marriage celebrant melbourne
In my experience, couples don’t want a typical marriage celebrant performing a typical wedding ceremony – they want to work in partnership with someone who:
Is modern, professional, organised, and fun to work with from the first meeting to the last.
Respects the serious and important nature of the occasion, but who can engage them and their guests in something personal, enjoyable, heartfelt and meaningful.
Is creative and delivers a ceremony that matches their vision, personality and beliefs.
As a relatively young celebrant with a modern approach to a traditional day, my clients often tell me they appreciate how in-touch I am with their vision for their wedding ceremony, and how I have the skills to create and deliver that vision perfectly on their special day.
Although it is not hard to find somebody who is registered to carry out civil marriage ceremonies, it is not so easy to find someone you can connect with, and who will ensure you remember everything from the planning to the ‘big day’ for all the right reasons.
Between now and your wedding you will likely think about hundreds of details to create a style and theme that matches your vision for the day.
I have the flexibility and ideas to help you achieve the perfect ceremony. Think of your ceremony like a stage production – it doesn’t matter how good you look, how good your costumes are, or how good the set or music is, if the script and it’s delivery doesn’t cut it, then the event won’t be a hit!
I have a real passion for making your day a “hit” for so many reasons, including:
The real privilege that comes from being invited to play a “small” part in what is often the “biggest” day of a bride or groom’s lives to date.
The buzz that comes from helping a couple go from “we have no clear vision of what we want” to “yes, that’s so perfectly it/us”.
The theatre, the emotion, and the pleasure that comes from interacting with really happy people.
The opportunity to use my creative writing and public speaking skills to ensure the focus is 100% about my couples (because let’s face it, some celebrants need reminding “it’s your day not theirs!”);
And then the ultimate – watching our collaborative effort unfold before you and your guests from the best seat in the house.
On a professional level I was employed in a senior management role in the public sector for over 20 years, and more recently I have been employed by the AFL as a fitness coach, working closely with committed and elite athletes who are associated with Australia’s greatest game. That role complemented my passion for health and fitness, and the energy and enthusiasm I have for helping people to achieve a “hit.”
If you want a truly professional, genuine, friendly, and positive celebrant, who has a sense of humour, lots of ideas and options for you to consider, and who can think outside the normal parameters, then please contact me.
Congratulations on your plans to celebrate a very special occasion, and thank-you for taking the time to consider my professional services.
If you choose me to celebrate your relationship, please feel confident that you are in the experienced hands of a genuine and down-to-earth human… a man who connects and engages just as easily with corporate high flyers as he does blokey blokes … a professional who has a great ability to personalise ceremonies with energy, sincerity, authenticity and humour … a celebrant who guests invariably say is the best they’ve ever seen because he made it feel like he was a good friend standing up there with the happy couple.
I am good at interpreting people’s personalities and listening to their preferences … it’s important because I want to write a ceremony that is “real” and “true to who you are”, and I want to tell your story in the language and tone that best reflects you!
I bring to our working relationship a diverse wealth of life experience, which professionally includes a long full-time career in Human Resources, and a part-time role in the AFL as a strength and conditioning coach. On a personal level my beautiful wife (pictured here) is my childhood sweetheart, and we share the love of many things, especially our four children, our friends, and travel.
Importantly, I also have more wedding experience than you can poke a stick at, and a whole lot of related awards that suggest my couples and industry colleagues love my work.
Conducted over 800 weddings since commencing as a celebrant in late 2012.
Five times awarded Victoria’s best male marriage celebrant by the ABIA.
Awarded Australia’s best male marriage celebrant in 2018 by the ABIA.
Three times I have been featured in major bridal magazines.
My commitment to you is one that I know that I can keep … I will make the planning of your ceremony a relaxed, simple and enjoyable process, and I will ensure that you and your guests will remember your ‘big day’ for a long time for all of the right reasons.
A basic ceremony with option of personalised vows and brief background to your story
Approximately 10-15 minutes in length
Detailed resource material provided
Preparation and lodgement of all relevant legal documentation
Includes reasonable distance travel
One 30 minute pre wedding meeting (at least one month before your wedding) to get to know you and complete the Notice of Intended Marriage
The legally required words are said and the paperwork is signed
Approximately 5 minutes in length
Preparation and lodgement of all relevant legal documentation
Includes reasonable distance travel (Note: many couples choose my home/garden for this ceremony)
One 10 minute pre wedding meeting (at least one month before your wedding) to complete the Notice of Intended Marriage
Ideal for couples that want the experience of an intimate, unhurried and beautiful wedding in the choice of their ideal location with all, part, or none, of the usual ceremony trimmings
Please contact me for further information regarding ideas/options and pricing
I have had the pleasure and privilege of conducting many overseas and interstate weddings for couples that want the comfort and joy of having the very best celebrant officiate their special day
Please contact me for further information regarding ideas/options and pricing
Please contact me for further information regarding ideas/options and pricing for vow renewals, commitment ceremonies & naming ceremonies
Hi Andrew, we just wanted to send though a huge thank you for playing such an important, meaningful, personalised and unforgettable part in our wedding day. You were truly amazing both in the lead up to the day and during our entire ceremony.
We have had so many compliments about your personalised and unique approach to our wedding ceremony, and we had so many guests ask if you were a friend of ours because you had such a connection and knew our story so well.
Again, we cannot thank you enough.
Andrew!!! What can we say? There are no words to express our gratitude for the amazing ceremony you did for us! Every guest came up to us and said that it was the BEST ceremony they had been to … they loved the words spoken, the emotion behind it, and your professionalism and class.
You are truly amazing!! We will remember it forever and we can’t wait to watch it on the video.
You were fantastic leading up to the big day! Always so helpful and happy to help. Thank you so so much.
Hi Andrew,
This is a long overdue note to say thank you. To have you as part of such a special day for Courtney and I was wonderful, but more so, the way you structured our ceremony, engaged with our friends and made everything perfect really was special.
The investment you made in us to get the day right didn’t go unnoticed. To have our guests come up after the ceremony asking “how long we had known you” and “surely you were a family friend to know us so well” is true testament to how professional you took on our wedding and we loved every minute of it.
We are both incredibly grateful for how you structured our wedding and what you had to say. Needless to say we would recommend you highly to everyone and anyone.
Once again, thank you with all our hearts. Best Regards, Cam and Court
Hi Andrew, Bron & I wanted to express a huge thank you for everything you did to make our wedding ceremony such a special one. While the events leading up to the ceremony were certainly filled with the expected stress and chaos, we both agree that once we got to the ceremony and everything was in your hands, we felt totally at ease (perhaps with some nervous excitement!).
We have had so many comments, both on the day or after, from our friends and family saying the ceremony had such a personal touch and was exactly “Bron & Cam”. Even we got caught up in the stories you told and laughed along with everyone else, even though we knew what was coming for a majority of the time! For those words you asked us to write separately, Bron & I both loved the way you moulded our stories into something so touching, and have now exchanged our responses to keep as a memory.
It was an absolute pleasure having you as our celebrant! Most weddings Leigh and I attended always had celebrants that weren’t the style of celebrant we could picturing having marry us on our day … for a while we thought it would be the hardest part. We were so happy we found you! And you made everything so easy & perfect for us. Here is a brief testimonial for you.
“Andrew was exactly what we were looking for in a celebrant, we were so happy with the whole process and of course on the wedding day he was perfect! By far he made one of the most important elements of our day extremely easy, relaxed & perfect. This is also reflected in all of the positive comments we received from guests on Andrew’s delivery. The ceremony delivered on a range of emotions, keeping our guests and Leigh and I engaged and enjoying every moment. He also encouraged our input and style for the ceremony, and made it perfect for us as a couple. It was honestly my favourite part of the whole wedding day!
Chels and I sit in disbelief some days on how perfect our day was. Personally the ceremony you put together had to be one of the most emotionally charged events I have ever been involved in.
I was blown away with the care in which you put the whole lot together, especially Chels adding our kids into her commitment. We are slowly catching up with people from the wedding that say it was the most personal and emotional ceremony they have ever seen. I have to agree.
Once again, thank you so much for making our wedding the most special day for us and our family and friends.
Andrew’s amazing personality won us over at our first meeting. Andrew is a wonderful, professional, friendly and charismatic celebrant who takes time and effort to really understand what makes your relationship special. Because of this our ceremony was all the more fun, structured and memorable. He focused on us as a couple and how we show our love for each other as well as some of our more memorable moments in our relationship.
Not only did Andrew live up to our expectations he exceeded them. Every single guest at the ceremony commented on how he made the day and that it was the best ceremony they have ever been too! We wanted a funny/professional style of ceremony and the guests commented on how they cried and then laughed then cried then laughed! Even our photographer said he was the best! Everyone is still raving about him!
Thank you so very much for all the hard work you put into making our wedding ceremony special. We cannot express enough how grateful we are, it was everything we hoped for. We both felt extremely comfortable in your presence. It really was the best day of our lives and you played a big part in that, thank you.
We have nothing but happy and positive memories of the ceremony, and so many people asked us afterwards if we knew you personally, or if we’d had a lot of meetings with you because it was such a personal and intimate ceremony. It wasn’t a stock standard ceremony, and the fact you were able to bring little quirks about us into it and also involve our closest family made it even more special. We loved all the little jokes and humour to the ceremony, and that when it was right it was also serious and meaningful. It was the perfect combination of laughs and for some of us happy tears!
We simply had the best day yesterday. The ceremony you helped us build was everything we wanted, wished for, or could have ever dreamed of, plus more. You were just brilliant!
We wish you could have spent the whole night with us. Some guests said that they thought you must have been an old friend of ours from the way you spoke and conducted the ceremony! Others said that they loved how you so skillfully made us the undisputed centre piece while still being a wonderfully funny, eloquent and personal celebrant.
You are a great wordsmith and beautiful man Andrew Redman. Thank you for what you did for us. WE are forever grateful. We look forward to seeing you soon for that wine!
We just got back from our honeymoon and wanted to thank you so so so much as you were absolutely incredible. The amount of people that complimented you was crazy! Saying they thought you were a friend of ours as it was so personal and you weren’t reading off the paper the entire time like you had it in your head what we had discussed. Honestly it was the best. We couldn’t have been happier! I think you should up your price haha as you really are that good! Danny’s brother Paddy thought you were sensational. They are getting married in November in a church, but said he would have much preferred you! Thank you so much again. Love the Howard’s!!
Andrew, where do I start … words will never be enough to describe or relate to anything close how you prepared our ceremony … you owned it! There was no one else that we would rather have than you to stand with us up there by our side and marry Luke and I. Everything from our first meeting, to our follow up meetings, and then the big day ….. you made every step of the way that easy for us, that exciting for us, and more importantly your professional yet laid back and humorous personality is what made our wedding day an unforgettable one. The feedback we received from our guests, wow just wow, they absolutely loved you to say the least and by far was the best ceremony anyone had ever been too. We are so truly thankful for everything you have done and you will forever be one to remember, so thank you.
Hi Andrew, thank you so so so much for Saturday night, you were absolutely incredible … the ceremony was beautiful and personal and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. You took on board everything we said we wanted and delivered it amazingly. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a ceremony where so many people were talking about how incredible the celebrant was afterward. I had a number of guests asking how I had found you and how it was the best ceremony they had been to. I think you may even get a couple of future brides enquiring. Steve and I spoke about what our top 5 moments were at the wedding… and parts of the ceremony stole the top 3 spots. It was the best day of our lives and we will forever be grateful for your efforts in delivering the perfect ceremony.
I just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU for being our wedding celebrant and being part of our special day. You were absolutely phenomenal and made the day so easy. This definitely helped calm the nerves before Caitlin walked down the aisle. You completely captured everything that we are, and we feel so extremely lucky and honoured that you were our celebrant … there is no one else we would have wanted after seeing you at Deb and Tom’s wedding, so thank you for all you did. We have had many of our guests comment saying how terrific and personal you were throughout the ceremony, and I cannot thank you enough for making it a very “Caitlin and Jimmy” ceremony. Many guest said that you are the best celebrant that they have seen, and we cannot agree with them more. Thank again for such a sensational ceremony and I look forward to seeing you again in a few months’ time at Jacquie and Rob’s wedding.
Where we do we begin? A MASSIVE thank you for a beautiful, brilliant and memorable ceremony! We’ve had soooo many compliments with many saying ‘beautiful ceremony – like no other,’ ‘it was a great mixture of romance and humour’ and ‘ how did you know Andrew?’ … because they felt you knew us so well the way you delivered our background and story! Thanks SO much, we still are on cloud-nine and haven’t stopped smiling, and we can’t thank you enough for all your support and friendship during our wedding preparations! You’re a star!
THANK YOU so so much for being our celebrant. Our ceremony was exactly what we were hoping for and we have lost count of the number of people that said on the day and in the weeks after just how fantastic you and the ceremony were. It is exactly what our friend Mat (who recommended you to us) said – you don’t normally really take notice of the ceremony or comment on it afterwards but Andrew’s you do. You have this knack of making it so personal and engaging and we are so grateful to have had you marry us. Honestly the ceremony was a highlight of the day – and there was many moments that were in contention as highlights! We were so happy with everything you did. Thanks again so much.
Andrew made our wedding ceremony so special, it was personal with the perfect mix of laughter and solemnity. My now-husband is a no frills, no fuss ex-army bloke who did not want any sort of ceremony. After meeting with Andrew he was so at ease, relaxed and excited about the ceremony. With Andrew’s encouragement and support he even ended up writing some personal thoughts about us to include in the ceremony! This was extra special given his previous posture of no ‘sentimental romantic mumbo jumbo’! Andrew was an absolute professional but also so friendly, he felt like part of our life after one meeting. I cannot recommend Andrew enough, his attention to detail, his genuine interest in our story made him the best celebrant! Literally 10 separate guests commented that Andrew was the best celebrant they had seen! Thank you Andrew for making our ceremony so memorable!
I can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks already! Your name has been mentioned so many times since our wedding day … about how great you were! All our guests wanted to know how we found you and loved how personal the ceremony was. Everyone hung on every word you said. We could not improve it in any way. And like we mentioned previously, you were by far the easiest part of the wedding planning process. So needless to say, we felt honoured and lucky to have you be part of our day. You are amazing at what you do. Thank you.
Hope you’re well mate! Kelly and I just wanted to reach out to you and thank you again for being a part of our wedding ceremony. You got the whole day off to such a great start with lots of our guests commenting on how amazing the ceremony was. Some quotes from the guests include “I’ve never cried so much in a ceremony” and “that was the best wedding ceremony I’ve ever witnessed”. We couldn’t have been happier with how it all went and you were such a massive part of providing an engaging and memorable ceremony for us but also all of our guests.
You were a huge reason our wedding day was so great and successful for us. All of the guests loved your style of celebrancy because they could see that you made it all about us. They loved how calm and smooth you were pre-ceremony and how you made the ceremony, enjoyable, fun and again how you focused it around us. Andrew, you are a true professional yet you made it seem so natural, so enjoyable and just fabulous. One word for me to describe your work my friend is PERFECT. Absolutely PERFECT.
Hey Andrew! Hope your well! We can’t believe it’s already been a month since we got married! Kruse and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Our day was absolutely perfect and our ceremony was everything we dreamed and more! We both had so much fun and felt so comfortable, and that’s thanks to you! We’ve had so many compliments on our ceremony and how people were in tears the whole time (happy tears of course!). We can’t wait to get our video to re live it all again!
Your MC can make or break your event – don’t just leave it to your good mate or dear old Uncle
When planning your reception, don’t underestimate the role your MC plays in the overall success of your night. The responsibility includes much more than just making the odd introduction. It requires the skills to improvise and create a sense of occasion, and an ability to interact with the audience and maintain their attention.
Equally importantly, a good MC has the experience and the organisational skills to coordinate all of your guests and other suppliers (e.g. catering, entertainment, photographer, videographer) so that everything keeps moving to your timeline.
I have emceed dozens of weddings and I know what it takes to make your event a great one. Engage me and relax knowing that a professional is working for you to pull the entire night together.
Contact MeLulu Bird lulubird.com.au
Debbie O’Neill debbieoneill.com.au
Botanics of Melbourne botanicsmelbourne.com.au
Flowers of Yarra Glen flowersofyarraglen.com.au
Sugar Bee Flowers sugarbeeflowers.com.au
Allure Productions weddingdvd.com.au
Directors Edge directorsedge.com.au
C2 Films c2films.com.au
Video Boutique videoboutique.com.au
Westward Films westwardfilms.com.au
Love and Other loveandother.com
Rick Liston rickliston.com
Warren Photography warrenphotography.com.au
Elisha Ross Photography elishaross.com
Immerse Photography immersephotography.com.au
ATEIA Photography ateiaphotography.com.au
Jerome Cole jeromecole.com.au
Lost In Love lostinlovephotography.com
Aleksandar Jason aleksandarjasonweddings.com
Silas Chau silaschau.com
One Day Your Way onedayyourway.com.au
Weddings of Distinction weddingsofdistinction.com.au
Wedding Hire Melbourne weddinghiremelbourne.com
Your Suit Guy & Co (Dylan) ysgandco.com
Enrik Limousines enriklimousines.com.au
DJ PeterD djpeterd.com.au
Matt Jefferies mattjefferiesentertainment.com
Melbourne Entertainment Company melbourneentertainmentco.com.au
Simon MC simonmc.com.au
Mercury DJ Hire mercurydjhire.com.au
Something Borrowed (acoustic duo) sbduo.com
Benny Martin (pianist) bennymartin.com.au
Daniel Shaw danielshawnow.com
Melbourne Entertainment Company melbourneentertainmentco.com.au
Wendybird Music wendybirdmusic.com.au
Paper Hearts wearepaperhearts.com
Sarah Grimstone sarahstonemusic.com
