Good day to you, friends. I’d like you to meet Philippa Holness, Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant and longtime partner of The Bride’s Tree. 

In our wedding Vendor Directory you’ll find all our highly recommended Photographers, Florists, Wedding Stylists and all the other talented wedding professionals that are going to help you to create your dream wedding. You can also get serious about your wedding venue shortlist if you’re still looking for your perfect wedding venue. 

But let’s get back to Philippa. Her style as a celebrant strikes the perfect balance between professionalism and friendly familiarity with a flawless delivery. Her melodious, calming voice through the ceremony will keep your guests engaged as they enjoy a personalised, authentic ceremony. 

Read on to learn more about Philippa in this Q&A, and scroll for a special discount exclusively for readers of The Bride’s Tree! 

Tell us about your business in this wonderful industry we call wedding…

My business has grown exponentially over the last 10 years! I think I have been partnered with The Bride’s Tree for 8 years?! I have married many hundreds of couples at countless varied locations ranging from weddings with over 150 guests to just the couple and their two witnesses, and everything in-between! To date, I have over 342 five star Google reviews.

One thing that may surprise people about your line of work is…

Prior to becoming a marriage celebrant, what did you do?

Testimonials from some of Philippa’s happy clients…

“Thank you! We’re so glad we found you! You were caring, professional and everyone comments what a wonderful ceremony. You made the entire experience form start to finish so easy! On the day itself Philippa was a complete professional and had thought of everything, making it completely stress-free for us. She was always available (and unfazed by the time difference), and was flexible in making arrangements by telephone and email when we couldn’t meet.”

“Philippa was very respectful of what we wanted and made sure that it was our wishes that mattered – we were worried that some celebrants seemed to have their own ideas about what a wedding ought to be – with Philippa the focus was very much on making sure it was just right for us. She has that rare combination of familiarity and dignity that immediately puts you at ease.”

What’s something people always ask you?

“You must have the best job?” My answer… I do, it’s a complete privilege!

When you have a free day on the Sunshine Coast, what do you get up to?

What’s something a lot of people wouldn’t know about you?

Image credits: Shae Estella, Luke Middlemiss Photography, Hayley Hearts Photography.

The post Meet Philippa Holness | Wedding Celebrant Sunshine Coast appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Bank manager, Stacey, married her Electricial beau, Ryan, in a simply gorgeous Noosa wedding. Although they experienced some rain, the couple who say they are very best friends loved every moment, and wouldn’t change a thing, including the cloud cover. 

Noosa Waterfront was the location for both the ceremony and reception, while the bridal party photo shoot took place on the picturesque Noosa Main Beach. Jennipher Oliphant Photographer is responsible for the outrageously gorgeous images you see before you.

“Our priorities when planning our wedding were finding a venue that felt welcoming and intimate. Finding a great photographer and finding the dress.“

“It rained on our day but I wouldn’t change it for the world it made our photos look amazing and created a great atmosphere.”

“At the end of the day it is about celebrating the relationship with your soon to be husband with all your friends and family. That is the most important part!“

“Ryan gave me a tiffany necklace and I gave Ryan cufflinks with the longitude and latitude of where we were getting married.“

Wedding Secrets 

Biggest splurge: My dress

Best money-saver: A friend of mine made all our invitations which was a huge saving

Bridal gown: Paddington Brides

Shoes: Mischka Badgley

Bridesmaid dresses: Two Birds Gowns from Babushka Ballerina

Groom and Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Country Road and R M Williams Boots

Rings: Delross Jewellers

DIY: We made all the wedding favors which were a little take home bag with water and cake.

Honeymoon: Lombok Indonesia

Number of guests: 89

Wedding budget: $20,000

A-List Vendors

Photographer:  Jennipher Oliphant Photographer

Wedding Planner + stylist: Lovebird Weddings

Florist: Willow Bud

Caterer: Noosa Waterfront Restaurant

Celebrant: Bill Scurry Marriage Celebrant

Cake: Cake Designs / Hair and Makeup Artist: Dextress / Entertainment: Greg Doney / Gift registry: Wedding List Co / Videographer: Innovate Media

Want to see more? Have a flick through

Stacey & Ryan’s full wedding album. 

The post Real Wedding: Stacey & Ryan at Noosa Waterfront appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Dreaming of a beautiful Noosa wedding, intimate, and with a manageable price tag? Have you thought about a cheeky elopement?

Nowadays it doesn’t necessarily mean you run off unbeknownst to your family and friends to get hitched in secret. Typically, to elope in modern terms means to have a very small wedding with 2-10 witnesses present, being your closest, most treasured family and friends.

Many couples pack up their nearest and dearest and jet off on a fun group holiday to elope! If you are considering eloping, some of the Sunshine Coast’s most sought after wedding professionals have just made it easier for you.

Kristy from A Look Photography has teamed up with celebrant, Lynette Maguire, and a handy crew of hair and makeup pros, and florists to present couples with the opportunity to have their dream wedding with everything taken care of.

From legalities to flowers, your elopement package team will organise your ceremony on the beach in beautiful Noosa.

The Elope to Noosa team will book your ceremony location and decorations for you.

Iconic Noosa will be the location for your wedding ceremony and photo session.

All your Australian wedding legalities will be taken care of.

Elope to Noosa are offering a new package called “Wedding in a Box”, where you share your wedding costs with other couples marrying on the same day. Take a look at the details of the next available Noosa wedding date.

The post Elope to Noosa appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

WHERE TO START

This could possibly be the most important decision of your wedding… aside from the dress, of course! The person who marries you and your husband, binding you together in love and in law for life, is going to have to be someone pretty darn special!

The first thing you need to do is talk with your fiancé about what you both would like to experience in the moments leading up to the announcement you just can’t wait to hear, “I now pronounce you husband and wife!” There are so many possibilities when it comes to wedding ceremonies, and you want to make it as personal and special as you always dreamed.

Be sure to take a stroll through our wedding supplier directory and read the stories of our Sunshine Coast celebrants.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

There are legalities and the personal touches to consider. So make sure you are getting all the information you need to make your choice. I would definitely recommend you make a phone call and set up an initial consultation in person with you and your groom to ask the following questions, as it’s so important to find the right celebrant for you.

Are you available on my wedding date and my rehearsal date?

Do you/will you have any other weddings booked in for that day and how will they be scheduled?

Are you a religious or civil celebrant?

What official licenses/qualifications do you hold?

How many weddings have you performed?

Optional question if applicable – Are you open to performing inter-faith ceremonies?

Do you expect us to have pre-marital counselling? If yes, could you recommend someone?

Are your ceremonies written for each individual couple, or do you have pre-written ceremonies that you can personalise for us? Or do you have standard ceremonies that we can choose from and use as is? (alter according to your preference)

Do you have samples of your ceremony messages or sermons and vows we can read over?

Can we alter the ceremony proceedings to include our own words or exclude certain parts of your scripts?

Can we include our own poems/vows/music? Do you have any restrictions on these?

Will you come to our desired ceremony location?

What is the usual length of your ceremonies?

Will you stay within a certain time period if we request so?

Will you keep track of when we need to submit the necessary documentation?

Do you have any other restrictions we should be aware of?

What is your fee for the kind of ceremony we want? What are the inclusions/exclusions? Does this include the cost of the rehearsal?

Do you hold Public Liability and Personal Indemnity insurances?

Does your fee include the hire of a PA system so our guests can hear the ceremony?

How many meetings can we expect to have with you leading up to our wedding?

If for any unforeseeable reason you are unable to perform our ceremony, are you able to provide us with/help us organise an alternative celebrant?

Are we expected to pay up front or put down a deposit to secure our booking?

These questions are conveniently laid out for you with space to record your answers and any additional comments in our Planning Tools section here. 

THE CLICK

You, as a couple, really need to click with your celebrant. After your initial consultation, if you found you really clicked, lock him/her in immediately. If you’re not convinced, book a consultation with another celebrant, rinse and repeat if necessary, until you find someone you and your fiancé are both happy with.

More handy articles to assist you with the basics of organising your wedding can be found in our Resource Guide here.

Image is by Lindy Photography and features popular Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant, Bill Scurry, doing what he does best – ensuring a wedding couple enjoy their big moment on their wedding day! 

The post How To Choose Your Celebrant appeared first on The Bride's Tree.