In Conversation with Grace the Celebrant

For Grace the Celebrant, creating a ceremony that truly reflects her couples isn’t just important — it’s everything. Guided by empathy, experience, and a genuine love for storytelling, she works closely with each couple to craft a ceremony that feels personal, heartfelt, and full of meaning. With Grace, every moment is thoughtfully created to feel warm, inclusive, and unmistakably you.

“One of the biggest things that makes a ceremony truly memorable for couples and their guests is making everyone present feel that they are a part of it all - guests are not the ceremony audience, but active participants!”

Your tagline, "Your day, your way," is such a beautiful sentiment. How do you ensure each ceremony truly reflects the unique love story of the couple? 

This is really the most important thing to me as a celebrant - being able to create a ceremony that truly reflects the individuals being celebrated. I rely on three things to achieve this: 

Our comprehensive planning session. In the lead up to a wedding, I meet with my couple over a coffee or cocktail pending time of day, and complete a really thorough planning session, mapping out the whole ceremony from start to finish with the couple having full creative control over the elements included in the ceremony, whilst being guided by my experience and expertise and enjoying the choices given. I’ve found couples really enjoy this process, as it gets them thinking about what is important to them, whilst also getting to hang out and feel really comfortable with me. 

My Lovers Questionnaire. This is where I get the juice. I ask each partner to complete their questionnaire independently, giving me unique insights into each partner’s perspectives on their relationship. It also makes for a lot of fun in the ceremony - particularly when each partner remembers certain events differently. I’ve crafted my questions in such a way that the answers I receive are always quite reflective, insightful, at times raw and always beautiful. 

My ability to read my couple. I’ve always been highly empathetic, which has been a big part of my dual professional life as a dietitian where I support people with their relationship with food. I’m quite sensitive to other’s feelings and am always reading the body language of my couple during our meetings, getting a sense of their vibe and the way they want to celebrate their love story. This helps me match their energy and bring the most fitting degree of vivacity and spirit on their day. 

What drew you to the role of a celebrant, and how has your journey influenced the way you approach crafting ceremonies? 

I was drawn to celebrancy when at a time of burnout in my other career, I wanted to find a new undertaking that would be uplifting, full of joy and also help people. When brainstorming possibilities, I attended a friend’s wedding where the celebrant was less than amazing and thought to myself EUREKA, a real light bulb moment: I could do that. What possible job could be better, more fun or more joyful than being a part of a couple’s most special, rare and treasured moment of getting married? Once I married my first couple, I was absolutely hooked. I get so excited meeting couples, hearing about their stories and creating something memorable - which many couples have told me they have appreciated so much; the care and passion I bring to each ceremony.

You emphasise creating fun and heartfelt ceremonies. How do you strike the perfect balance between light-hearted moments and emotional depth? 

This is really what can make or break a celebrant’s ability or performance - too light-hearted, and you miss the opportunity to really appreciate the gravity of a couple’s decision to get married and commit to each other in such a public setting. Too formal or serious, and the ceremony can feel drab, heavy or just a bit boring. I strike the balance between these things by including as much personal detail as a couple is comfortable sharing - from inside jokes and personal memories, as well as the acknowledgements and shoutouts to the people in their life who have played a key role in their lives and relationship. By including these moments of light and cheekiness, the seriousness and emotional depth, along with the legally binding components are balanced in harmony and brings everyone along for the whole ride. 

What do you think makes a ceremony unforgettable, and how do you bring that magic to the couples you work with? 

One of the biggest things that makes a ceremony truly memorable for couples and their guests is making everyone present feel that they are a part of it all - guests are not the ceremony audience, but active participants! They have been painstakingly selected by the couple to attend, and so should feel and know how much their presence means to the couple. I do this in a number of ways, whether it be leading the guests in a group vow, incorporating moments of appreciation for particular family members and friends, or just in my presentation style, with warmth and engagement. 

This, along with the ability to roll with the punches and adapt! Weddings are a celebration of everything that is human and as such, we must recognise the flawed humanness when the unexpected may happen. A passing ferry in Sydney harbour blasting its horn mid-ceremony, the resident peacocks at Krinklewood estate squawking loudly during a love story, a herd of horses galloping by very close to a marrying couple are all examples that come to mind. Celebrating the unexpected during ceremonies I think can make for incredible memories, definitely break the ice and help everyone feel relaxed. 

Can you share a particularly memorable wedding moment that encapsulates what you love about being a celebrant? 

One of my favourite moments in every ceremony is when a couple asks me to acknowledge the most important people in their lives—whether it’s their parents, their wedding party, or someone who played a pivotal role in their journey together. There’s something incredibly special about witnessing the reactions—beaming smiles, teary eyes, even bursts of laughter—as these loved ones realise just how much they mean to the couple. It transforms the ceremony from something to be watched into something to be felt—a shared, deeply personal experience where everyone is woven into the story, not just as witnesses, but as cherished parts of the love that brought us all together.

For couples considering Grace the Celebrant, what’s the one thing you want them to know about working with you? 

I want couples to know that with me, their ceremony will be truly theirs—personal, heartfelt, and filled with meaning. I take the time to get to know you, your story, and what makes your love unique, so your ceremony feels like you in every way. Whether you want laughter, tears, or a bit of both, I’ll craft a moment that’s warm, authentic, and unforgettable. My goal is to make the process easy, enjoyable, and stress-free—so on the day, you can simply soak it all in and say, that was perfect.

Visit www,gracethecelebrant.com.au

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