Philip Greentree:- Marriage Celebrant performing, conventional Australian wedding ceremonies

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philip.greentree

What does Philip Provide?
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Very serious 100w RMS PA system.
4 wireless hand mikes
2 wireless head mikes
1 corded mike
Entirely battery powered
Every word is heard

Small table with chair and table cloths

Wind-proof candle holders

Portable lectern

wedding manual
400 pages

FREE name change kit

Full Support

Sense of Humour

Choice

Conventional Ceremonies

Many celebrants offer fixed ceremonies and limited options. I offer you whatever you want.... a very wide-range of ceremony formats and rituals. I have often said, you could go to 50 Australian weddings in a row and the only thing that changes are the bridal couple and the celebrant.

I recognise that not everyone wants a Scottish, Celtic, an Orthodox, Buddhist, or Chinese ceremony. But I do encourage my brides to be adventurous, to break out of the square of convention, to be different and work with me to create a ceremony that their friends will talk about... "Wow, why didn't I have that?"

Are you Remote from Port Stephens?
So, how do you take a conventional ceremony and make it different? Read on!

This page is chockfull of information that will get you started in the right direction.

With a wide-range of rituals available, you can develop a ceremony that has class, distinction and meaning.

What is a Conventional Ceremony?
That's a good question! Australia has become a truly multicultural society and many traditions from other cultures have crept into our traditional, English based ceremonies.

By definition, a conventional ceremony is one that is English oriented throughout, but the reality is, they really are boring compared a ceremony with various rituals that have come to us from the other cultures. In this page, I have based the ceremony on the English traditional, but encourage you to break out, expand your horizons and have a ceremony that represents what Australia has become.

Can I use items from other cultures?
Of course you can. I often have brides, when reading my comprehensive wedding manual ask if they use some of the vows from the Buddhist ceremony in their conventional ceremony. Of course you can. The same applies to every ceremony covered. It's your ceremony, you have it the way you want it.

Maybe you read something in the Celtic, or Scottish ceremonies you liked. It's your day, so include them in you ceremony.

The Washing & Blessing of the Rings
A very emotional moment in which I wash the rings generally with the waters of Port Stephens, but if Scottish, I use water from Loch Ness in Scotland, then bless the rings with the Spirit of Love.

The Ring Exchange
There is simply NO reference to rings in the regulations. If you don't want them, that's your choice. What this means however, is that you can exchange rings at any time in the ceremony. See combined asking and ring exchange.

Combined Asking and Ring Exchange
As with the rings, there is no requirement to actually ask you if you want to marry each other. Having a combined asking and ring exchange will change your ceremony such that it really is very different to convention. The rings are exchanged as part of you stating that you do wish to marry each other.

I provide three different formats:

Complex ancient form
Simplified form
Modernised ancient using modern day ring vows

Some Other Rituals
There are many rituals you can have in a wedding ceremony, most of which have a very spiritual meaning. Some rituals are:

Candle Ceremonies
The unity candle ceremony can be tied directly to the parental blessing early in the ceremony. It then enables the spiritual ceremony representing the merging of two families, and in some cases, two cultures.

A Typical Ceremony Structure
Click on the choices for descriptions of what occurs..........
Bridal entry
Introduction and Monitum 1
Presentation of the Bride
Reading (optional)
The Monitum 2
The Asking
The Vows
The Ring Ceremony
2nd Reading (optional)
Special Rituals
Declaration of Marriage
Signing The Register
Presentation of the married couple

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The BIG dispute: how do you enter?
The Traditional Way (British)
The American Way
The Scottish Way
The European Way
Ok Philip, so which way do you reckon is best?

Big dispute No 2: where do you stand?
In a church with a religious officiant
In a park with a civil celebrant

Some Other Rituals (Cont'd)

Handfasting

This is my favourite. Its history is steeped in ancient Celtic lore and it represents the joining together of two souls in marriage. Being the act of spiritual marriage, it creates another focal point in your ceremony.

The Blessing of The Hands

Another deeply emotional moment

where I walk behind the couple and perform the blessing of their Hands. I have lost count of the number of fathers who have openly shed tears at this moment!

Wine sharing ceremony
This is the our first drink you have as a married couple, the groom offering the cup to his wife first, then she offers it to him. It represent your first act of sharing, and the opportunity to toast each other on this wonderful day.

Butterfly release
This is a very special and touching ceremony and can be tied to the North American Indian legend of the butterfly. Obtain a butterfly for each member of the bridal party, then release them towards the end of the ceremony. Very pretty and spectacular.

Dove release
Obtain special white doves and release them as you would butterflies. For those who don't know, they are actually trained homing pigeons and fly straight back home!

Rose Ceremony
This is a particularly moving and highly emotional ceremony that centres on the beauty of a single rose. Both bride and groom, as well as the celebrant are key players in this ceremony.

Ring warming
Send your rings around the family and guests early in the ceremony and have them hold them for a moment as they think only positive good things for your lives together.

Sand ceremony
Based on the rationale, that when you mix two sands together, despite they retaining their identity, it's impossible to separate them.

Many other rituals
There are many traditions from many cultures. They all have a place in your various ceremonies.

Call me at
philip.greentree

"A Celebration of Love"