In Conversation With Celebrant Alana Tran
Alana Tran, a passionate celebrant, shares insights into her journey from law to officiating weddings, driven by her commitment to marriage equality. With a background in storytelling and public speaking, she infuses each ceremony with humor, elegance, and authenticity, tailoring them to reflect the unique personalities and love stories of every couple. Her modern approach strikes a balance between tradition and innovation, ensuring couples cherish unforgettable moments and take away a heartfelt experience that extends beyond the wedding day.
“With me as your celebrant, what I can ensure is that you will be guided every single step of the way, from paperwork, to ceremony crafting, to ensuring the day goes perfectly. My aim is to showcase your love to your nearest and dearest in a way which is heartfelt, which is light-hearted and overall, is fun.”
What inspired you to become a wedding celebrant, and how does your passion for storytelling enhance your role in a couple's special day?
Marriage equality is extremely important to me, so once Australia became a country inclusive to all desiring to get married, my values aligned and I decided to follow a true passion of mine. Being in the public speaking space as a lawyer for nearly a decade, I decided to hone these skills in helping couples tie the knot with fun, humour and elegance expected of a modern marriage celebrant. In my spare time, I would write fiction stories about love and romance, which I feel has really prepared me to write stories for my own couples in a way that is authentic and true, without being over the top or corny. My passion stems from knowing that I get to be involved in the happiest day of a couple’s lives, whether it is 5 people or 500 people, the fact that they have honoured me with being a small part of their special day never goes unnoticed.
How do you approach crafting a personalised ceremony that reflects the unique personalities and journey of each couple?
Every couple is different and as such, have different needs when crafting their ceremony. Some couples have certain readings or quotes that represent who they are, and I am always happy to accommodate to all of their needs. I like to inject humour into my ceremonies where appropriate, some couples love an inside joke or two where their guests can laugh and remember moments, and that is what I aim to achieve with my ceremonies.
What elements do you believe are essential for creating a truly meaningful and unforgettable wedding ceremony?
One of the most important elements in crafting the perfect and most memorable ceremony is definitely including a special moment where the couple are able to take it all in. Sometimes couples can be so caught up in ensuring everything is perfect on the day, that they forget to live in the moment and witness how incredible the day really is. So I like to tell my couples to take everything in right before they say their vows to each other, it is a beautiful moment that they definitely cherish. Similarly, I also like to let the couple look out at their guests during the ceremony and take it all in that their nearest and dearest are there to support them during the happiest day of their lives.
In what ways do you collaborate with couples to ensure their ceremony aligns with their vision while also incorporating your expertise and creativity?
When I send my couples their questionnaires to gather information to craft their perfect ceremony, I ensure that I ask every possible question to get the best responses from them, It can range from anything such as ‘how did you decide to get married?’ to ‘what 5 words describe your partner’ and then weave this into an all inclusive ceremony, truly describing the couple and their ceremony vision. I also send the couple a copy of their ceremony beforehand, this way they can make any changes to truly represent them as a couple, or add any extra information they may have missed in their questionnaires. Happy couple means happy celebrant!
How do you strike a balance between tradition and innovation when crafting modern wedding ceremonies?
As a modern celebrant, it is very important for me to ensure that my couples are always appreciated in their vision for their wedding. The days where every wedding is scripted and the same are just not the modern approach. Therefore, once my couples let me know the theme for their wedding, I ensure that I stick to this when crafting their ceremony. However, I also understand that weddings are romantic and elegant, and some of the traditional aspects need to be honoured to ensure that the ceremony does not become one which diverts from the love the couple has for each other. Therefore, in my ceremonies you will see lots of humour, but also lots of love and kind words, because in my view, this is what a modern ceremony is all about.
Can you share any tips or advice for couples who are seeking to infuse their ceremony with personal touches and meaningful rituals?
If there is a personal element that a couple would love to include, I am very keen to infuse this into their ceremony. For example, I recently completed a handfasting aspect into one of my ceremonies, which worked out great and the crowd were enthused. The main advice I can give is to go with it, if it means something to you, then there are no limits with your ceremony, your celebrant is more than happy to assist you in creating your dream vision. Modern weddings are so diverse, which is what is so great about them, and why I love being a part of each and every couple’s love story, knowing I get to implement such amazing rituals and elements to their ceremony.
What do you believe sets your approach to wedding ceremonies apart from others in the industry?
Being a modern and youthful celebrant, I truly believe that my ceremonies carry a passion and heartfelt vibe which is rarely seen from others in the industry. I do like to incorporate humour where appropriate in tasteful doses, and to me, the love of the relationship and heartfelt words still remain the star of the ceremony. This is the vibe I like to elicit, and my couples continuously comment on how passionate I am and heartfelt their ceremony was. Love is something to be appreciated in all its forms, and my ceremony style displays this fully, leading to an engaging and delightful experience for both the couple and the crowd.
Lastly, what do you hope couples ultimately take away from their experience working with you as their wedding celebrant?
With me as your celebrant, what I can ensure is that you will be guided every single step of the way, from paperwork, to ceremony crafting, to ensuring the day goes perfectly. My aim is to showcase your love to your nearest and dearest in a way which is heartfelt, which is light-hearted and overall, is fun. My ceremonies are true to tradition, but with a fresh and modern approach. At the end, we will come out as friends like we have known each other for many years, and your guests will be talking about the ceremony for even more years to come!
Alana Tran can be found online at alanatrancelenbrant.com.au or on Instagram at @alanatrancelebrant
DISCLAIMER: We attempt to credit the original photographer/source of every image we use. However, in most circumstances, the images we use are provided by the brands spoken about, and we rely on them to inform us of the image source. If you think a credit may be incorrect, or if you wish to have a credit added, please contact us at info@theodoremagazine.com
More For You
