Nadine Leighton Authorised Marriage Celebrant

~ Nadine Leighton ~
~ Ceremonies ~

~ Marriage Ceremony ~

Your marriage ceremony should capture the essence of your relationship reflecting your wishes, beliefs, expectations and personalities. I will help you to create your own unique ceremony. Or I can write one especially for you.

Once you have decided on your wedding date, the next step is to contact me to check my availability. I will then meet with you and detail the legal requirements of getting married. You will need to provide documents to confirm your age and current marital status. That is, I will need to sight your original birth certificates and, if either party has been previously married evidence that the marriage has legally ended. The Notice of Intended Marriage (NIM) will need to be completed and lodged with myself at least one month and one day prior to the date of your marriage.

Hopefully we will be able to meet face-to-face, however if this is difficult we can communicate by telephone, e-mail, or facsimile.

Nadine Leighton - Marriage Ceremony
Photo supplied courtesy of ImageWorld

After lodging your NIM and paying a deposit I provide you with resource material including suggested ceremonies, and numerous examples of readings, vows, ring and other special ceremony words to assist us create your unique ceremony. You may also want family members, children or friends to participate in some special way in your ceremony, I have many examples of how you can include these significant people.

It is important you feel comfortable with your choice of Marriage Celebrant, confident that your ceremony will be professionally conducted capturing your hopes and wishes. As a trained Marriage Celebrant and a member of the Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants and Australian Celebrations Training I am committed to providing excellent, professional service to ensure that your special day is memorable.

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~ Naming Ceremony ~

Naming ceremonies can be conducted to celebrate the birth and naming of a baby or to mark and celebrate an occasion where a child, adolescent, or adult has changed their name. Naming ceremonies are also a good way to welcome adopted children or stepchildren into the family.

A Naming Ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate your happiness by formally naming and introducing your child to family and friends.

Photo supplied courtesy of ImageWorld

Naming ceremonies give parents, relatives, and friends the opportunity to affirm their special relationship with the child and declare their intention to support and guide the child though life. It is also a time to appoint godparents (also called mentors or guardians) and to acknowledge the special relationship with older brothers or sisters and grandparents.

Naming ceremonies can be conducted at a location of your choice with the words and symbols you choose. The words of the ceremony are chosen to reflect the reason for the celebration and the values, feelings, expectations and personalities of the parents, family and child. The ceremony format and symbolic gestures incorporated are only limited by your imagination. I have many examples to assist you make your celebration unique and meaningful.

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~ Love Commitment Ceremony ~

A Commitment ceremony is a beautiful way to formally declare your love for each other and publicly celebrate the union that your two souls have already formed.

In general terms the commitment, ideals and aspirations included in a Love Commitment Ceremony tend to be the same as that of a wedding ceremony. The couple choose the ceremony words, music and poetry, they may also like to include symbolic gestures, such as an exchange of rings. The ceremony has many similarities to a wedding but it is not a legal marriage under the Marriage Act of 1961.

Love commitment ceremonies may be conducted for same sex couples or for couples who can legally marry but who choose not to. A Love Commitment Ceremony is an opportunity for a couple to declare and celebrate their love and devotion for each other in the presence of family and friends.

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~ Renewal of Vows / Anniversary Ceremony ~

A couple may decide to hold a ceremony to renew their marriage vows for a number of different reasons.

Some want to declare their continuing love for each other on an anniversary.
Reaffirmation ceremonies are also suitable for married couples who, after separation, are reunited.
For couples who have been through a particularly difficult time, a renewal of vows ceremony can be an act of hope and a new start for the relationship; where regrets and mistakes are formally left behind.
Other couples renew their vows publicly because they were married overseas/interstate where their family and friends could not share the joy of their wedding day with them.
Some couples feel the need for such a ceremony when their original wedding ceremony, for one reason or another, does not hold the meaning they desire.

Nadine Leighton - Renewal of Vows / Anniversary Ceremony
Photo supplied courtesy of ImageWorld

Depending on the reason for the renewal of vows ceremony and the experiences of the couple a unique introduction reflecting the views and feelings of the couple can be created by the couple or I can write one especially for you.

The couple may wish to reaffirm the same vows as they exchanged on their wedding day, or write new vows that reflect the experiences and maturity of the relationship.

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~ Adolescence Ceremony ~

The coming of age is a significant life transition. Celebrations can be for milestones such as:

a physical transition from childhood to adulthood;
the turning of 18 or 21 years of age;
where a young adult moves out into rental accommodation; or
before a young person enters university.

Symbols and significant achievements of the new adult’s childhood should be included in their ceremony. An adolescence ceremony celebrates a young person transitioning into adulthood while acknowledging the life experiences, values and beliefs gained in childhood.

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~ Divorce / End of Relationship Ceremony ~

Ending a relationship can be a difficult and emotional part of life.

A divorce ceremony can be conducted at the time of receiving the divorce certificate or pre-empting the formal divorce with a ceremony at time of separation. It can be a positive means of ceremoniously closing the door on the old, and with the support of family and friends, acknowledging and celebrating the future.

Whether to draw closure to the old relationship or to mark the start of a new beginning a unique ceremony is written for each ceremony depending on the circumstances. The ceremony can include the reclaiming a birth name where one party has taken on the other’s surname.

The ceremony can be held with one party present; or both parties where they can honour the time spent each other and then consent to the other moving on with their life to find new relationships. The purpose of a ceremony is to heal hearts, to forgive, celebrate the past, to reinforce positive attitudes, and, most importantly, to focus on the future.

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~ Housewarming Blessings ~

The acquisition of a new home is celebrated with a housewarming. A housewarming ceremony is a beautiful way to affirm your ‘house’ has become your ‘home’. The ceremony will imprint your energy upon the sacred space in the home. It can be conducted at the beginning of the celebration then lead into the housewarming party with your friends and family.

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~ Pet Funerals ~

Our bond with a pet can be just as great as for a person. A pet can be a cornerstone of a family, or a soul mate for an individual, sometimes both. Accordingly, we may grieve deeply for the loss of a pet as we do when a loved one passes.

A professional conducted funeral for your pet provides an opportunity for you and your family to reflect on what he or she meant to each of you, and to say goodbye in a fitting manner.

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~ Boat Naming ~

The purchase of a boat is a significant one for the owners. A Boat Naming can be conducted for a new boat that has not yet been named or where the new owners wish to rename a boat. The event is celebrated by naming the vessel in honour of the family who own it and who will spend many pleasurable hours being transported on many exciting adventures into the future. A boat naming is an important date in the history for its owners.

~ Nadine Leighton ~ ~ Ceremonies ~