NAMING CEREMONY - FEE $250   "The child is a well-spring of love." ~ Maria Montessori ~

Everyone and everything in our universe has a name. The names that we carry with us throughout our lives are so very important because they help identify who we are and where we have come from. And so it is that the bestowing of names is equally important. The tradition to celebrate the naming of loved ones stems from practices that hark from the time of our earliest human ancestors, and pre-dates the existence of organised religion.

Naming or Namegiving Ceremonies in the modern context are non-religious ceremonies that offer a real alternative to parents who do not wish to name their children in religious baptism/christening ceremonies. This is important given that many people - especially those who do not attend church regularly - are unaware that some religious faiths seriously consider the baptism or christening of babies to be an opportunity to formally wash the "evil" out of them - a concept that I personally find very disturbing. I have yet to see an evil baby!

My Naming Ceremonies are designed to welcome your child into your family and community in a way that is beautiful and meaningful to you. This may include the reading of poetry or extracts from literature, expressing thoughts through rituals such as lighting candles or planting trees, and having guests participate in various ways. Highlights of these ceremonies include the pledges made to the child by his/her parents, and the appointment of advocates such as Godparents/Guardiants/Mentors who will play a special role in the child's life as they grow. Water blessings similar to those used in religious ceremonies can be used if desired, and many ceremonies often end with the cutting of a Namegiving Cake or the presentation of Namegiving Gifts. In my ceremonies, parents and advocates sign a specially developed Namegiving Register that the parents get to keep as a special memento of the day, and several certificates are presented to the child, parents, advocates and other special people.

When a booking is made, I will visit you at your home to discuss the ceremony and to find out what you would like to be included in your ceremony. It's important to know that you have choices about what will take place, and it's not a matter of me telling you what must take place. Far too many celebrants provide the same ceremony for each family every single week, but my philosophy has always been that you cannot say the same things about different people. As a writer, I take great delight in crafting a beautiful, meaningful ceremony that means something special to the family. I guarantee that your guests will say to you at the end of the day: "That was the nicest naming I've ever been to!"

COMMITMENT CEREMONY - FEE $350   "Love is, above all, the gift of oneself." ~ Jean Anouilh ~

Commitment Ceremonies are held in Australia for two main reasons - firstly, in situations where couples may not legally marry, and secondly, because couples may not wish to marry but still express their love for and commitment to each other.

In the first instance, couples may not marry if they are still legally married to another person or their proceedings to terminate an existing marriage have not been completed. In addition, same-sex couples are not permitted to marry under Australian law as it currently stands, and so are legally prevented from being able to participate in a marriage ceremony. Commitment ceremonies enable these couples to participate in a meaningful ceremony that is very much like a wedding, but without the legal significance.

In the second instance, couples who may favour commitment ceremonies may be people who are against the idea of formal marriage or who wish to consider marriage at some point in the future but would like to express their personal commitment to their partner here and now.

I design commitment ceremonies to fulfil the specific ceremonial needs of my clients. In some situations, this may be a wedding-like ceremony with grand entrances and exits, readings and rituals. In other situations, it may be more of a party-like occasion involving family and friends. And in some situations, it may be an intensely private time that is shared by the couple alone or perhaps in the company of a few loved ones.

As with all my ceremonies, commitment couples receive a beautifully crafted ceremony that reflects the things that are important to them, and features elements of ceremony or ritual that are meaningful to the couple. I provide the same kinds of service that I provide for wedding clients - meetings with the clients to discuss and plan the ceremony, administration, completion of ceremonial certificates and a specially designed Commitment Chronicle (Register) that can be signed at the ceremony and presented to the couple as a keepsake, use of my quality PA system so that guests can hear the ceremony, and more.

RENEWAL OF VOWS CEREMONY - FEE $350   "For it was not into my ears you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." ~ Judy Garland ~

The opportunity to renew your vows of marriage or commitment to each other is just as important as the original occasion when you expressed these sentiments. It may have been sixty years ago or six years ago, but the longevity of the relationship is not terribly important in the overall scheme of things. What is important is the occasion to remember the day of that marriage or commitment ceremony and build upon the foundations it created for your relationship.

People renew their vows to each other for a variety of reasons. They may be celebrating a special wedding or relationship anniversary milestone with family and friends. They may be experiencing or emerging from the experience of a trauma impacting on their relationship. They may have married overseas or interstate on the quiet, or publicly without the presence of family and friends, and have decided to 'fess up at long last. They may have eloped to a romantic location and have returned to share their joy with loved ones.

Generally, renewal of vows ceremonies are structured very much like regular weddings unless the clients wish something different to happen. Clients can still have all the elements of a regular wedding except the legal ones. They can involve family and friends if they wish, and they can have readings and rituals if desired.

Saying goodbye forever to a loved one is possibly the hardest thing we can ever do as human beings. In the midst of our intense grief, we are expected to continue to function as normal while we plan the ceremony that farewells our loved one. Children and other relatives need to be cared for. Houses don't just clean themselves. Bosses might give us a few days leeway to grieve but their patience at our absence won't last too long. And sometimes we fall into bed at night, dog-tired and grief-stricken, only to find that the blessed relief of sleep simply won't come.

We ask ourselves if we will ever be able to return to "normal" after the death of a loved one.

One of the things that we are expected to do when we lose a loved one is deal with funeral directors who take care of the deceased and make the arrangements for the funeral. This can be very difficult when we are grieving, for we are at our most vulnerable emotionally. Yet, we are expected to decide on who makes these arrangements for us, what casket should our loved one be placed in, what advertisements should be published, if flowers or donations to charity are to be sought - and much more. So how do we know which funeral director might be the right one for us? It's not every day that we need such services - thankfully! - so we naturally seek recommendations from others.

Why not ask a celebrant which funeral director they would recommend to us?

Celebrants who specialise in funeral ceremonies are good sources of referral because they usually have worked with a variety of funeral directors and will be able to tell you a lot of information about their dealings with them. Celebrants generally will not refer funeral companies that charge excessively, or who treat their staff or the celebrant poorly. (Yes, there are some out there like that!) Members of the celebrant community do talk to each other about their funeral experiences.

Celebrants can also advise on what generally happens in funeral ceremonies, and work closely with grieving clients to develop a non-religious farewell ceremony that meets their needs and expectations, and which is dignified and appropriate to the occasion that is planned. Some people prefer to call these non-religious ceremonies "celebrations of life" because celebrating the deceased's life, their achievements and their dreams is more important than listening to a religious officiant expound reams of religious liturgy and prayer - especially when the deceased may have not been inside a religious establishment for decades. Unfortunately, some funeral companies will assign the job of developing and conducting a non-religious ceremony to a religious celebrant knowing full well that the family wants a non-religious ceremony. Needless to say, sometimes this has disastrous results and only adds to the family's grief.

When tragedy touches your life and you lose a loved one, call a celebrant first. Talk to them about which funeral director they would recommend, and how the celebrant can work with you to appropriately farewell your loved one.

Feel free to call me on my celebrant hotline, 0401 153 100. I would be happy to assist you.