Every ceremony I write starts with a long conversation, usually over coffee, about how you met, what makes you laugh and who you cannot imagine the day without. From there I send you a draft to read, mark up and change until it sounds like the two of you. If you want to write your own vows, I will help you find the words and the courage to say them.
Saidonce,keptforlife
Who I am
Elena Vale
I am a Melbourne marriage celebrant, and I have spent most of my working life writing ceremonies across Victoria. I came to it through words. I love a good story, and every couple has one. What I care about most is that your ceremony sounds like you rather than a template, and that the people you love feel part of it from the first line.
On the day
I arrive early, find the musicians, check the microphone and run a short rehearsal so nobody has to guess where to stand. I keep an eye on the time, so the ceremony starts when it should and never drags. When it is done I bring you to the signing table, and afterwards I take care of the paperwork, so all you have to do is celebrate.
Ceremonies
I write ceremonies for every kind of day: a hundred guests in a garden, the two of you and two witnesses on a hillside, a renewal after forty years together. Each one is written fresh, around your story, your people and your place. Nothing is copied from the last couple, and nothing goes in that you have not read and agreed to first.
Ceremonies
Weddings
Elopements
Vow renewals
Commitment ceremonies
Naming days
Kind words
Elena wrote a ceremony that sounded exactly like us. Our friends kept asking how she knew so much, and the honest answer is that she listened.
Ruby and Tom
Two languages, two families and one very nervous groom. Elena made it feel easy, and both of our grandmothers understood every word.
Amara and Leo
After all these years we thought we knew what we wanted to say. Elena helped us find the words we had never quite managed.
Helen and Peter
Calm, funny and organised. Elena kept everything on time without anyone noticing, and the vows she helped us write still make us laugh.
Kate and Luca
Our ceremony was short, warm and personal, and the poem for our absent friends is the moment everyone still talks about.
Mia and Lachlan
We only wanted two witnesses and a quiet hillside. Elena understood that straight away and made our small day feel complete.
Isla and Noah
Elena met us three times, answered every question and gave us a ceremony we would not change a word of.
Grace and Oliver
The legal bits
The legal side is simpler than it sounds. You give me a Notice of Intended Marriage at least one month, and no more than 18 months, before your date. On the day you need two witnesses over 18 to sign with you. After the ceremony I lodge the paperwork with Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.
