April 3, 2016 by Glenda Ashleigh

Wedding Bomboniere

Creative Wedding Bomboniere to Delight

Wedding bomboniere are favours or gifts that wedding guests receive on the wedding day. Different cultures view weddings as happy events that people like to celebrate. Weddings also attract ‘good luck’ and everyone likes good luck! Wedding bomboniere is as different as you want it to be, so create your bomboniere and delight your wedding guests!

Wedding Bomboniere Through History

Traditionally, everyone in the community shares in the good luck associated with weddings and in spreading the love.

In 16th century France, only the wealthy classes gave wedding bomboniere to wedding guests. Small boxes to hold bonbons or other confectionery were popular bomboniere. These boxes were often decorated with gold and precious stones. Not only was this bomboniere valuable keepsakes, they were also handed down from one generation to another in families as heirlooms.

Families of modest means however, were more creative with their bomboniere. For example, In Italy, sugar-coated or Jordan almonds are popular as wedding bomboniere. Five sugar-coated almonds are presented in a dainty organza bag or wrapped in fine tule, and tied with a ribbon. These almonds represent the five wedding wishes: health, wealth, happiness, fertility and longevity.

Although the form of wedding bomboniere differs across cultures, the thoughts and sentiments are the same. It is all about how you spread and share the happiness of your wedding day. Cut the wedding cake and put small pieces in boxes or paper bags for guests to take home with them. This is and old and delightful bomboniere tradition that is easy. Wedding guests place the boxed cake under their pillows on the wedding night for ‘good luck’. Hopefully, wedding guests experience good luck!

In the 21st century, people are more creative with wedding bomboniere. Some gifts are practical while others are more sentimental. Wine bottle stoppers, personalised pens, and even music boxes that play the wedding waltz are popular. These bomboniere are available commercially, however they do come at a cost.

Personalised Wedding Bomboniere

Wedding Bomboniere Crochet Bells

Why not personalise your wedding bomboniere in unique ways? Express your personality, hopes and dreams in personalised bomboniere. These gifts are heartfelt and add that special touch to your day. The hand-made crochet Wedding Bells in this photo are delightful examples of unique bomboniere. These little bells add a lovely touch to place cards or as decorations on champagne flutes.

Other popular personalised wedding bomboniere include plant seeds, small plants in pots, and home-baked confectionery, jams and biscuits. Print or hand-write thank you notes and attach to these items. Invite family and friends to gather, make or present these personalised items. Not only is this is a great way to get everyone involved in the wedding preparations, it also saves time, effort, and of course, expense!

Why not share the love, good wishes and ‘good luck’ with wedding guests? Make a donation to a charity on behalf of your wedding guests who then receive tokens such as pins or thank-you cards from the charity. Alternatively, write thank-you messages to guests on place cards at the reception, or attach them to bomboniere.

Get creative and delight your wedding guests!

Are you ready for some really creative ideas for bomboniere? As Brisbane’s Really Good Celebrant, I know a special couple whose families get into the really creative bomboniere in a big way! Check out the carrot carving bomboniere guests receive at the wedding of Peg & Pog.

February 27, 2016 by Glenda Ashleigh

Personal Wedding Vows

Words for Personal Wedding Vows

Would you like to make your personal wishes for your partner and your married life? Many couples make personal vows to each other in their wedding ceremony. Sometimes both parties write their ‘individual’ vows and sometimes they ‘share’ a common vow.

Personal Wedding Vows

By far the most popular personal vows are individual vows.

Quite often the words in the vows are kept ‘secret’ from the other party until the wedding day!

Don’t know where to start with your vows? Yes, I help you write your personal wedding vows!

Presentation is important, especially on your wedding day! As Brisbane’s Really Good Celebrant, I attend to the details that make all the difference. I match the colours for the vow booklet graphics and decorations with your chosen wedding colours.

Contact me for delightful personal wedding vow booklets for your wedding ceremony!

Wishes and Words for Personal Wedding Vows

Wishes and words for personal wedding vows come from the heart. They express your personal hopes, dreams and values for your marriage. Choose the words that you and your partner understand and appreciate. After all, they are your words.

Have fun with your vows! Use words that you like and that you understand. The only rule to follow is: “Vows are respectful.” Apply this rule to everyone involved in your wedding ceremony and your guests. Think about the people who will hear you say your vows and ask yourself this question, “Do I want them to hear these words?” Keep the more intimate words and expressions for private conversations with your partner!

Writing Personal Vows

So you want to write your personal vows? Make a start! Write notes about all sorts of ideas, collect examples of vows and write something that you feel is ‘right for you’. Jot down a few points about what you bring to the marriage and what you wish for married life, then write your personal vow.

Need inspiration? Here are some suggested links to wedding vows sites to help you get started.

More modern vows. Quirky vows. How to write your personalised vow.

February 14, 2016 by Glenda Ashleigh

Brisbane Celebrant Weds Love Ducks

Brisbane Celebrant Weds Ducks in Love

Glenda J Ashleigh, Brisbane Celebrant weds the delightful love ducks in a ‘first’ for Brisbane. Brisbane ducks will never be the same! These ‘luvducks’ will say ‘I do’ in the beautiful Brisbane Bayside suburb of Manly.

Brisbane ducks will gather to witness the Bride & Groom being joined for evermore in duck love.

The wedding pond is a romantic wedding venue where the Bride & Groom first found love. The Bride & Groom will display their love with a large ‘Love’ sign.

Brisbane Celebrant, Glenda Ashleigh is very good at guiding nervous Brides & Grooms (including ducks) through their romantic wedding vows.

There will be much ‘happy flapping’ when the Groom gives the Bride an affectionate peck at the end of the ceremony.

Brisbane’s Beautiful Bayside

Duck family and friends are delighted that the two ‘luvducks’ will be wed in Brisbane’s Beautiful Bayside.

The Wynnum-Manly-Lota area on Moreton Bay has many great venues for wedding ceremonies all year round. This suits ducks just fine as the water is never far away. Lovely sea breezes during summer days allow ducks to relax and enjoy themselves. Winter days by the bay are a duck’s delight with sunshine glinting on the water.

Brisbane Celebrant Glenda Ashleigh

Brisbane Celebrant Glenda Ashleigh is Brisbane’s Really Good Celebrant. People (and ducks) find Glenda friendly and approachable. Glenda is a true professional, reliable and trustworthy. Your ceremony is Glenda’s business and she takes very good care of it.

What does Glenda do very well? She really listens to Brides & Grooms. Your wishes come first! You can be confident that Glenda will help you plan the ceremony that best suits you.

The Wynnum-Manly-Lota area is easy to get to from the Brisbane CBD. It is close to the Gateway Motorway, linking the northern and southern areas of Brisbane.

Contact Glenda

Contact Glenda by telephone or email for a free chat about your ceremony wishes, needs and wants. Glenda will answer your questions clearly and honestly.

You are welcome to arrange a meeting with Glenda, obligation-free to discuss your ceremony.

January 29, 2016 by Glenda Ashleigh

Wedding Bells – Celebrant Glenda J Ashleigh

Wedding Bells are Ringing!

Keepsake Bells

These darling little bells are just one of the many ideas and unique touches that I bring to the wedding ceremonies I conduct. What do I charge for them you ask? Nothing! I make these little bells with love, to give them to the delighted couples who choose me as their Celebrant.

These little bells are delightful additions to the wedding ceremony scroll containing the script of the couple’s wedding ceremony. These unique bells are special bridal favours, a special wedding keepsake for a special wedding day.

No two weddings are the same, and no two little bells are the same. I hand-make each tiny bell with love. The bells come in a variety of colours. I try to match the bells to the colour range chosen for the bridal party.

These little bells are only available when couples engage me as their Celebrant. I do not make them to sell! They take too long to make.

Contact the Really Good Brisbane Celebrant and Let these little bells ring out the joy on your wedding day!

October 23, 2015 by Glenda Ashleigh

Choosing the Wedding Party can be a disaster if you do not choose wisely

Who wants to be in the Wedding Party?

Everyone wants to be in the wedding party!

Peg & Pog Wedding Party

Peg & Pog had to hold back the nominees for the various traditional ‘roles’ in their wedding party. Of course they didn’t like to disappoint anyone, or in their case, any dolls. Feelings need careful handling.

Peg & Pog knew what they wanted, and what they didn’t want for their big day. Unfortunately, their ideas and wishes were not always shared by family and friends. Fortunately, Peg & Pog, assisted by Glenda, the Very Good Celebrant, got the wedding they wanted.

Choosing the Wedding Party

This is the tricky part. Members of the wedding, or bridal party are usually people who are important to you such as family and friends. For those of you who are blessed with large, extended families and a lot of great friends, this can become a nightmare! Whatever you do, choose very carefully. Your attendants can make or break the best of well-laid plans.

Adults in the Wedding Party

Adult attendants need to be reliable and trustworthy. Ask yourself the question, “How can this person support our needs leading up to and on our wedding day?” After all, that is what attendants do – support the Bride and Groom in the planning and organisation of the big day both before and on your wedding day.

Milo, Pog’s brother, supported Peg & Pog in organising people on the wedding day and introducing Glenda, the Very Good Celebrant to the parents and the witnesses. Peg & Pog had asked two adult family members to be their witnesses – Peg’s Ma and Pog’s Ma! Both mothers wanted to be front and centre during the ceremony so that they got the full experience of watching and hearing their children say their marriage vows.

Children in the Wedding Party

Be prepared for the unexpected when choosing children as attendants! Little ones may look ‘cute’ on the day, however their welfare is the most important consideration. Expecting young children to walk down paths on their own is daunting enough. Asking them to carry precious items such as ring cushions etc. only adds to their stress. Pip & Pepper, Pog’s two-year-old twin nieces were fine as they accompanied Peg on the flower boat but as soon as they hit land, they took off! Luckily the shortcut they took to the Rose Garden didn’t become a disaster and they arrived just as Peg & Pog were coming up the path.

How Many in a Wedding Party?

As many as you like! Bride and Groom only if you prefer. The two witnesses don’t have to stand or sit next to you, unless you think you might be given to an attack of the vapours and faint. Oh, and it’s not an equal sharing competition either! Just because the Bride has three attendants, it doesn’t mean that the Groom has to have three attendants. Gender is not important. A ‘Matron or Maid of Honour’ can easily be a ‘Man or Mate of Honour’ – the choice is yours.

More wedding party news later. In the meantime, check out some things you may or may not know about Glenda, the Very Good Celebrant!

January 31, 2015 by Glenda Ashleigh

Wedding Tips

Wedding Planning Tips that Make a Difference

Use great wedding planning tips to make a difference! As Brisbane’s really good professional Marriage Celebrant, I am often asked about wedding hints and tips for ceremonies. Every ceremony is different, however some tips apply to all wedding ceremonies.

Goodluck Horseshoe

We often overlook the really important areas of planning a wedding. Some areas are so commonplace that we take them for granted and we hope that they will ‘look after themselves’. We hope that we will have ‘good luck’ and that everything will go smoothly. Brides often carry wedding charms or keepsakes such as a horseshoe to assure good luck on the day. These are fun, however they do not guarantee that good luck will follow.

Of course you want your wedding ceremony to be breathtaking! After all it is your special day and you expect that your ceremony will flow smoothly and be absolutely delightful.

Important Wedding Areas

Wedding ceremonies must contain the legal requirements, however just meeting the legal requirements for a marriage ceremony does not meet the requirements for an enjoyable ceremony. Here are a few helpful wedding planning tips that I hope will help you to make your ceremony, simply the best!

Choose the people and services for your wedding ceremony very carefully. The success of the occasion depends on the choices you make. How well do people understand each other? How respectful they are of each other’s wishes?

Communicate at all stages of the process – planning, arriving at the venue, entrances, where people are required to stand, what they do during the ceremony and what happens at the close of the ceremony. Don’t fall into the trap of “Oh I though you knew that…” or “Why wasn’t I told…” or “I didn’t know you wanted me to do that…”. Keep everyone in the communication loop, including your guests.

Inform your celebrant of the arrangements. A really good marriage celebrant works with other service providers, eg photographers, event planners, directors and venue staff. They encourage your guests to feel comfortable. Everyone is there to help make this very special occasion a memorable one for all the right reasons. Your celebrant has a big responsibility. He or she is in charge of the ceremony!

January 21, 2013 by Glenda Ashleigh

Blushing Brides

Blushing Brides Give Aways

My ‘blushing bride’ giveaways are not only unique, but they are also only available at wedding expos where I participate.

Peg Doll Brides

There is a rich tradition in using wooden pegs to make dolls. Children play happily with these delightful dolls for many hours. Worlds of imagination open up and fantastic adventures come to life.

No two peg doll brides are alike! Whether or not the ‘differences’ are planned or just plain accidental, I am not telling! I have great fun creating the expressions on the little faces, and dressing them. Anyway, the girls (young in age and young in heart) who receive them are very excited about having their very own bride doll!

These little darlings are always a hit with expo visitors. Brides-to-be love them. Mothers, Aunts, Sisters, Cousins, Grandmothers of Brides-to-be love them. Children love them. These peg doll brides go quickly.

Blushing Brides

As it is quite busy at an expo, I want to make sure that everyone gets their very own bride doll. So, I send a photo of two peg doll brides to all people who register their interest in finding a very good celebrant for their wedding ceremony.

Something to watch out for on the website is the micro-series “Dolls are different, or are they?” It features a fascinating plot, wonderful soundtrack, and of course, very talented doll actors including blushing brides! Set in the present day, the story focuses on the trials and tribulations of all who involve themselves in making a wedding happen.

follow the trials and tribulations of Peg & Pog who meet in the Rose Garden, fall in love and start to plan their wedding. Of course, all dolls ‘help’ in the planning process with mixed results. The wedding is wonderful as Peg & Pog share the love.