How hard could it be? Boy was I wrong, not a hard course but wow how intensive and repetitive. However, I am so glad it was because after I became registered, I hit the ground running and had all bases covered. Initially I saw a market opening as I had an inkling that the marriage equality issue would become something that the government were going to address and lo and behold it happened! A positive time indeed! Although not the boom I expected, there were increases but it was more about acceptance and validation than ‘the need’ to be married and those that felt an urgency and already flown ‘across the ditch’ and had their union solemnised there.
I was fortunate that I had two weddings who were prepared to wait for my registration and to me that was such a compliment. It was in preparation for these weddings that I reached within my self and discovered the ability to write and capture the story of love. The honour of being blessed to hear the most private thoughts and intimate details of what brought a couple together and kept them entranced to the point where they knew they wanted to be together, forever. Portraying the story of a couple and tell the guests this and watching their response and the emotion between the couples and be a part of that ‘love bubble’ is so special. Reactions whether it is in the laughter or the tears and the ability to bring that to a ceremony is really so rewarding to me.
Many weddings later I still put my heart and soul into each one as if it was my first. Once I had a friend say to me “don’t you just copy and paste?” Oh dear! I said to him, “Would you like that for a wedding of your daughters or would you prefer it was especially designed around her and her partner’s love story?” Suffice to say there was no debate required.
Recently I have been introduced to funeral services and initially I was asked by a friend to do a service for her mother. Once again, I was blown away by being granted the responsibility of doing the one last thing I could do for the family and the deceased by telling the story of their life, an honour indeed. Funerals have kept me busy during the lull due to the pandemic and I must say they have inspired me in such a way I never felt it could. I have been asked how I can do such a job but it is not a job to me, it is being able to farewell someone with honour and respect for the life that they lived.
Whether it is a Wedding or Funeral being entrusted to create a special memory of Celebration of Life on such an important day fills me with such pride.