That Celebrant Guy

Hi, I'm Steven Fleming and I am a registered Civil Celebrant in Australia. Brisbane born and raised in Brisbane, I spent 13 years living in Melbourne, where I became a celebrant, before moving home to the sunshine state in 2020. I have a beautiful kelpie named Phoenix, and am an incredibly open minded, outgoing and creative person. Other than this, I don't know what else to tell you, as I don't want this to end up looking like a dating profile. So how about I just tell you how I began this journey, and a few things I have learned along the way. At Christmas time a few years ago, my brother and his now wife announced to the family their engagement. It was an incredibly exciting time as we had seen their relationship grow over the previous few years, and we could all see the love they have for each other. When they told me about it, the first thing I said, after congratulations, was to tell them of my secret dream to one day be someone who could help loving couples like themselves wed. After telling them this, they gave me an indescribable gift of putting their faith in me, and asking if I would get myself certified and conduct their ceremony. They asked this in secret, as they wanted it to be a surprise for the people they cared about on the day. I spent the following months doing the required study and certification, learning not just the legal minimums, but revelling in the beauty of what a marriage can mean to two people (never having been married myself), and planning for them a ceremony that reflected their individual personalities, and their identity as a couple. After a long wait, some secrecy and a few nerves along the way, I married my brother to his wife, in a beautiful, simple and personal ceremony. What I discovered along the way to becoming a celebrant actually surprised me a little. Many people have preconceived notions and ideas of what makes a marriage ceremony, due in part to religious views, TV and movies, and historical traditions. All of this went straight out the window for me as I was getting myself certified. In Australia, there are only four legal requirements to make a marriage officially recognised. These are: