Jeanette McDonald Marriage Celebrant

THE LUCKY CELEBRANT!!!

After the inclement weather events of the weekend, the Saturday wedding took place between one weather event and the next. The weather Gods and Goddesses were kind to us, giving us sufficient reprieve for the ceremony to take place without incident.

Some of the guests and the photographer described me as the Lucky Celebrant, holding the rain off to wed Carolyn and Chris. Turned out to be an amazing event of happiness, meaning and joyful celebration.

A new year of weddings begins. It is always interesting to consider the current colour trends. For 2023 it is Emerald Greens and various tones and hues of green.

It seems there is a revival of those colours that come from nature and the natural world.

❓Did you know that I have a passion for working with families who have just lost a loved one to create a memorable farewell service?

❓Did you know some people think dealing with people who are grieving and doing funeral services is creepy or odd?

💔As I see it Life and Death go hand in hand, all part of this great mystery and cycle we exist in.

💔People always ask me do I feel sad? How do you hold it together? That part is about your intention, your experience, your professional approach.

😇On the day of the funeral my intention and mission is to make the service meaningful, smooth, and seemingly effortless. I am there to guide this family with loving kindness and dedicated care, to be present to their wishes in a calm and unflappable manner.

😇I help families to get through one of the most challenging and harrowing events they will ever have to organise with grace and dignity.

👏 For years I have included the short version of the poem below. It was just the first and second verses and it came to me under another name.

🙌 Now I have found the whole prayer 🙏 and it is just beautiful to read. I have posted it here for your enjoyment.

💝 Saturday’s wedding with Jo and Tony was delightful, unique and fun. Jo and Tony were married at 4pm at Broadway Chapel, 💒Woolloongabba. The bridal party was large with four attendants on either side and fourteen children. As you can imagine the alter area was full to capacity. And so were the hearts ❤️of all in that chapel, 💒 you could feel the love 🥰 flowing.

🙌 What a pleasure to marry this delightful couple. 🥂The children 👶 were perfectly behaved. Bravo! There were squeals of delight 😘 and laughter throughout the ceremony. Joy filled the chapel 💒 as did the afternoon light ⚡️as it beamed through the stained glass windows 🪟 .

👩‍❤️‍👨 Here are a few ceremony pics that truly speak to the happiness of this blessed union. 👩‍❤️‍👨 thanks to by Zanti for most of these. Later I will post some of the after party 🥳 where we got to kick up our heels.

This post is so profound. Just read on about 'stuff'. In my profession as a Marriage Celebrant I hear comments about 'stuff' all the time. This is especially so when people pass in Nursing Care, the family are asked to remove 'stuff' within 24 to 48 hours. This is the stuff of real time.

The TRUTH is, that all of the “STUFF” here on earth we work SO hard to buy and accumulate..does NOT mean a thing. At the end of the day...people will be cleaning out our "STUFF", going thru our "STUFF", figuring out what to do with all of our "STUFF"....this "STUFF" we've accumulated in our life. The only thing of VALUE that remains are the MEMORIES and what we deposit into others. May we all learn to spend less time accumulating "STUFF" and spend way more time making MEMORIES.

As a funeral celebrant and someone who has farewelled many family and friends, I have experienced deep grief. It is always there however as time goes on nowhere near as raw. I was emotional yesterday as it was ten years since my own Mum's passing. So you grow to accept that missing piece as part of life and the mystery that we all exist in.

Love was in the air! Kissing under the grand marquee. Rain held off. Great snap of yesterday’s local wedding.

Such powerful words here.

Very powerful and meaningful words ❤️