CLAIRE & PHIL - MOTOR YACHT CLUB OF TASMANIA

Sometimes your past catches up with you and this was one of those times. Phil had been a child the last time I knew him, specifically as a student in my grade six class! Fast forward more than three decades and here we are, at his wedding!

Claire and Phil had a plan, and that was to announce an engagement party, then surprise their guests by getting married. Everything came together like clockwork and there were plenty of happy tears all round.

The moment we meet with Maxine we knew that we had chosen the right person to marry us and to go on our "surprise wedding" journey with us. Maxine was very engaging and her communication was second to none. She captured the whole room at our wedding. We would absolutely recommend her to anyone needing a Celebrant.

STEVO & TRISH - BARNBOUGLE DUNES

Stevo, a lover of vindaloo curry,
to be wed he thought ‘there’s no great hurry’.
But fate would have a role to play
sending Trishy along to the polo that day! 

There’s more, but you get the drift. From Stevo’s surprise arrival by chopper to the stunning setting on Bass Strait and the re-purposing of the polo field for a wedding, this celebration had all the feels.

Trish and Stevo timed their ceremony to perfection with no hint of COVID on the horizon in January and I suspect they still pinch themselves at the perfection that was their wedding day.

Photography by Janneke Storm

MATT & SOPHIE - GLEN ALBYN ESTATE

Matt and Sophie had an extravaganza planned but COVID19 had other ideas reducing their guest list to twenty, and preventing many important guests (and their celebrant mate) from travelling from Queensland. We met a day before the big day and I reassured them that I was well qualified, having played a bit of golf with Matts grandmother. It IS Hobart, after all!

As they were a couple of lawyers, I devised a set of ‘important’ guidelines to ensure material harmony which went down a treat. For some reason they did not seem to take me seriously, and I doubt they will take any of my sage advice.

You were great sports Matt and Sophie and we look forward to the after party with the big guest list you originally planned for.

Photography by Ali Davis

DAMIAN & LOUISA (…plus Lola!) - FROGMORE CREEK WINERY

Damian and Louisa chose the divine surrounds of Frogmore Creek Winery for their one stop wedding. This couple were SO loved up, but nothing would be the same if they had'n’t had a photo shoot with their fur-baby, cavoodle Lola, complete with her own groovy floral collar.

This pharmacy student with a passion for fishing
at the annual ball snagged the ‘catch of his life’.

Now both living the dream with a cavoodle called Lola
a house by the water, and long beach walks each night!

A most perfect match in every way,
you’ve swapped vows and now a kiss,
for Damian and Louisa, next stop… “wedded bliss”! 

Thank you Maxine for being the best celebrant ever, and creating a ceremony that was “so us”!

Photography by Sophie Sullivan, Flowers by Lisa Kingston

RHYS & NICOLE - GLEN ALBYN ESTATE

Well you met at college like so many before you.
After chemistry exam, came a night on the town.

This serious gal with her sights set on study
and her dog loving fella with the chick magnet jalopy.

Who made the first move? Rhys wasted no time
with the aid of Gus his four legged ‘partner in crime’.

Now Nicole bakes her cakes, Rhys obsesses about soccer,
they also share a joint passion as avid ‘dog spotters’.

The vows led to tears and much reaching for tissues
Before being announced as Mr and Mrs!

Photography by Cassie Sullivan

PRU & TRACEY - MACQ 01 HOTEL

Initially this couple decided to fly to Hobart for a very private elopement. They then found themselves sharing this exciting news with a few close friends who of course, decided to tag along.

Pru has the honour of being the only bride ever to do a forward roll in a nightclub to get ‘noticed’ by Tracey! The bold manoeuvre worked and they soon found themselves inseparable. In their vows Pru promised to keep the fridge stocked with chocolate, and Tracey promised to be chief ‘taste tester’ for Pru’s culinary masterpieces (and allow her the odd sleep in).

They chose the magnificent Macq 01 as their venue, although the weather gods were not kind on the day itself. The chill outdoors was well and truly compensated for the love in the room!

Photography & flowers by @smileandkeep

MIKE & LUKE - HUNTING GROUND, DYSART

This wedding was never going to happen without Ted and Butch, the much loved fur babies. Mike and Luke chose a rustic property about an hour north of Hobart. After meeting on the staircase as they waited to enter a seedy night-club (their description) they never looked back.

Mike chose to propose at the Vivid Lights Festival in Sydney and caught Luke completely off guard!

The ceremony took place in a convict chapel Circa 1836, which had been saved from a pretty sad demise just in the nick of time.

Quite a perfect balance, (Luke loves cleaning and Mike loves not having to clean…) their ideal future will include a honeymoon to see the Spice Girls perform, the purchase of a seaside shack, and kicking back at the weekend with a nice glass of red…’or three’.

TOM & KRISTY - ON THE DERWENT RIVER ABOARD THE ML EGERIA

Kristy had never been in an airport, let alone a plane before meeting Thomas.

His pick up line ‘I’m a helicopter pilot’ didn’t impress her as she thought “how ridiculous”! However truth can be stranger than fiction and in fact (much to Kristy’s complete shock and amazement) Thomas was telling the absolute truth!

Fast forward a few years and Kristy is an old hand at airports and flying, not only in planes, but quite a few choppers as well!

They didn’t arrive to their ceremony by helicopter though, choosing instead to marry on the Derwent River with a dozen of their closest family and friends as witnesses.

The retired Governors launch, ML Egeria provided a very stylish means of transport and the weather was kind to boot!

Photography by Joelle Beekman Photography

HENRY & LAUREN - KOMBI ADVENTURE WEDDING

When music lovers Lauren and Henry realised they could combine their love of music festivals with a trip to Hobart for  Dark MoFo, they didn't hesitate.

Having known each other since the age of fifteen, this couple were celebrating twenty years as a couple. Years of tertiary study for Henry and sheer hard work by Lauren to build her very successful business meant holidays had been  few and far between. Self described as 'quirky' and not at all conventional, their wish list included a Kombi, a cliff top, alpacas and chooks.

We managed to cram all of that (and more) into a specie day out, with two specially chosen witnesses and their amazing Melbourne based photographer, Alistair!

Such a fun loving couple, these two started their wedding day by joining in the MoFo nude solstice swim. As Henry said, "It took my nerves off the wedding, having that to worry about!"

ANDREW & EMILY - MONA

Andrew and Emily knew it had to be MONA for their special day.  Their relationship started when they found themselves in the same share house in Melbourne, and has included a whole lot of travel, as well as being foster carers to the 'four legged' Joey, Cooper and Penny who sadly were not invited to the wedding. While Florence is very dear to their hearts it was the beautiful town of Daylesford that provided the perfect setting for Andrew's romantic proposal.

I am sure you agree that this shot of the bride and groom in the famous 'void' in the MONA museum is stunning.

As they both said

"From our slightly unorthodox beginning as housemates, we have made a wonderful life together, and cannot imagine our future with anybody else." 

Hi Maxine,
We just wanted to write and say thanks for everything.  It was very easy 'working' with you on the ceremony and your Ceremony Planner was very helpful. We were really happy the ceremony and the rest of the day was amazing. 

Cheers, Emily & Andrew

ALEX & GEORGINA - HADLEYS ORIENT HOTEL

Alex and Georgina first met in Hobart and decided on a 'destination wedding' in the city that they created so many happy memories, on AFL Grand Final Day! Their guests came willingly from Queensland to share in their special day which included a ceremony at the stunning Hadleys Orient Hotel, before a scenic ferry ride to Peppermint Bay where many happy memories were

Their vows were written from the heart and Alex managed a very impressive and 'theatrical' sweep for the bridal kiss, as captured by Love Jennifer Photography. Alex and Georgie were lots of fun to work with as you will see from the photograph.

NICK AND TRISH - ARMYTAGE HOUSE

Nick and Trish met by chance as Nick was about to continue his 'travelling' existence. A hasty change of plan saw him hang around and the couple have lived and worked happily side by side ever since. So it was decided fifteen years later, timed to coincide with Nick's birthday,  to formalise their relationship.

Nick and Trish found a delightful converted barn, "Armytage House", located approx 35 km from Hobart and knew this would be the most wonderful spot for their very small affair.

Trish's son 'gave away' his mum, as well as being my 'sound technician'. Thanks to Trish's parents for being the official witnesses.

JORDAN AND HELEN - FROGMORE CREEK WINERY

This couple are devoted pet owners and were thinking how to include their two snow dogs on their wedding day.

Thanks to Kimberley's Pet Taxi and Pet Sitters,  Thor and Titan were brought along for family photos after the ceremony. Xerxes the cat sadly was considered to be a bit difficult to include although he was 'represented' on the wedding cake.

As you can see, the shoot went very well. However I am reliably informed that Thor and Titan caused a bit of a drama, as they managed to escape seconds after this shot, and were 'at large' in the vineyards for some hours before being 'rescued' from a neighbouring property . 

So Jordan and Helen were able to eventually relax and enjoy their reception , knowing that their fur babies adventure was over  

JHY & STACEY - CALVERTS BEACH

When Jhy proposed to his Victorian born and bred partner Stacey, here in Tasmania, it was inevitable that their wedding would take place here too. So it was that they found themselves having a magical beach wedding in front of their one year old daughter Saydie, and about sixty family and friends. The joint best men, Mat and Matt provided plenty of laughs and even managed to not drop the wedding rings in the sand! This family was really looking forward to their honeymoon on Tassie's east coast before returning to 'normality'!

Hi Maxine,

It was a little rushed on the Saturday after the ceremony …. we just wanted to send a quick email to say a huge thank you for a lovely ceremony. We really loved the way it was held and was extremely special for us. We had a lot of compliments on how great you were.

So thank you so much for making our day amazing!

Kind regards, Stacey & Jhy

JOHN & LENORE - SHENE ESTATE

John and Lenore fell in love with the amazing Shene Estate, some 35 km north of Hobart. Once the ostentatious residence of a certain Gamaliel Butler, Shene is now finally open for events and has even started it's own gin label. The convict built stables and barn created a perfect backdrop for John and Lenore's wedding, but not before there was a bit of drama when the double decker bus could not clear the overhanging branches of the trees along the long and majestic driveway. All seven children in the wedding party were off the Richter scale in the 'cuteness' stakes!

Hi Maxine,
Many special thanks for conducting our ceremony Maxine. We really liked that you took your time and didn’t rush through so the words could resonate and be pondered. We felt the ceremony was as significant and special as we wanted it to be. Thanks too for all your patience with our little ones who took part - I still can’t believe how well behaved and quiet they were! Lily did a superb job of the reading with thanks to your clear instruction.
Lenore & John

ANDY & CARLY - LESLIE VALE

Andy grew up in the country, where his parents had built an amazing mud brick home and created the perfect backdrop for a childhood in the bush. The day of the wedding was not one of Tasmania's best ever days, but nothing could take the shine off these two comedians special day. 

Thank you so much for a beautiful ceremony!  Thank you for your very lovely words and presence on the day. Our guests are still commenting on how much they enjoyed relaxed and heartfelt ceremony – we were delighted with how the afternoon went and are so appreciative of how easy you made everything in the lead up to the day :) 

Andy & Carly

LEWIS & CHARLOTTE - THE FAMILY FARM
As a child growing up on the family farm, Charlotte always dreamed of being married there. So that is exactly what she did, with all the family pitching in to create a magical and rustic backdrop for the ceremony and the reception!

However the day was not without drama as the groom, Lewis, broke a front tooth on his morning toast, and spent much of the day travelling to and from an emergency dental appointment.

This was my first wedding with Kat and Steve from KS Photography and it was a tough call choosing just one photo for this story.

SAM & HARRIET - CASCADE VISITORS CENTRE

These guys grew up in Hobart and met while working in the big smoke, as it turns out, as journalists for the same newspaper.

Thanks again for making our day so special, your relaxed nature definitely rubbed off on us, helping us to take a deep breath and really enjoy the moment. We especially loved your delivery of the letters or personal vows – both the sections of comic relief and then the more passionate moving moments. And, the best thing was being able to take an unconventional stance at the altar so to speak. By facing our guests, particularly our parents, felt as if we were able to involve our guests in the ceremony in a very special way. I hope we might cross paths again…

Harriet and Sam

CY & SAM - ROYAL TASMANIA BOTANICAL GARDENS

A chef and a police officer, Sam and Cy planned the most delightful garden ceremony in Hobart's stunning botanical gardens. You can see what the weather did for Sam and Cy, it was simply magnificent!

March 29th was a really special day for Sam and I. We appreciate all that you did for us and we will certainly be recommending you. We actually had many of our guests come to up to us straight after the ceremony to say how beautiful it was. Sam and I also loved the humour during the ceremony! You captured us perfectly.  Kind regards,

 Cy & Sam

PETER & MARLENIS - LENNA OF HOBART

Peter had been to Tasmania many times and loved it so much that he brought Marlenis to Hobart so they could marry somewhere that had become very special to him. I provided the two witnesses and they wed in the garden at Lenna of Hobart.

Their photographer, Paul Redding captured their mood beautifully in this shot with the iconic Salamanca place backdrop. 

Hi Maxine
Just a quick note to say thank you again for your services at our wedding.

Regards
Pete & Marlenis