This post is not about weddings. It's about ceremony. Or rather, a disgraceful attempt by the Chinese communist rulers to prevent grieving people from commemorating the first anniversary of their loved ones' passing in the devastating May 2008 earthquakes.

Thousands of people died in the series of quakes in southern China a year ago this month. Many of the victims were children whose schools collapsed as a result of shoddy building standards and poor workmanship.

The Chinese Government has told mourners that they cannot publicly commemorate the disaster or they will face 3 weeks in jail.

Public ceremonies have always been held across cultures to commemorate times of immense disaster. These events are always held with the approval of the Government of the country concerned, and provide those grieving with an opportunity to express their feelings. Nothing will ever bring their loved ones back, but being able to stand out amongst a group of people and publicly mourn is something that should be encouraged, not discouraged. And certainly never banned.

The Chinese Government is interfering directly in the day to day lives of its citizens. It controls all other aspects of their lives but now it is telling people what they can and can't feel - and when, and how. This is truly disgusting. Thank God I don't live in such a heartless place.

Some wedding venues are in wonderful out-of-the-way spots but this poses problems for those attending the ceremony if they cannot park. I found this out first hand recently when asked to perform a wedding ceremony at the Riverlife function centre at the base of the Kangaroo Point cliffs, across the river from the Brisbane CBD. Lovely venue, great views, but parking simply doesn't exist within cooee of the venue.

The venue has the cliff-face behind it, the river in front of it, and you can only make your way into it from the sides. So guests have to hike in from as far away as 350m in one direction, 800m from the other, or park above the cliffs (if they can find a space) and traipse down the steps against the cliffface and then walk 350m.  At first I had trouble obtaining permission to park onsite at the venue, although I was aware that catering vans etc could gain access so I knew it wasn't impossible. The big problem for me was - would I be regarded as "important enough" to warrant permission to park in this very restricted area adjacent to the centre (parkland managed by the Brisbane City Council).  However, the Riverlife managers were very considerate when told them of my dilemma, and that I had to bring in my PA system etc. Hiking in was simply not an option for me. The manager kindly allowed me to use the service entrance and park about 30m from the function centre.

As I left the venue after the ceremony I ran into friend and colleague Rob Moscoso on the service road. Rob had conducted a ceremony a few hundred metres down into the parkland from Riverlife, and he and his wife had a walk ahead of them because they'd parked somewhere on the other side of Riverlife (at least a 500-600m walk away). I told Rob about my success in gaining parking at Riverlife for a ceremony there.

Celebrants have to remember that we are important elements at weddings, and we need to ensure that if our clients pick out-of-the-way venues, that they consider how we are to get there as well as other wedding providers. Also, the needs of their guests in terms of parking and mobility.