+61 (0) 457 00 1922 lou@alifecelebrant.com.au
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The Celebrant of Choice 0457 00 1922
+61 (0) 457 00 1922 lou@alifecelebrant.com.au
https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/covid-19-safety-plan-wedding-ceremonies-and-receptions.pdf
It is vital that we all keep safe and keep others safe
https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/covid-19-safety-plan-funerals-memorial-services-and-wakes_0.pdf
There is so much uncertainty and confusion for many, and so many contradictions in information being provided from all sorts of directions. We have three tiers of government and information is not always consistent between them e.g. parks were open, then closed, then open and then closed again within 24 hours.
The good news is that if you were planning to marry, you have two options.
The first is to go ahead but with the ceremony but with just 5 people including your selves, present but others joining via video link. This is a great option because it enables your married life to begin and you can have the bigger celebration with everyone present later when this health crisis is over.
The other option is of course to postpone.
There is usually no problem in doing so, just be aware that postponement dates are filling quickly and so if you wish to postpone, set your date as quickly as possible because when this virus blows over, there will be people scrambling for dates.
The current official advice for NSW is that:
A wedding can have 5 people, and funerals can have just 10 but bear in mind that includes any persons that must be present such as the Celebrant and so for a wedding that is the couple, the two witnesses and the Celebrant while for a funeral, it is really only 7 as the Concierge, Funeral Director and Celebrant reduce the number to 7.
General Public Health advice at present is that by later October, November onwards all should be fine as it will be outside the flu season and hopefully by then we will have treatments and vaccines available.
I am still conducting ceremonies (in safe conditions) and will remain doing so, as long as it is possible
I conducted three weddings last week. Each under different conditions. The first was at a venue before the restrictions but social distancing was applied and high-level hygiene was still applied so everything including pens, table, cameras and anything that could be touched, was sanitised before and after the ceremony.
Then the restrictions started and a wedding that was to take place overseas, was instead a 5 party wedding in Tench Reserve. It was beautiful and fun. We laughed all the way through and when I made the pronouncement that they were officially married, passers-by cheered from a distance.
Just 24 hours later, the parks were closed and so the next ceremony was inside a loungeroom. A neighbour had rose bushes and so red petals beautifully covered the lounge room floor. Once again a beautiful ceremony and the couple may consider a larger renewal of vows ceremony with all their friends and relatives at a later date
Conducting funerals has been the hardest. I always make them a Celebration of the Life. The first recent funeral was reduced to just 20 people who had to sit apart at the chapel even though over 100 were expected originally. The second which would also have been a large funeral, was instead, after new restrictions were applied, attended by only 10, one of whom was a child. The second was at least live-streamed to others. Funerals are a very important step in the grief process and my heart breaks for families at this time when we cannot hug or hold them. Human contact is so important but currently restricted for obvious reasons.
I record all my Ceremonies on video and so can at least give that to the couples and families so that they can share the Ceremony with loved ones.
So as a Celebrant, and not a lawyer, I am going to try to answer 10 important questions about marriage and perhaps you can decide for yourself: Should I Get Married Now?.
So people can still get married as long as there is an appropriate legal notice and the couple are two consenting persons who meet the eligibility criteria of being over the age of 18 and who are not married to anyone else.
Wedding Ceremonies are currently much briefer in that they are generally the legal aspects covered only though utilising live streaming, others can still take part. I had one ceremony where a person reads a poem from 1000klms away but we all saw her on the screen and heard her clearly through the sound system.
At this crucial time, people may question why get married but quite apart from the obvious proclamation of love, unlike de -facto relationships, a marriage offers equal protection under the law for the couple for both parties. Some will argue that that is available already to anyone in a long term relations but in a crisis or emergency that can be problematic. With a marriage, you are immediately the next-of-kin, and given protection under the law with regards property, assets, inheritance, insurances, medical care and so much more. But there are many circumstances where that might not be the case for people in a De-Facto relationship especially if a ‘next of kin’, such as parents or sibling arrives and they can have more rights to access the patient and make decisions about their care than a defacto partner, no matter how many years they have been together.
I’ll give an example. A young unemployed John marries Mary but they separate within 6 months. John meets Jane and life for them is great. They buy a house together and develop a high income. John suddenly dies but as he did not divorce, his legal wife, Mary, has a claim on his estate.
Or if Joe is ostracised and excluded from his family because but lives happily with Jonny for 10 years but they never marry; there is an accident and Joe is in intensive care. Despite the years of animosity, a considerate Jonny calls the family and they show up as next of kin to make all decisions regarding Joe’s health care and as only family is allowed in ICU, Jonny can only watch from behind a window.
And of course, if there is a death, the ‘next of kin’ may have more rights than a defacto partner, no matter how many years you have been together. Even if there is a will, relatives may still have a claim upon the estate.
I will do my very best, as always, to assist you through the process, as will your chosen funeral director. I can even recommend one or two.
To plan the funeral:
Options for your booked wedding are:
Here are some additional considerations:
Venues and vendors need your business to survive, so please be patient, kind and understanding.
The CV-19 pandemic has significantly impacted upon the events industry and livelihoods and some businesses may not survive extended closure.
If your date cannot go ahead (as confirmed with venues and/or vendors), here are a few simple tips to follow:-
There is so much uncertainty and confusion, and so many contradictions in information being provided from all sorts of directions. We have three tiers of government and information is not always consistent between them e.g. parks were open, then closed, then open and now closed in a space of 48 hours.
So as a Celebrant, and not a lawyer, I am going to try to answer 10 important questions about marriage and perhaps you can decide for yourself: Should I Get Married Now?.
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Yes, as long as you are two consenting persons who meet the eligibility criteria.
What are the eligibility criteria for marriage in Australia?
The simplest definition is; Two consenting people over the age of 18 who are not married to anyone else.
There can only be 5 people, present at a wedding as it now stands. are:
However, others can join in via video link and live broadcasting.
I’ve had an interstate guest perform a reading at a ceremony, and relatives in another country watch the entire ceremony on a big screen overseas.
Quite apart from the obvious proclamation of love, unlike defacto rights, a marriage offers equal protection under the law for the couple for both parties.
Rights for a couple in a de facto are not the same as for a married couple.
With a marriage, you are immediately the next-of-kin, giving protection under the law with regards property, assets, inheritance, insurances, medical care and so much more.
You are not the ‘next of kin’ if not married
The marriageable age in Australia is 18 and so at least one party must be over 18, and if the other is under 18, a court order and consents must be obtained.
The ‘next of kin’ (such as parents or siblings) can have more rights to access the patient and make decisions about their care than a defacto partner, no matter how many years you have been together.
The ‘next of kin’ may have more rights than a defacto partner, no matter how many years you have been together. Even if there is a will, relatives may still have a claim upon the estate.
Yes, of course. It is your wedding, and so your choice, so long as the Marriage Act is no contradicted.
No. You just have to be two consenting adults who satisfy eligibility for marriage.
A Civil Union is not recognised as a Marriage, even though there may be some similar rights. So as long as other eligibility criteria are satisfied, you should be able to marry in Australia.
It is pretty crazy and there is of course uncertainty for many but the good news is that if you wish to postpone, there is no problem in doing so, just be aware that postponement dates are filling quickly and so if you wish to postpone, set your date as quickly as possible and give me a call.
The current gvt official advice for NSW is that:
“Religious gatherings, places of worship (excluding small weddings and funerals that comply with the 4m2 rule, which can proceed”
General Public Health advice at present is that November onwards should be fine as it will be well outside the flu season. In addition, there are several countries, Australia included, who reportedly are advanced in developing treatments and vaccines.
I am still conducting ceremonies (in safe conditions) and will remain doing so, as long as it is safe to do so with public and personal safety ate the forefront.
I conducted two weddings in the past week and have two more ceremonies this week at which safe practice has, and will be adopted.
The only difference from before, is that more stringent public safety protocol are in place and given the announcements today, are now even more stringent and so I am monitoring the situation on a daily, if not hourly basis.
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation develops, the best way to protect yourself is the same as you would against any respiratory infection, that is, Practice good hygiene by:
Due to the daily developing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, some venues and vendors have reduced services, but as I practice safe protocols, I have not as yet; however I am of course being very cautious for your safety, and for mine, and so have instituted a community safety plan which includes, but is not limited to:
Here are some more details:
Options for your booked wedding are:
Here are some additional considerations:
Venues and vendors need your business to survive, so please be patient, kind and understanding.
The CV-19 pandemic has significantly impacted upon the events industry and livelihoods and some businesses may not survive extended closure.
If your date cannot go ahead (as confirmed with venues and/or vendors), here are a few simply tips to follow:-
In consideration of new temporary public health measures, Invocare have issued this information today (23/3/2020) for their Chapels in Sydney, NSW:
Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens & Crematorium
Lake Macquarie Memorial Park
Newcastle Memorial Park
Rookwood Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Memorial Park
Lakeside Memorial Park
Pinegrove Memorial Park
Castlebrook Memorial Park
InvoCare will have a staff member on-site at each chapel from Monday morning to assist you to monitor the number of people attending each service. If more people attend than expected you will also need to ensure the maximum space limits are not exceeded. Once the maximum capacity is reached, you are welcome to direct the extra guests to the outside space where the service can play through external monitors and speakers. To support these changes, we have prepared signage noting the capacity limits for each chapel.
In the interests of health and wellbeing, we strongly recommend that gatherings be limited to immediate family only, and be listed as private, as this will assist us all to reduce funeral numbers. We appreciate your assistance and cooperation in helping us all remain compliant with the government’s new rules. As things are changing rapidly, this advice may change.
Regards,
Vijay Singh
NSW GM Cemeteries & Crematoria
InvoCare NSW CemCrem Head Office
199 Delhi Road | NORTH RYDE NSW 2113 Australia
T +61 2 9888 6628
UPDATE 22/3/2020
OWING TO NEW RESTRICTIONS ABOUT TO BE PUT IN PLACE.
WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER 48 HOURS TO SEE WHAT CAN GO AHEAD.
I am very pleased to advise that I am continuing to provide services however am monitoring the situation on a daily basis.
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation develops, the best way to protect yourself is the same as you would against any respiratory infection, that is, Practice good hygiene by:
Due to the daily developing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, some venues and vendors have reduced service, but I have not; however I am of course being very cautious for your safety, and for mine, and so have instituted a community safety plan which includes the use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser sprays.
Options for your booked wedding are:
Here are some additional considerations
Venues and vendors need your business to survive, so please be patient, kind and understanding.
The CV-19 pandemic has significantly impacted upon the events industry and livelihoods and some businesses may not survive extended closure.
If your date cannot go ahead (as confirmed with venues and/or vendors), here are a few simply tips to follow:-
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation develops, the best way to protect yourself is the same as you would against any respiratory infection. Practice good hygiene by:
Due to the daily developing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, many organizations have reduced service. I have not but am of course being cautious.
I have consulted with the office of the NSW Attorney General and have instituted a community safety plan.
Although many JPs are no longer available, I am still happy to continue providing services locally as a Justice of the Peace however cannot accept people at my home at present and so while we have a threat of a pandemic in our midst, this is the current protocol:
From time to time, I find couples or families who have grown their own flowers; a bridal bouquet, a table setting, room decoration or for presentation at a funeral.
Gardening is not my forte but Kevin Rodrigues is a gardener in the USA who has some great advice on growing roses. Yes it is an American article and so temps and measures are empirical but still a good read if you want to grow your own:
https://gardeningmentor.com/how-to-grow-roses/
The emails from ‘scotty’ are appearing on every Celebrant network all over the country.
Yes it is a Scam!!
Sending out emails via yahoo, gmail and Hotmail so far.
It is the old ‘overpayment scam’ that has been running in the USA, Europe and UK for years but with Facebook and other forums, most celebrants in those regions recognise the scam immediately and so that area has largely closed to these criminals.
Australia was immune because of the NOIM and requirement to provide ID however the same does not apply to renewals and so Celebrants all the country are getting the ‘Scotty’ email.
Some Celebrants have reacted by enrolling him (or her) into every persistent, obscure and/or oddball subscription they could find. Scotty is doubtlessly getting hundreds of emails from porn sites, religious sites such as ‘a prayer a day’ and any & all politically radical sites that can be found. It seems he is currently being bombarded with spam
Others took the appropriate step of reporting the emails to scamwatch by Forwarding the unaltered emails to: report@submit.spam.acma.gov.au
The tactic is to overpay by Paypal, cheque or credit card and then ask the Celebrant to pay other vendors.
The other vendors are actually accounts Scotty owns and quickly closes after he has your money and just before he cancels his original transaction to you.
So far he has claimed to be a ‘local’ in every capital city in Australia, claims to be deaf and so can only communicate via email, has apparently given out addresses and venue names that are false, and writes that it a surprise for a son or nephew.
If you get an ID, bank account details or Venue account, or any other personal detail; forward immediately to scamwatch and/or police, after all it is a fraud.
Last year some celebrants in the UK and USA were scammed of $thousands!
video courtesy of www.unfaded.com.au
Like Christmas puddings, there was a custom of baking charms into wedding cakes, but guests need to be warned of this to avoid choking or injury. Probably for both hygiene and safety, this was replaced with a ribbon surrounding the cake so that the charms can readily and easily be removed without risk.
There are ten traditional:
shutting down comments, for now, to block spammers among whom the most prolific spammer on my block has used the IP address of 183.30.184.21 under various names from Hairstyles to Free stuff.
I love to hear from my readers but I am getting up to 100 comments per day from spammers and so have no alternative but to shut down comments for now.
I will however, continue posting and you will still be able to email me with comments and so genuine posters will still get a voice but spammers will not.
I regard my role in Leading a funeral service, as a privilege and a great honour and so it is wonderful to hear validation:
“that was a beautiful Ceremony. I have never seen those things that you do, at a funeral before and how you engage everyone, is just beautiful – that is so special, so unique”.