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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
	What does my service include? Fees				What is a naming or namegiving ceremony? A naming ceremony is a non-religious ceremony, created to welcome a child into their community and family. Namegiving ceremonies In many cultures, a child is not recognised as being an individual until it has been named. The act of naming someone is highly significant. It gives a child a family and cultural identity and a personal name in which they can take pride. Names are considered to have power and different names have different meanings. It is often thought that to call a child by a particular name is also to give her or him those characteristics associated with the name’s meaning. For some cultures, numerology also plays a part, and the numerical weighting of the name is thought to influence the child’s future. Naming ceremonies are appropriate for everyone. The arrival of a new baby can be celebrated with a naming ceremony. Providing a naming ceremony for older children is a beautiful way to affirm their self-esteem and give them a sense of unity with the family. Step children and adopted children can be welcomed into their new or extended family with a naming ceremony and adults who have outgrown their birth names may find a new sense of identity through choosing their own name which has more significance for them. What’s involved in a naming ceremony? Naming ceremonies can be as long or as short as desired and tend to run for approximately 10-20 minutes. This is your ceremony and it should be reflective 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. Often a ceremony will include some or all of the following: Pre-ceremonial music Request to silence mobile phones and pagers Introduction and welcome Acknowledgment of the Aboriginal custodians of the land Acknowledgment of absent or deceased family members and friends and candle lighting / bell ringing / flowers Reason for ceremony Family heritage and traditions Brief history of your child’s life thus far Stories / passages / poems / songs / original pieces etc Vows of parent/s Declaration of child’s name and its history Interactive symbols and motifs eg hallowing of space; family blessings and wishes; lighting of family or naming candle; tying wishes onto a wish tree; presentation of gifts; protective circle; anointment; use of elements; tree planting; photo board; petal or water blessing; magic dust; holding a silver coin; your own family and cultural traditions etc Godparents’/mentors’/life guides’/guardians’/patrons’/ life parents’ vows Thanks to grandparents and/or siblings Presentation of certificates Welcome to the family Music / Serving of drinks / Signing of certificate Presentation to guests and toast Music Group photo What does my service include? minimum of 2 interviews in your home or at a mutually convenient location telephone and email consultations as required creation of a personal and unique ceremony, written especially for you, with your full editorial control attention to detail and excellent personal service my guarantee that no other ceremony will be booked so close that I arrive late or rush off afterwards professional delivery of your ceremony fully insured, trained, experienced and registered celebrant unlimited access to resource materials copies of your child’s ceremony for the parents and godparents / guardians your choice of naming certificate certificates for godparents and / or grandparents recommendations for other services, where requested a suitably trained, experienced and appropriate replacement celebrant in the unlikely event that I fall seriously ill, am injured or am unable to conduct your ceremony for any other reason. This will be at no additional cost to you. 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 from my Howard Springs 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! Confirmation of Booking and Payment Details My fee of $440.00 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 of more than 70 kilometres from my Howard Springs home. The ceremony date and time will be confirmed and secured by the payment of your booking fee of $240.00 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 $200.00 is payable within four weeks of the first draft of the ceremony being issued and must be paid in full at least one week prior to the ceremony date. I will not attend the ceremony unless all fees have been paid at least one week before the scheduled ceremony date. 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 parent or guardian 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. 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 you not being ready within that half hour window. I will make every attempt to return after the next commitment. If you have any concerns regarding my services, please let me know immediately so I may rectify the situation. Return to top