Wedding; naming; commitment; ceremony; ceremonies; celebrant; Darwin; northern territory; funeral; celebrants Weddings	Namings	Funerals and Memorials	GLBTI Community		Testimonials	Interstate Visitors	International Visitors	Home
Margi MacGregor Civil Celebrant Returning for ceremonies in Victoria as requested Email Margi Tel: 0403 82 83 83 All ceremonies All areas Home Weddings Farewells GLBTI Community Testimonials Margi’s Biography	Margi MacGregor - Civil Celebrant Darwin – Northern Territory © Margi MacGregor 2003-2010
	Commitments Fees Coming Out Gender Reassignment			Same sex ceremonies Commitments What’s involved in a commitment ceremony? A commitment ceremony can include whatever you like. It’s your ceremony, and at the moment in Australia there are no legal limitations or requirements for the ceremony. Can we get married? Under Australian law, same sex couples are not legally able to marry. A commitment ceremony is the best alternative in this instance. What does my service include? minimum of 2 meetings in your home or at a mutually convenient location telephone and email consultations as required creation of a unique and personal ceremony, written especially for you, with your full editorial control attention to detail and excellent personal service on or off site rehearsal my guarantee that no other ceremony will be booked so close that I arrive late or rush off afterwards professional delivery of your ceremony confidential and secure record keeping fully insured, trained, experienced and registered celebrant unlimited access to resource materials copies of your ceremony booklet for yourselves, your readers and musicians recommendations for other services, where requested provision of a portable PA system with cd player, two microphones and stands all my transport costs for any return journey not exceeding one hour’s journey from my home. Due to rising fuel costs, additional charges of $0.68 per kilometre apply thereafter for all travel, unless otherwise negotiated. no hidden extra charges and much much more! Top Elements of a ceremony The ceremony can be divided into the following sections and can appear in any order. These can be added to, rearranged or deleted to suit the two of you. The remaining elements are up to the two of you. This is your ceremony and it should be reflective of the two of you, so please feel free to be as creative as you wish. This is a rough guide only, to give you a sense of how a ceremony can be structured. Pre-ceremonial music Request to silence mobile phones / pagers and confetti info Entrance music and entrance Acknowledgment of the Aboriginal custodians of the land Introduction of ceremonial party and welcome Thanks to parents/parents-in-law and other family members Acknowledgment of absent or deceased family members and friends and candle lighting / bell ringing / flowers Reason for ceremony Brief history and highlights of your life together Extracts / passages / poems / songs / original pieces etc The asking (the ‘I do’ part) Interactive symbols eg hallowing of space; warming of the commitment rings; lighting of candles; blending of water, wine, sand, oils or tea; family members’ or friends’ contributions or vows; presentation of couple; breaking of a glass; tea ceremony; handfasting; affirming vows for loving couples in attendance; tying wishes onto a wish tree; vows to stepchildren; jumping the broom; your own family and cultural traditions etc Vows (your personal promises to one another) Exchange of rings or gifts Music / Serving of drinks / Signing of certificate Information about photos and reception Conclusion The kiss (usually the grand finale!) Presentation Toast Walking down the aisle Music Group photo Just as you are individuals, your ceremony should reflect your personalities and your own styles. Wear whatever you feel is appropriate for the ceremony. Include whoever is important to you as part of the ceremonial party, as a reader or as a witness to the signing of your certificate. If you wish, you can make each other the executor of your wills and give each other power of attorney as part of the ceremony. Top Confirmation of Booking and Payment Details The creation of each unique ceremony requires, on average, around 25 hours of my time. This equates to an hourly rate of approximately $31 per hour. Why not compare this with the hourly rates for other services relating to your ceremony? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. My fee of $770.00 is all inclusive*, with the exception of accommodation (more than two hours’ drive from my home), Christmas and New Year and transport costs for any return journey exceeding more than one hour from my home. The ceremony date and time will be confirmed and secured by the payment of your booking fee of $370.00 at the time of booking and no resources will be provided, nor will drafts of the ceremony be released, before this occurs. Due to the high number of enquiries I receive, I cannot guarantee the booking until your booking fee has been received. The outstanding balance of $400.00 is payable within four weeks of the first draft of the ceremony being issued. I will not attend the ceremony unless all fees have been paid promptly. Payment is preferred in cash, however cheques and bank deposits / transfers are also accepted. Please put your names in the reference field if paying by internet bank transfer or notify me once you have made a branch deposit. Should the ceremony be cancelled by you, the booking fee is non-refundable. Should either of you cancel the ceremony within six weeks of the scheduled ceremony date, having paid the balance, no refunds will be paid. Margi MacGregor retains all intellectual property rights over any part of the ceremony created by her, and no part of her ceremony documentation may be published, sold or made available without her approval. Top Conditions If someone in your household is ill and we have a meeting booked, please call me to arrange another time to meet. Should you wish to alter the arranged date, time or venue for your ceremony, please contact me as soon as you start considering doing so, for confirmation of my availability. The ceremony must start close to the scheduled commencement time. In the event that the ceremony is delayed more than half an hour, for whatever reason, I become entitled to proceed to my next commitment, if necessary. Please note that, should this occur, you are liable for and indemnify me against liability, loss or costs incurred due to either of you not being ready within that half hour window. I will make every attempt to return after the next commitment. Useful links Alternate Weddings The Knot Lambda Gay Weddings Partners Task Force for Gay & Lesbian Couples Pridenet Rainbow Unions Top Relationship education agencies are a great way to ensure your union gets off to the best possible start Lifeworks Relationships Australia Relatewell Top Useful books The Wedding by Douglas Wythe, Andrew Merling, Roslyn Merling, and Sheldon Merling (William Morrow, 2000) The Essential Guide to Lesbian and Gay Weddings, by Tess Ayers and Paul Brown (Alyson Publications) "Recognizing Ourselves: Ceremonies of Lesbian and Gay Commitment," by Ellen Lewin (Columbia University Press, 1998) "Together Forever: Gay and Lesbian Marriage," by Eric Marcus (Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1998) Top Coming Out Coming out to yourself and to others is one of the most powerful things you can do. Coming out is simply about being true to yourself — in a world where nearly everyone assumes you are straight. Once they've come out, most people acknowledge that it feels much better to be open and honest than to conceal such an integral part of themselves For many people, the coming out process is difficult. But most people come out because, sooner or later, they can't stand hiding who they are any more. Creating a ceremony for you to announce to your friends “Here I am!” is a wonderful way to make the transition from denial to being proudly out. The added benefit of coming out is that it contributes to popular, and therefore legal, support for all GLBTI people. Useful links Child and Youth Health - Coming Out Coming Out Alive (A Uniting Church Resource) Human Rights Campaign Foundation Reach Out! Coming Out Factsheet Reach Out! Telling People I'm Gay, Lesbian or Bi Factsheet Top Gender Reassignment For the transsexual, the challenges that have to be faced in making the great changes involved in gender-reassignment can be so enormous as to shake one's resolve at every step of the way. Celebrating the changes and sharing your journey with friends and family can ease the transition and give you a strong sense of self confidence, validating you and your decision to present yourself to the world as you really are. Useful links International Foundation for Gender Education Gender Education and Advocacy Top If you have any concerns regarding my services, please let me know immediately so I may rectify the situation. Top