A Life Celebrant - Lou Szymkow

20/06/2024

Since 2017, Australia has enjoyed equality when it comes to marriage.
Back then there were only about 26 countries where that marriage would be recognised but now there are about 36 Countries Where Gay Marriage Is Legal 2024 (worldpopulationreview.com)

19/06/2024

09/05/2024

https://youtu.be/c_LdbMXfDKI

Listen to Angus & Julia Stone 'The Wedding Song' on streaming platforms here: https://angusandjuliastone.ffm.to/theweddingsongThe new album 'Cape Forestier' ...

18/04/2024

Congratulations Terry & Glenys

17/04/2024

Congratulations David & Nicole

26/03/2024

Thank you for your kind words

18/03/2024

24/02/2024

Today's garden visitors
Superb Fairy Wrens gathers into a circle, preening. Usually cannot catch them on camera as they are too fast

19/02/2024

As a Celebrant, I have to ensure that couples are who they say they are. I have to check their date & place of birth as well as identity and be satisfied that there is informed consent.

Scammers use dating or friendship to get your money. They go to great lengths to convince you the relationship is real and manipulate you to give them money. Romance scammers will leave you broke and broken-hearted.

13/02/2024

I perform quite a few micro-weddings, which are very small weddings, often with just the couple and witnesses, and even have some coming up over the next few weeks. They are romantic and beautiful but without a huge expense.
People sometimes confuse small weddings with an elopement which is the act of consenting adults running off to be married in a sudden and secretive fashion, sometimes involving a hurried flight away from home to marry without parental approval.
Importantly, in Australia, you must give 1-18 months' notice to be married and provided you are over 18, not married to anyone else, and can prove your date & place of birth as well as identity, you can be legally married anywhere within Australia.

07/02/2024

IT'S A LEAP YEAR
February not only has Valentine’s Day but as this is a leap year, there is the 29th February when custom has it that women may propose marriage to men.
According to ancient Irish history, in the 5th century Ireland, a Nun, now known as St. Brigid of Kildare, was incensed at women having to wait far too long for men to propose marriage, bitterly complained to the Irish patron saint, St. Patrick.
In those days, it was considered shameful for a woman to not marry.
St Patrick is said that have eventually agreed to allow females the right to propose on only one day every seven years but she argued that was far too long a wait so St Patrick relented to every four years and February 29 was chosen.
Following their agreement, legend has it that she dropped straight to her knee and instantly proposed to him. St Patrick declined her offer but gave her a kiss on the cheek and a silk gown to soften the blow.
Following that, any man who rejected a proposal was said to have paid compensation for the rejection by offering a kiss, silk gown, or silk gloves.
The tradition was then taken to Scotland by Irish monks and in 1288, the Scots passed a law that allowed a woman to propose marriage in a leap year, with the law also stating that any man who declined the proposal on this day would have to pay a fine. That law was allegedly passed by an unmarried Queen Margaret (although she may only have been five years old at the time) and she put in place a rule that all those women proposing must wear a red petticoat while doing so.
The fine to be paid if a man declined could still range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves. In some upper-class European societies, the custom of denial involved buying 12 pairs of gloves for the woman you were rejecting. To hide her shame at not having a ring to wear, of course!
In some places, February 29 has been renamed Bachelors' Day.

02/01/2024

Provided by one of my happy grooms 🌹 Frederick Ingold

01/01/2024

May this year be the best yet, filled with happiness and love

24/12/2023

16/12/2023

I love that I set my screen saver to photos, so that when at my desk, I often see photos of family, friends, adventures, and of past weddings flash by reminding me of how wonderful life is.

03/12/2023

02/12/2023

Lovely Couple came all the way from Sydney and were to be married in Nowra but loved the area so much, they asked “can we go to a beach instead?”, and so I took them to Boat Harbour, a couple of locals were the witnesses and another was the ceremony photographer, and of course they got to feed the stingrays afterwards.
The couple loved the area so much they are considering moving here😃🌹
No pics of the ceremony to display (private) but you have to love that view💕

02/12/2023

Absolutely loved this ceremony
An amazing couple

02/12/2023

A unique & fun ceremony at this retreat that is only a short drive from my home.
What a fun crowd and beautiful couple💕

02/12/2023

Fantastic accommodation and breathtaking views only minutes from the town centre but a world away

02/12/2023

Such a beautiful place for a wedding

02/12/2023

Another fantastic wedding in the Kangaroo Valley