Kristy Harvey Celebrant

31/05/2024

Yes, I’m still here!

I’ve decided to come back from maternity leave more slowly than I had planned, taking some time to enjoy my sweet little Joe while he’s sweet and little.

This means that I’ve been a bit thoughtful about how many couples I’m working with. I still want to give all of my couples as much love and attention as I can, and I’m still remembering that I can’t just pop off and do a wedding in who knows where at the drop of a hat anymore.

But I’m still here! Spring 2024 wedding season is filling up fast (November is almost full!) so get in touch soon if you’re leaving it a bit fine. If I can’t help you, I can connect you with some other pretty great local celebrants.

In the meantime, here are the gorgeous Mark and Moira. The smiles on this pair just lit up the world. From the Overland Track to the family farm, their love story is an adventure for the ages. What an honour to have been a part of it, and to have met their tribe of delightful, kind, energetic, and entirely hilarious friends and family. What a riot.

13.4.24
📸 by the remarkable Standing Free photography

29/02/2024

that it’s some kind of bizarre fifth century tradition for women to propose on February 29? Known as Bachelor’s Day, or Ladies’ Privilege (give me strength) it’s an Irish tradition by which women are allowed to propose to men on Leap Day, based on a legend of Saint Bridget and Saint Patrick, and it once had legal basis in Scotland and England.

Now you all know that I’m pretty far from traditional - I reckon you can propose to whoever you want, whenever you want.

But if you happened to use your “Ladies’ Privilege” today… give me a call 😜

31/12/2023

Happy New Year!

To everyone I’ve worked with in 2023, thank you for trusting me with your special day, for making me laugh, and especially for your patience while I figured out how to do all of this with a baby on my knee. Sometimes he’s been such a part of the process that it seems strange not to have him at the wedding. I’ve loved how much you guys have fallen in love with him too, and that he shares a special little connection with so many people.

I’m so excited for all of the dates already locked in for 2024… what a year it’s going to be. Snow weddings, country weddings, beach weddings; so many magical days filling my diary with love and adventure. And for anyone who finds themselves on either side of a bended knee tonight… you know where to find me 😜

Xx

14/02/2023

Happy Valentine's Day, lovers

19/11/2022

Let's talk tunes.

When you’ve been at a wedding, which songs do you remember most? Was it the one playing when the bride walked down the aisle? First dance? Aunty Helen on the dance floor, busting a move (and a hip) to My Sharona after cake and 6-10 Pinot Grigios?

One of my all time ceremony highlights was a wedding held a year ago today. This couple chose to keep their nuptials a secret (I still don’t know if they’ve told anyone!) so we held a quick park ceremony - just me, them, and two sworn-to-secrecy witnesses.

The groom picked a nice spot, arranged some flowers and champagne, and bought along a Bluetooth speaker. I asked if he planned to play some background music, and he said “I really don't know, I bought it just in case”.

When the bride arrived, she made her way towards us. It wasn’t ‘down the aisle’ exactly, but she had to get from the car to the spot. Struck by sudden inspiration, the groom pulled up a song on his phone, and pressed play.

The opening notes of Tennessee Whiskey drifted across the park, and when the bride reached us, she looked at me and said “how did you know about this song?”. I pointed at her groom, and they turned to each other with tears in their eyes, joined together by some secret shared experience.

I’m still not sure exactly what that song means to them, but whatever it was, it took that moment from special to magical. It was the perfect cherry on top of their already delicious day. They’ll be reminded of their wedding every time they hear that song for the rest of their lives.

Music has an incredible power; it brings us together, defines periods and moments in our lives, makes us cry from sadness and joy. I still swoon when I hear Tennessee Whiskey, just because of that single moment at someone else’s wedding in a park 12 months ago.

When I’m talking to a couple about choosing music for their day, we speak about the logistics of a song - is it going to be too long, too short, are there swear words you don’t want Nan to hear, is everyone a bit sick of Ed Sheeran, etc.

But you know, none of that matters. It’s your day, these are your memories. There's a song that means something to you, one that will hit you right in the heart for the rest of your lives. Bu**er the logistics. Find your Tennessee Whiskey.

Happy first anniversary, C & J. I hope it’s been an adventure xx

18/10/2022

Meet Rob and Sue, Dave and Helen.

Recently these two couples both celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaries. They were married in 1972, a week apart, only a suburb away from each other.

Not only did these two marriages celebrate such an incredible milestone, so did their friendship. These four have been friends since before they were two married couples; the girls since school and the boys joining the circle not long later.

They share thousands of memories of lives built together; their weddings, careers, children, grandchildren, friends, families, houses, homes and farms. They’ve been all over the world, shared countless joys and sadnesses, and have grand plans for the future.

They chose to spend their special week in Cooma, and I was blessed that they chose me to support them in a vow renewal ceremony. I was incredibly honoured to hear their stories and really just to marvel at their achievements, as two couples who’ve stayed married for so long but also as an example of a deep and enduring friendship.

Telling two couples who have shared so much “you may now kiss” was an emotional moment that I’ll never forget. I’m just a little blip in the big picture of their lives together, but they left such a beautiful impression on mine.

Congratulations Rob and Sue, Dave and Helen, and all the best for the next chapter. Thank you for sharing your special day with me ❤️❤️❤️❤️

26/09/2022

I mean… if you’re gonna elope, what a spot. Thanks for the love, Dalgety. And congrats to the gorgeous Ben and Sarah - love like yours lights up the whole world.

Flowers by
Many congratulatory beeped horns by the locals

22/08/2022

Couples often ask me “what did you do at your wedding?”

Well, this is it. Alex and I were married on 22nd August 2003, at the Cooma Courthouse, when I was 6 months pregnant (look at baby Jack in there!). We were just kids; I was 19 and he was 22. I was wearing stretchy pants, and that’s a Hawaiian shirt under that jumper that he borrowed from his Dad.

We didn’t tell a soul what we had planned. We phoned two witnesses and asked if they could do us a quick favour.

We were in and out in probably about 6 minutes; made our legal vows, signed the paperwork, posed for a photo on the stairs, job done.

I remember as we were leaving, his mum phoned for some standard everyday reason. He said “we’re on our way to the Aussie, we just got married”. She was the first of many people that day who were confused, excited, happy for us, sad that they weren’t invited.

Every wedding looks different because every couple is different. I never wanted to be a bride, and I never wanted a big wedding. We always made half-arsed comments about having one “one day”; at five years, or ten, or fifteen.

Today we celebrate 19 years married, with no plans to ever have the big party. Our wedding (or lack of) is one part of our marriage; it set the scene for our life together but it doesn’t define it. We did it our way, and we’ll keep doing it our way for as long as we can.

So I can’t give a lot of advice about what worked or didn’t work at my wedding, except for this: do whatever works for you. It doesn’t have to look any kind of way, except your way.

Happy anniversary my love, and thank you for every single day. You are my life’s one great love story, and I wouldn’t want to do any of this without you x

16/08/2022

Let’s talk about dying.

Death and dying is a part of every life. It is the grand finale to the grandest show of all. We’re all gonna do it; richer or poorer, better or worse, in sickness and in health. So why don’t we talk about it more?

Funeral / memorial / celebration of life services were the very first ceremonies I ever really led. They’re what got me interested in the concept of ceremony, of gathering people with purpose to mark important milestones. I still do more funerals than weddings, and it might sound strange, but I love them. Lives should be celebrated, respected, honoured. Families and friends need a marker, a touchstone event which defines the “before” and the “after”. And in that space it’s my job to support families to tell the story of their loved one and to make sure that the ceremony runs smoothly and is the send off that the person deserves.

Sometimes, a person will know that their time is coming. They might have made some choices about their final days, and with increasing frequency they will have had an active role in planning their own memorial. Most people will have an idea of whether they want to be buried, or cremated, or something else. They’ll generally know whether they want a religious ceremony or something more secular. They might have chosen favourite songs, poems, or readings. They might instinctively know who would be best to deliver their eulogy – and they might even have a role in writing that for themselves.

But we’re also very often met with death in unexpected ways. These deaths have a different impact on families and communities. People stumble, consumed by shock and grief, never having imagined that they would be in this situation. They’ve not had to plan a funeral before – or they certainly didn’t expect to be planning this one. So why don’t we all, as individuals, start this conversation so much earlier? Even if it’s “just in case” scenario… shouldn’t we have this chat with our family and friends?

The Dying to Know campaign runs throughout August in Australia and encourages people to start a conversation to improve their choices at end of life. Giving serious consideration to how we want to the end of our lives to look gives us some semblance of control over something we really have such a small say in. And being prepared is the gift we can give our selves and our families in our final days; a clear pathway and set of instructions for how we want those days to look – and how we want to be celebrated.

It's not necessarily an easy topic, but I’m fortunate to be comfortable with conversations around death and dying. So feel free to reach out – I’m always happy to have a chat about this stuff. The funeral industry NEEDS revolutionising. We deserve a better, more modern, more individualised response to death. So let’s do it.

And you better believe that my own funeral is locked and loaded and ready to go… I know every last nice word I want said about me and exactly how much I want you all to cry. Not much, but enough. And please, no Bushells at the wake. Splash out and get me the Dilmah. I deserve it.

01/07/2022

Winter weddings are a VIBE. We’re so lucky to live in a part of the country that provides the perfect wintry backdrop for wedding photos. Just remind me to bring gloves if we’re signing the paperwork outside… my fingers are getting chilblains!

07/06/2022

All the signs are there… someone’s been getting married! Congrats lovebirds! 🖤Simon and Stef 6/6/22 🖤

18/05/2022

I LOVE this photo.

It looks like (and it is) a beautiful photo of a bride making her vows.

It’s also a perfect example of how all the planning, organising, and thinking over every last detail comes together like magic on the day.

When I look at this photo, I see so many things.

A bride, in the dress that she fell in love with, with her wedding day hair and makeup, reading vows which she wrote with true consideration of the man in front of her and her dreams for their future.

A venue, not their first choice but the perfect choice in the end; by the stunning Thredbo River, autumn leaves falling, trout jumping in the water behind us. Their styling created a beautiful little love bubble; the gorgeous timber arbour, the flowers that were the perfect fit for the environment, and the pampas grass that kept getting stuck to the groom every time he came anywhere near the arbour.

A photographer, whose keen eye made sure that every moment was captured thoughtfully, checking in with me and the couple to understand what was important, where the highlight moments were, which memories the couple wanted to take with them to look back on for the rest of their lives.

A celebrant, who by some happy accident matched her jacket to her hair, listening with love and excitement, ready for whatever comes next – planned or otherwise. Prepared in case something goes a bit wrong and we need a quick joke to smooth it over. Practised for the next section of the script that we worked on together and went over in the rehearsal. Paying close attention to make sure that all the legal bits are said and done exactly as they need to be so that these guys are actually married at the end.

And a groom, probably with a bit of pampas stuck in the back of his hair, bursting with love and pride as the woman of his dreams promises to stand beside him forever. Just look at the look of devotion on his face. Absolute magic.

Planning a wedding can be tough. But when you end up with a day like this to start the rest of your lives together, it’s all worth it.

Congratulations Jake and Ginnie, and thank you for having me be part of your special day x

Photo: Breanna A Photography

14/05/2022

Tomorrow, brides and grooms! The Your Local Wedding Expo is on tomorrow at Exhibition Park in Canberra. Get your dose of and bring me back lots of awesome ideas for your big day! 📸: Your Local Wedding Guide

05/05/2022

Even though this photo captures a serious moment, this wedding was a hoot.

A delightful couple, two lovely families, four adorable sons... and the flower man. Oh boy, the flower man. One of the most absurd, hilarious, completely riveting things I've ever seen.

These guys also pulled off one of the most beautifully styled spaces I've ever seen - lots of wood, handmade touches, native flowers... just gorgeous.

If you haven't seen the trend, go get yourself lost in Insta / TikTok for a bit... it's a good laugh.

Congrats Mr and Mrs Stanford x

Venue: The Snowy Mountains Travellers Rest
Photographer: Kanoona Kaptures

07/04/2022

It’s taken me a while to figure out the words to go with this one, but here we are…

Back in the blissful pre-COVID days of 2019, I was finishing up the qualification required to become an Authorised Marriage Celebrant. One of the last (and more ridiculous) assessment tasks was to film a set of mock ceremonies. This involved recruiting a bunch of pals to spend their Saturday afternoon with me, pretending to get married over and over again while my phone filmed them from the corner.

Claire and Kara had probably only been together a few months. We all giggled awkwardly while they looked each other in the eye and pretend-promised to love, honour, and cherish one another as long as they both shall live.

Fast forward a few years and these absolute lunatics went and did it for real.

This day was one of my favourite weddings ever. Everyone looked their world class finest. Two families, and on the face of it the most randomly assorted bunch of friends ever, came together as one to cheer on these two lovebirds. Nathan and I got the last minute call up to step in as MCs for the reception, and got to live out our dream of being a podcast worthy comedy duo. Together, we all laughed and we cried and we made bad jokes and ate great cake.

But most of all, we got to see what happens when two people genuinely find the love of their life; their person. Claire and Kara are both perfectly excellent humans. Together, they are magic.

Marrying people is an honour, every single time. I am so privileged to be able to share in that special moment with so many people – usually I’ll come and go from their lives, but a little bit of them stays with me to remind me of how lucky I am. Watching this one come full circle has been a blast, and I’m so happy for those two giggling girls who got fake married in Mik and Mel’s front room all those years ago.

Claire and Kara: thank you, and congratulations.

Bonus round: swipe for a picture of the Logie award-worthy cast and crew of that absurd fake-wedding Saturday afternoon. This is the fanciest you’ll ever us, so bask in the glory.

Venue: The Snowy Mountains Travellers Rest
Photographer / videographer: WGM Wedding Videographers

03/03/2022

Friends and lovers, weddings are the hottest trend of 2022. All the cool kids are doing it.

My little side hustle has gotten so busy that my weekends are almost all full with ceremonies, rehearsals, and meetings with couples all the way through to winter (ok, and the occasional girls weekend / solo trip to Tumut for Rock the Turf). So I've set aside evening appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for people who are in the early stages and need a reassuring half an hour or so to get the ball rolling. Usually we'd do this over coffee on a Saturday morning but there are just no Saturdays left!

So swing me a message to lock in your time and I'll send you a Zoom link. I'm sure there's a fancier way to make appointments in Business Suite but damned if I can figure it out. That's a business goal for another day.

22/02/2022

14/12/2021

You guys.

2022 is filling up FAST. Like, crazy fast. Especially October/November/December - I think everyone is keen to get back together, celebrating love and enjoying each other's company in the sunshine.

While a full calendar is wonderful, beautiful problem for me to have, I really hate saying no to people, especially when the date is so far away - it breaks my fun-loving little heart.

So if you're hoping to get married next year and haven't locked in your wedding team yet, get in touch with a celebrant soon. And a venue, and a photographer, and a caterer, and hair and makeup. It's wedding boom time, don't miss out!

P.S. wedding boom time = baby boom time... I also do naming days if you're that way inclined, plenty of dates free in 2023 :P

12/12/2021

Did you know... that it's always the bloke who cries?

Almost every time I've married a man and a woman, it's the groom who ends up in tears. It’s similar in a same-sex or gender diverse ceremony; there’s always one person leading the wedding day charge and one who says “I don’t mind, do whatever”. They're heaps casual during the planning; it's all for their partner and they'll just show up and have a good time. Get the ceremony over and done with and let's get into the reception. I end up gently dragging them, kicking and screaming, into writing their vows or choosing a song, making sure their personality is stamped on the day too.

And then the day comes, and the laid-back one is always the first to spill a tear. I'm not sure what it is, but my guess is that they find themselves suddenly aware that this person will stand beside them forever, joined as one and ready to face the world together. They'll always have an ally. Sometimes they're overwhelmed with love and pride and excitement and relief to finally be standing here. Sometimes they've never said these things out loud before, and they feel exposed in that moment. Sometimes it's straight up nerves. Often they're just stunned by how beautiful their partner looks today.

To me, there is nothing more romantic than such an open expression of devotion. Love like this is powerful, intoxicating. To stand next to it is magnetic, but also uncomfortable, like you're intruding on something deeply private. I feel like I should look away but I'm mesmerised... completely aware that this is their most intimate moment, and it changes everything.

A marriage is much more than a wedding day. It’s an ongoing, ever-evolving incarnation of the love that brings a couple together. Standing proudly in that moment of vulnerability is a demonstration of a bond that runs deep, a willingness to step outside your comfort zone to tell the world what this person means to you. Those tears are a primal display of emotion, and I'm honoured every time I get to witness it.

05/12/2021

Here's what your wedding ceremony looks like the day before... not very romantic, is it?

The day before a wedding is a final dash to make sure everything is in order. While the couple are getting waxed, plucked, and nervous (no one’s getting much sleep tonight!), practicing their vows and remembering to pack the rings, I’m getting organised. Final tweaks to the script, checking all of the notes and every last detail, making sure the paperwork is completed properly and the certificates look nice and the microphone is charged up and there are enough pens to comply with the COVID plan. Will we need a tablecloth? Better chuck one in just in case. Should I bring a spare battery for the camera? Yes. The answer is always yes. Will I remember to use the camera? No. The answer is always no.

I also spend some time on the day before recording a final run-through of the script. I like to get a feel for my pace and tone, places to pause, how long it will run for, etc. I’ve saved you the visual of me in my slippers, no makeup, cold cup of tea, talking into my phone like a strange lonely woman. It’s what you'd see if I'd turned the camera around when I took this photo, and it's not the image that will give you faith in your celebrant.

But we’ll do all this preparation work together so that your big day will be awesome. I'll be awesome, you’ll look amazing, you’ll nail your vows, we'll get you married, and we’ll have an absolute ball while we're at it.

Just please send one of your bridal party over to help me carry all of these tubs.

27/11/2021

The cover photo story:

This photo was shared with me by the beautiful bride, and it happens to capture my all-time most special ceremony moment.

This wedding was held on a glorious summer day just after Christmas 2020. It had been a rough year for weddings but the couple and their family and friends were finally standing under this stunning old tree on their home property, ready to get it done.

I always ask couples for their permission to incorporate an Acknowledgement of Country into their ceremony. Most of the time couples love the idea; sometimes they don’t, and I have to respect that - it's their day. But it's important to me that we comprehend where we stand, and the significance of ceremonies like marriages having been conducted here for tens of thousands of years. I’m proud to live and work on Ngarigo Country, and grateful to have Ngarigo people share their wisdom, resilience, and spirit of celebration with me. They have been holding ceremonies here since before we can imagine.

On this particular day, the couple asked their best mate and Ngunnawal man Joel to do an Acknowledgement and a ceremony showing love and respect for the couple and their marriage. For me, it was an incredibly moving moment and one of the few times I've really cried during a ceremony. I was seconds away from doing a proper ugly cry (look closely and you can see it about to burst) and had to do some serious self-talk to get it together quick smart. Game face.

I’m grateful to have been a part of it, and so grateful that the moment was captured and shared with me. I look back on it as a reminder of the significance of what we’re doing when we come together for a wedding. It’s not just loved-up laughs and a big kiss. It’s an ancient ritual of commitment, bringing two people together before their families and friends to be supported as they begin their marriage. Joel’s ceremony was the blessing of a friend and his ancestors, drawing on his culture to display love and respect for the couple.

Every ceremony has its magic moments, and this ceremony had heaps. This just happens to be one that will always be special to me.

20/11/2021

Did you know that there's such thing as National Celebrants Day? Me neither.

So anyway, here's a post about it and I suppose you can just give me my gifts later.

19/11/2021

Sometimes people give you flowers to share the love… and it’s a beautiful moment. Congratulations to the happy couple and thanks for brightening my day with these gorgeous colours. Cheers🥂

11/11/2021

Settle in kids, it’s time for the origin story.

A couple of years ago, in my spare time, I went off and became a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant. I got into celebrancy because I’m confident and comfortable in front of an audience, I’m good at paperwork, and I love a good time. This is the perfect fit!

So after a couple dozen weddings, about as many funerals, a handful of naming days, and one fabulous divorce party, I decided to step into social media land. I avoided this for ages; celebrancy isn’t my main gig (I love my day job), and I haven’t needed to drum up any business – it’s just come naturally. And because I never really planned to do any of this promo stuff, I haven’t collected many photos of me doing weddings etc. – I’m always too busy to snap one and I usually forget to ask for one later. How do you make a social media page without any photos? Boring.

But I’ve come to understand a few things. Couples planning their wedding don’t know where or how to find a celebrant. When they do, they want to be able to check someone out online before they make contact. Like, a full stalk. They want to know what bits I’ll do and what bits are up to them. They want to know how much they’re going to have to pay someone to stand in front of their family and friends for an afternoon (please note I don’t charge extra for the laughs, they’re just a bonus that I throw in for free). And most importantly, they want to visualise their big day. They want to know where the celebrant will stand and what they’ll wear and how they’ll look. They want to see that the celebrant has done this before, and they want to know that everyone was still smiling at the end of it.

They just want to know they’re in good hands. And I need to start reassuring them before I’ve even met them that we’re gonna have a blast.

So I’ll get to work on rounding up some photos, you get to work on telling everyone how much of a great time we’d have if I did their wedding, and we’ll all figure out this social media thing together. If anyone’s got any hashtag ideas (or photos of me doing a wedding!!), hit me up.

Photo: one of literally three photos I've ever taken at a wedding I've done 🤦‍♀️

06/11/2021

What makes a wedding?

This morning I married a hilarious, laid-back, adorable couple, while sitting at their kitchen table. It was just us, their witnesses, their kids, and their dogs. He wore thongs. She was still in her jammies when I arrived. We had a cup of tea, and a good giggle as we compared our bad tattoos (I won!), and then got down to business. It took all of 15 minutes and I was home in time to put dinner in the slow cooker. So casual, so easy, so perfectly *them*.

Today's also the day I was supposed to marry some gorgeous friends of mine, in their dream outdoor wedding – the whole big dress, walk down the aisle, crying over the vows spectacular. COVID pressed pause on those plans (stay tuned for mid-Feb 2022!), but it got me thinking about how different those ceremonies would have been. Not in a bad way, just different.

Every ceremony is different because every couple is different. You’ll hear a lot of the wedding industry using all the buzzwords like “bespoke” and “custom crafted” and that’s because anyone working in this space will understand that couples want a ceremony that reflects who they are and what they want to remember about their day. Drawing out those aspects that make a couple unique, and the little touches that will make their day really shine, is a special kind of magic. It takes conversation, observation. We talk about what you want (what you really really want) and build a ceremony that’s true to who you are, as individuals and a couple. Wanna get married the old fashioned way? Let’s do it. Wanna get married dressed as Magenta and Riff Raff from Rocky Horror? I am 1000% here for that and I bags coming as Columbia. Seriously, PLEASE someone do that. Want to get married at your dining table while your toast goes cold? Well, it’s been done, but I’d totally do it again.

Huge congrats to Andrew and Elsie for today and cheers to the next part of your adventure – you guys are just the sweetest and I wish you all the love and doggo slobber in the world