Kristina and Phil
Phil and Kristina not only called on me to create their marriage ceremony, but also to guide through the death of Phil’s father.
When my husband Phil and I decided to get married, I knew straight away that I wanted Victoria to be our celebrant. We had seen her as a celebrant, at several of our friends weddings and what we were struck by, was her ability to really capture what was individual and special to each couple and create a ceremony that was unique to each. It really felt like a magical journey, being part of her ceremonies. We could not have imagined at this time, how incredibly important our decision to have Victoria as our celebrant, would be.
Our wedding was AN EVENT, a full weekend away (Friday – Sunday), 3 hours south of Sydney on the coast. We wanted to take people on a journey into a beautiful natural haven, surrounded by water and the bush, but with a bit of glamour and lushness. Victoria completely understood this dream and was very excited to work with us to achieve it.
From the time we began working with her, the journey began. She opened us up to the powerful transformation that commences when you set out to get married under her guidance. Meeting with Victoria we were led through questions and story telling, to dreamings and planning of the ceremony, and writing our vows. This process was extraordinary and Phil’s and my relationship became even more powerful, open and loving as a result. We felt that Victoria really invested in getting to know us as a couple and the potential of what we wanted our lives to be, to help us not only create the most wonderful wedding ceremony, but also married future together.
A bit over 2 months before we were due to get married Phil’s father was suddenly diagnosed with a brain tumour. He very quickly went into a coma, never recovered and died 1 month before we were due to get married. It was a very shocking, confusing and difficult time. We weren’t sure whether we should get married at the time we had planned or not, and if we did, how would we begin to navigate these two huge events? Victoria was remarkable. She was not only incredibly supportive throughout Phil’s father’s illness and last days, but also guided us through his funeral (which she led) and memorial service. She also worked with us, and our struggle to work out how and when we should get married, and she even travelled down to the site with me one weekend, to help keep the vision alive.
We did get married when we planned, it was what Phil’s dad would have wanted. Our wedding weekend was out of this world, it was one of the best weekends of our life. Our ceremony was full of joy, but also acknowledged the loss and grief we were feeling, in a way that supported us, our family, and friends. It was everything we had envisaged and more.
Victoria is not just our wedding celebrant, but part of our family now and we have maintained a close friendship with her since. We look forward to many more important moments in our lives and being able to mark them with ceremony, under the guidance of our dear friend.