her Dad behind her bridesmaid.
Lisa and Rupert wanted a fun ceremony, yet one with resonances of their lives together, and as a part of an extended family. It was a wedding day of relaxed family fun and friendly games and joy in the spaciousness of a private garden. Beside the dam, the marriage ceremony was held in a gentle breeze, under the shade of the trees.
As part of his vows, he promised to “have as much fun as possible..no matter what. I can’t wait.” And she answered with “what I’m promising today is to love you with all I have to give in the only way I know how, completely and forever.”
The guests were part of the ceremony too, having rehearsed their lines before the couple arrived, then everyone had a chance to water in the olive tree with their warm wishes for the couples future.
As the newly weds walked away from their ceremony they invited all to share in lawn bowls, badminton and croquet with champagne.
You can have the ceremony you wish for, just ask!
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Leap into marriage
It’s a leap year. And whilst you may consider yourself a modern woman, you may like to adopt a vintage marriage tradition this year.
It’s the girl’s turn
In a leap year, traditionally a woman may propose marriage to her man. The leap year marriage tradition was introduced centuries ago. According to folk lore, the leap day was an invented day to fix a discrepancy in the calendar. It was not considered a “real” day; it had no cultural status. Thus, the reasoning goes, social customs also had different reality status on that day too.
Leap Year Wedding proposals
Given the leap day was to fix a glitch, women thought they could fix an unjust glitch in social custom, freeing them up to pop the question to the man they adored.
How did the leap year marriage proposal begin?
The first documentation of this practice dates back to 1288, when Scotland supposedly passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. Tradition states they also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must also pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss, to a silk dress or a pair of gloves. Now this wedding celebrant thinks that’s a win win situation!
So for women who tire of waiting for the bloke to ask for their hand in marriage, the leap year gives them a legitimate occasion to propose, to leap into their own power.
Or does your wardrobe need a few more frocks? Propose away girls.
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