Married By Meera Celebrant

02/07/2024

I am thrilled to partner with Enniskillen Orchard for this! Its a game changer for conscious couples in the Hawkesbury :)

If you’re looking for a unique, intimate venue where you can create the wedding you want that is charming and affordable, The Shed at Enniskillen Orchard is for you.

08/06/2024

Todays office. The glorious Auburn Japanese Scented Garden doe Gabriella and Jordan’s special day ❤️

05/11/2023

The fabulous Bride and Bride! So lucky the rain held off for this beautiful ceremony at home. 💍💍

04/11/2023

So excited to have done the wedding of Kate and Chloe today!

04/11/2023

My glorious office this afternoon for the Clifton Hackett Wedding!

01/10/2023

Michelle and Dave get married!!

01/10/2023

The stunning setting for todays wedding: a home garden extraordinaire in Kurrajong!

30/04/2023

Another week done and dusted and it’s a huge Congratulations to Luke and Kristen Roughley-Vella, Mr and Mrs Malcolm Tarnawski and Mitchell and Kasey Webster
🥂🤵🏻👰🏻‍♀️🌟❤️

Send a message to learn more

30/04/2023

This was the morning greeting from Mother Earth on the weekend I had the privilege of marrying the daughter of my architect and then an hour later doing the wedding for the son of my builder!!
How fabulous was that synchronicity?

27/04/2023

My wonderful office for the ultimate intimate wedding today!

19/04/2023

Married By Meera Marriage Celebrant Meera Webster is thrilled to announce a new venture with small wedding specialists Enniskillen Orchards - The Rustic Spirit Package!
This gorgeous boutique wedding venue in the foothills of the fabulous Hawkesbury region is perfect for up to 50 guests in a genuine country setting replete with endlessly gorgeous vistas, fabulous local foods, and a personalised celebrant service with ME!
One price, everything done and lodged, all meetings in any format you need including Zoom, delivery of your final Certificate and the ultimate boho/rustic country vibe of this outstanding Hawkesbury destination.
Contact me for more details....link to Enniskillen:
https://www.enniskillenorchard.com.au

27/03/2023

Saturdays surprise wedding for Marnie and Nathan: guests thought it was an engagement party!

02/03/2023

What a stunning day to be married in the beautiful grounds of The Crowne Plaza, Hawkesbury Valley Way!!

24/01/2023

Whoopee! Fun dates!

Fun Fact Friday
A wedding date is chosen for many reasons , perhaps the anniversary of when the couple first met or when they got engaged or another wonderful date is marrying on their parents or grandparent’s wedding anniversaries.
There are also unforgettable dates throughout the year that ensures an anniversary is never missed.

13/08/2022

How beautiful is this setting for a home wedding??? I’m in Glenhaven for Joshua and Melody today 🎩💍🍸🍾🌟🧚🏼

21/05/2022

My office tonight for the wedding of Rebecca and Richard: the glorious Atrium at The Australian Brewery!

21/04/2022

The truly stunning surrounds of Jaspers Berry: my office today! 🎩💍🍾🍸

29/01/2022

Here is the perfect answer as to why I need -after so many years - to put my service prices up this year!

“What does a civil celebrant cost?

Professional celebrants are worth their weight in gold.
Perhaps a better question is - what will the celebrant cost you if you choose only on price?

Each special occasion is one you can never have again.

What makes a wedding or funeral or other occasion memorable is the ceremony.

Choosing the wrong celebrant for you could cost you more than the dollars you pay!

So it make good sense to choose a celebrant to make sure this part of the day is the best you can afford.

Does this mean an expensive celebrant is the best for me?

Not necessarily. Choosing on the fee alone is not a good indicator as most celebrants' fees are not a true refection of what it costs them to do your ceremony. Nor is it an indicator of their worth to you

A fantastic ceremony can be priceless.

Why do Civil Celebrants cost as much as they do?

There are two main reasons

civil celebrants have expenses that the State Registry and Church staff do not have to personally pay - See the list below.
90% of the time, the skill, materials and equipment to deliver your ceremony are outside the ceremony itself. Like an iceberg, the actual ceremony is the only visible part all the guests see.
The question should be - why do civil celebrants cost so little?

The estimated costs below give you an idea of the expenses that go to make up a celebrant's fee.

To meet Celebrant Specific Requirements:

Government Annual Registration Fee $ 240 pa
Celebrant mandatory professional development $ 150 pa
Independent Celebrant Insurance $130+ pa
CoCA CAL Clebrant Copyright Licence $55pa
Celebrant Professional Association Fee average $ 200 pa
Legal Stationery & Reference materials $ 50+
Total = $820+ pa

Note: The above fees are not applicable to Churches or Registry Office staff

Unlike Registry staff and Church Ministers, civil celebrants do not receive salaries.

To operate as a Professional Celebrant in Private Practice, independent civil celebrants also need to cover the maintenance & operating Expenses for:

Business Registration
Motor Vehicle
Business and General Stationery
Computer
Printing
Internet and Online Connection
Telephone,
Power
Office Equipment
Website
Advertising
Celebrant Library
Celebrant PA equipment
Quality clothing and grooming etc.
Estimated Total = $5,750

Unlike Registry staff and Church Ministers, civil celebrants are not supplied with resources by the "employer".

Therefore around $6,570 pa for an average of eleven weddings per year.

Average 10 hours work per wedding by an hourly fee rate of say $ 40 per hour = $400

So for an average of eleven weddings per year = $4,400.

TOTAL = $10,970

Average cost of an independent celebrants services per wedding (average annual number of weddings per celebrant) is $ 997.00 or around $1,000 per ceremony

This cost drops a little if the celebrant is performing more ceremonies, because some costs are fixed but there are increased costs for extra weddings.

So overall it is clear that almost all civil celebrants are not charging their full costs
nor what is their worth to you as a couple or a family.
So if your celebrant is charging less than this fee and provides a great service, consider you and your family & friends very privileged to have been given such a precious once in a lifetime gift.”

21/12/2021

An important update!

UPDATE: from the Marriage Celebrants Section.

Dear Marriage Celebrant,

We write to advise that the Marriage Act 1961 has been temporarily modified due to COVID-19, to enable an authorised witness to remotely witness the signing of the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). This is a temporary response to assist parties to the marriage meet the notification requirements given the continuing impact of the COVID pandemic.

The Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Modifications—Statutory Declarations and Notices of Intention to Marry) Determination 2021 (the Determination) which modifies the Marriage Act 1961 (the Marriage Act) commenced operation on 21 December 2021, and is the date from when authorised celebrants can begin witnessing signatures remotely. This arrangement will be in place until 31 December 2022, when the relevant legislative instrument will be repealed.

Under the Determination, an authorised witness may sign in the ‘Signature of witness box’ on page 4 of the NOIM, if they have observed the party signing the NOIM, whether or not by means of a facility that enables audio and visual communication between persons in different places. For example, this could include where the authorised witness has observed the signature of the party through videoconferencing facilities such as Skype or Zoom. Such NOIMs signed and witnessed remotely during the specified period should be accepted despite the note on page 2 of the NOIM stating that the ‘Notice must be signed in the physical presence of an authorised witness’. A NOIM must still be given to the authorised celebrant at least one month before the marriage is solemnised.

Please note that the locality requirements of witnesses have not been altered. As such authorised celebrants are only able to remotely witness the signature of parties signing the notice in Australia – see sections 42(2)(c) and (d) of the Marriage Act.

There are no changes to the requirement for the physical presence of all parties to the marriage, including the celebrant and two official witnesses, on the day of the marriage (see sections 41 and 44 of the Marriage Act).

Section 41 - A marriage shall be solemnised by or in the presence of an authorised celebrant who is authorised to solemnise marriages at the place where the marriage takes place.

Section 44 - A marriage shall not be solemnised unless at least 2 persons who are, or appear to the person solemnising the marriage to be, over the age of 18 years are present as witnesses.

There is also no change to the requirement that the declaration of no legal impediment be ‘made and subscribed’ before the authorised celebrant prior to the ceremony (see section 42(1)(c) of the Marriage Act).

The department will provide further information regarding the ending of the temporary facility to witness NOIMs remotely closer to the date of repeal of the relevant legislation.

Please contact us at: [email protected]

Regards
Marriage Law and Celebrant Section

05/11/2021

Take note!!

LEGAL FACT FRIDAY:

Did you know…. If you find yourself a little short on the required one month notice period to lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage form with your celebrant, there are only 5 reasons where a “shortening of time” might be granted by a Prescribed Authority.

Click here to find out what they are: http://ow.ly/MIWJ50GynLs

23/10/2021

My office today: the stunning vista at The ShedEniskillen! As the sun sets on a scorching day, I have the privilege to marry Roz and Iain!

08/10/2021

Attention Bridal Couples:
Guidance related to Weddings from Monday 11 October can be found below.

Weddings

Weddings in NSW may have up to 100 fully vaccinated people.

Do not attend a wedding if there are more than 100 people in attendance.

All people at a wedding must be seated while consuming food and drink. Dancing is permitted.

People within Greater Sydney can only travel within Greater Sydney and people within regional NSW can only travel within regional communities.

Rules for business

The occupier of a premises at which a wedding is taking place must:
not allow a person to consume food or drink unless the person is seated
follow the vaccination rules for business
have and comply with a COVID-19 Safety plan
ensure all people who enter the premises check in with the Service.NSW app or provide contact details to the occupier
not exceed 100 people at the premises
Rules for fully vaccinated people

You can attend a wedding, so long as the capacity limit is not exceeded. You must:
carry vaccination evidence with you and produce it for inspection to a police officer or authorised officer if requested
check in with the Service.NSW app or provide your contact details to the occupier
follow the face mask rules
Rules for people who are not fully vaccinated

If you are not fully vaccinated you can only attend a small wedding service.

A small wedding service is a wedding with up to 11 people attending, being:
the people getting married
the person marrying them
two witnesses
a person to record the service
5 guests

26/09/2021

A shout out to all my couples having to redo their wedding plans: remember the most important thing is to have a date or dates in mind and make sure you have your legal paperwork organised with your celebrant well ahead of schedule!
I give out a Planner with checklists and a list of tasks via email so if you have not got these, get in touch ASAP and make sure we have your basics covered:
Wedding Date
NOIM/Declaration Certs
Covid plan - vaccination issues
Venue
Secret Questions and Answers
Witnesses organised
Being well prepared takes an awful lot of stress off you and makes things run infinitely more smoothly for everyone :)

17/09/2021

Something to note, Ladies and Gents!

FUN FACT FRIDAY:

Did you know… It is NOT a legal requirement to change your surname to that of your partner’s when you get married - it’s a choice…. And EITHER party can choose to change their surname.

You can assume and use any name you'd like - whenever you'd like... however, your legal name is on your ID, so if you'd like to change the name on your ID after marriage you can choose either partner's surname, or join them together with or without a hyphen.

If you decide to change your surname to something other than those options above or if you'd like to also change your first and middle names, you'll need to do a 'change of name' application - which is different to changing your surname after marriage.

You can also keep your own name for business and choose to change your surname to that of your partner and children.

The most important point is that it is a choice.

12/09/2021

The first wedding coming out of hard lockdown is today’s stunning lakeside event at The Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury! Congratulations to Mark and Melissa Neill and the staff at this beautiful venue on such a gorgeous spring day!

10/09/2021

Take note!

FUN FACT FRIDAY:
Did you know… in Australia, there is no such thing as a ‘marriage licence’ that you need to apply for (that’s an American thing)

In Australia, we have a Notice of Intended Marriage form (NOIM) - downloadable from the Attorney General’s website (or from your celebrant) and you lodge this with your celebrant at least one month before (but no more than 18 months before) the ceremony can happen.

NOIM:https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-08/notice-of-intended-marriage.PDF

09/09/2021

Hi to all my hopeful couples, here are the latest updates on the current restrictions which may further affect your wedding plans:
The NSW Government today officially released its roadmap out of lockdown, with businesses in the hospitality, retail and fitness sectors to reopen from the Monday following our state reaching the 70 per cent ‘double dose’ milestone. It is expected we will hit this mark in mid-October.

The initiatives to ease restrictions include:

• Hospitality venues can reopen with one person per 4 square metres indoors and per 2 square metres outdoors.
• Retail stores can reopen with one person per 4 square metres.
• Personal grooming services can operate with one person per 4 square metres, capped at 5 clients per premises.
• Gyms and indoor recreation facilities can reopen with one person per 4 square metres – with classes limited to a maximum of 20 people.
• Domestic travel, including travel to regional NSW will be permitted.
• Weddings and funerals will resume with up to 50 people in attendance.
• Employers must allow staff to continue to work from home if they can.
• Masks will remain mandatory for all public indoor venues.

28/08/2021

BREAKING NEWS - Weddings allowed to go ahead with strict provisos:
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/major-restriction-eased-in-nsw-despite-massive-increase-in-cases-c-3804111

The new freedom will be permitted to take place just next week.

13/08/2021

Hi hopeful couples! I know there is a great deal of heartache over the current restrictions....you can still be prepared for your weddings and it's a good time to make sure you are ahead of your tasks with your Celebrant!
1) Remember that there is much you can do electronically!
Your celebrant can receive certain documents electronically:
The NOIM, your passports/birth certificates/divorce certs/any stat declarations - electronically means via email, text (photo) or Fax but NOT via skype or zoom!
2) Only your ID documents can be "sighted' over Skype or Zoom, you need to make sure your celebrant can see the details clearly.
3) Your NOIM MUST still be witnessed in person.
4) Your Declaration of No Legal Impediment must also be signed in person prior to the wedding.
Please keep a keep eye on the shifting directions regarding this lockdown!
Consult with your celebrant as much as possible and as much as you need - they should be easily available via video conferencing :)

12/08/2021

Well….we are continuing with the severe orders that NO weddings may be held in any area currently locked down and that those of us in those areas also cannot attend any wedding outside these areas.
Hang tight, please everyone do the right thing, get vaccinated as fast as you can and hopefully we can look forward to an easing of these restrictions ASAP!