Annie Saunders - Marriage Celebrant
Your Day, Your Way
Ceremonies
Welcome to my Ceremonies page. I am a Launceston based Celebrant and I am honoured to offer a personal, individualised and meaningful service for all ceremonies at which I am privileged to officiate. My Celebrancy motto is "Your Day, Your Way" and I follow through on this promise in all the services I provide.
Below you will find a detailed list of my services.
Weddings
Your wedding day is one of the most exciting and joyful days of your life.
It will be my honour and privilege to help you create a ceremony that is unique to you and your partner. I usually meet with my clients at least three times prior to the wedding ceremony to ensure it is created to your exact requirements.
The first meeting is to get to know you, and to find out a little about you as a couple, and what your requirements are for your wedding. From this meeting, it is usual for me to create a draft ceremony so that you have a sense of how a ceremony flows. I will assist you to select perfect vows, ring vows, rituals and symbols of your marriage – and you are welcome to take advantage of my wide range of samples. Of course, if you wish to write your own vows, I would be delighted to help you with this too (and I am great at keeping secrets should you wish your vows to be kept as a surprise for your partner on your wedding day).
At this first meeting, I will explain that you need to provide your original birth certificates and photo ID. If you have passports, these serve the dual purpose of proof of ID and proof of date of birth. If you have been married previously, I will also need to sight the original divorce or death certificate/s. These are required to draw up the first of the legal forms required – the Notice of Intended Marriage that must be completed at least a calendar month (and no more than 18 months) prior to the wedding.
The second meeting is to discuss the draft ceremony and to craft and polish it into your own, unique ceremony. At this meeting, I will also present you with the completed Notice of Intended Marriage, sight your original certificates and obtain your signatures if this wasn't undertaken at the first meeting.
The third meeting will be to finalise your ceremony and may be combined with your wedding rehearsal.
Most of the couples I have married find that a rehearsal assists to alleviate nerves and anxiety. It is ideal if the whole bridal party is able to participate and, if possible, I like to hold the rehearsal at the wedding venue. At your rehearsal, I will also ask you to sign the second of the legal documents required for marriage: The Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage.
When your wedding day arrives, you will be relaxed and confident we have created the perfect ceremony – and your bridal party members are comfortable knowing exactly what is expected of them.
The two parties to the marriage, their two witnesses (aged over 18) and I will sign the three marriage certificates during the ceremony. One copy of the certificate goes to Births, Deaths and Marriages in Hobart along with the Notice of Intended Marriage and the Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage, one is given to the happy couple and the last copy (my register) is securely retained by me, according to law, for a period of six years.
I will also assist you to obtain your legal marriage certificate from Birth, Deaths and Marriages after your wedding, if you wish me to do so.
Renewal of Vows
Renewal of Vow ceremonies are perfect for couples who have been married for a number of years and who wish to pledge their ongoing love and commitment to each other - most often surrounded by their family and friends. A significant anniversary is the ideal time to celebrate with a renewal of vows ceremony.
This ceremony provides couples with an opportunity to celebrate the life they have shared together and to make promises and commitments for the future.
A Renewal of Vows ceremony is almost exactly like a wedding ceremony. The only difference is that the legal vows are not spoken and legal documents are not signed (because of course, you are already married). To commemorate the day, I would be delighted to arrange for a certificate to be presented to you as a record of your vow renewal.
As with all my ceremonies, I will work with each couple to ensure they have the perfect ceremony for their requirements.
Commitment
Ceremonies
Not every couple wishes to, or is able to, marry. It is common that they would still like to publicly and formally declare their commitment in the presence of each other and/or in the presence of their family and friends. A commitment ceremony is perfect for these occasions.
A commitment ceremony is very like a wedding in format except that it does not contain the legal wording or documentation which are required of a wedding ceremony in Australia.
I enjoy assisting couples to create their own, meaningful ceremony that contains vows, ring ceremonies, symbols and rituals – just like a wedding – but is not a commitment recognised by law in Australia.
I give the same care and attention to commitment ceremonies as I give to wedding ceremonies and couples can be assured of a celebration to cherish and remember.
Baby Namings
Many parents are choosing to celebrate the birth of a new baby with a baby naming ceremony rather than the traditional church christening ceremony.
A baby naming ceremony provides the proud new parents with an opportunity to celebrate their beautiful new baby’s birth with their family and friends in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
This is a delightful way to welcome a new baby into the family and to provide all members of the family with an opportunity to share a blessing or wish for the baby.
Naming ceremonies can also be used to welcome adopted or step-children into the family. All ceremonies are crafted around the parents’ needs and to meet their individual and family requirements.
Commemorative certificates are offered, free of additional charge, should you wish to have them.
Funerals
While funerals are the saddest of all the ceremonies I conduct, I feel deeply honoured when asked to celebrate the life of a loved one.
A funeral (or celebration of life) ceremony is our last opportunity to pay tribute to those we love and my aim is to make this very difficult task as easy as possible for the family and to provide a funeral service that truly reflects the life of the loved one who has passed.
I have empathy for those who have lost a dearly loved family member and feel privileged to perform my role of celebrant at this time. Funeral ceremonies can be as unique and individual as those for whom they are held.
I am guided by, and work with, the family and the Funeral Director to provide a ceremony that will reflect their's and their loved one's wishes.
Officiating at a funeral is such an important role and one that I promise to fulfill professionally, sensitively, calmly and respectfully at all times.
