The Celebrants Network Inc - BLOG

ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG: Problem is by the time I've reached this age, I'll probably need someone else to organise this for me!

So how can a congratulatory message be organised? Australians who are celebrating a special birthday or wedding anniversary can receive personal congratulations from the Prime Minister, Governor-General or The Queen.

Who is eligible for a congratulatory message?

• The Prime Minister will send a message of congratulations to people turning 90 years of age or more.
• The Queen and Governor-General will send a message on a 100th birthday.

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ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG: We can pool our money and other resources to buy something really special such as making the celebration THE gift.

We could pool our $$$$ to engage a professional independent celebrant, rather than everyone buying their own individual gift.

Like well designed stage play, a special event may cost from $ 600 to $ 2000 or more. This may seem a lot, but is it really if the price is spread across a lot of people and the event has longer lasting benefits.

A $ 600 ceremony package can be covered by

• 20 participants donating $ 30 per head OR
• 50 participants at $ 12 OR
• 100 participants at $6 per head

A $ 2000 ceremony package can be covered by

• 20 participants donating $ 100 per head OR
• 50 participants at $ 40 OR
• 100 participants at $ 20 per head

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ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG: When Rona Goold TCN Coordinator celebrated her 20th Anniversary, she sent her 'sweetie husband" Steve a personal e-card on the theme of 'Life is a bowl of cherries' - when you have a good partner, where one's joined at the heart and that they made "a good pair" with this image :-)

Steve and Rona say that knowing each other's Love Languages is one way they strengthen their relationship.

 "Fortunately 'gift giving' is not high on either of our lists, but words of affirmation and acts of service are.On receiving his e-card, Steve declared that it is really great to feel so close that neither "gives each other the pip"!" says Rona

What are your words of advice to newly weds about strengthening their marriage over time?

ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG:  We all love to see expressions of delight when we make a love gesture a surprise!  But what if this backfires?

People need to be psychologically prepared to be the focus of attention, even if it is for a short while, by knowing they are going to a party or an event. Elderly people may have even more difficulty being fully present to the occasion if they are not prepared.

So the TCNA does not recommend “total” surprises for anyone. And of course, under no circumstances can the bride or groom be surprised about their own wedding . . .

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ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG: How often do we think "things" when considering a present for our parents, children or other family members and friends? Why not think about experiences that can never be repeated, that can bring pleasure to everyone, and to which everyone can donare the money to make it happen?

For the 55 and over age group "things" become less important, more things to dust and more things to say goodbye to when the time comes to downsize into a smaller place.

So why not make the celebration itself the gift?

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A good celebrant is much more than a good performer. They need to be  .. . . .

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ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG: (www.celebrants.org.au) Customer Satisfaction rankings - Australia’s leading business review website womo.com.au (word of mouth online) has released new research revealing civil celebrants in the nation’s top 10 best  performers for customer satisfaction.

This weeks featured celebrant is Pat Slee now in Brisbane, recently moved from Fraser Coast QLD.

I encountered my first wedding when I was 19 a little while before I was to head off for National Service. I found it a strange mix of traditions and mutterings and took it all in.The next one was my own, after I came back from Nashos and got my head back together, (well 95% anyway.)

What a tangled mess of religious hypocrisy that was. A confused Agnostic marrying a non-active Catholic in a Methodist Church because the Catholics and the Church of England’s would not have either of us… and my fiancee’ wasn’t even pregnant at the time!

Congratulations to our lovely Lyn Knorr

Lyn achieves 40 years today as civil celebrant having been appointed in Australia on 24th July 1973, the second Civil Marriage Celebrant appointed in Australia and the first  in Victoria.

Celebrants and Celebrations Network Australia - TCN is privileged to have Lyn Knorr as one of our founding TCN Inc Committee members and a TCN Life Member. 

And with some long-timers at the 40 the Anniversary last Friday of the appointment of the first Civil Marriage Celebrant, Lois D'Arcy.

Lyn shared some of her memories of the Early Days at a 2005 celebrant conference. 

We thank her for her faithful service to the Australian public and our civil celebrancy profession and wish her all the very best in the years ahead.

Stonewall UK has confirmed that Queen Elizabeth has granted royal assent to the marriage equality bill, concluding its process and officially making it law. This makes the UK the 16th country to pass marriage equality, and same-sex couples will be able to begin marrying in England and Wales by next summer.

See more:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/07/17/2313921/marriage-equality-is-officially-law-in-the-united-kingdom/?mobile=nc

TCNA is celebrating our Ruby Anniversary of the first Civil Marriage Celebrant in Australia - so I've written a little review via my personal life but this is reflected in over 70,000 marriages each year in Australia.

Truly an Australian success story :-)
http://www.celebrants.org.au/ask-a-TCNa-celebrant/stories/celebrating-civil-celebrants-ruby-anniversary/

And one we take for granted every week  around our amazing country.

Let's celebrate

Rona Goold

Celebrants & Celebrations Network Australia
Coordinator.

Post by Rona Goold
TCNA Coordinator
www.celebrants.org.au

Whether you received a special message today or not, isn't it great to have a day to acknowledge the value of love and friendship in our lives?

My husband and I will be married 20 years this year, so he did need the prompting of the local radio talk show to remind him that today is a special day :-)