In Conversation With Melbourne Celebrant Weddings By Sheridan

A conversation with ‘Weddings By Sheridan’, a wedding celebrant whose journey from a mundane 9-5 job to crafting personalised ceremonies reflects a passion for storytelling and love. She captures the essence of each couple’s unique journey, infusing authenticity, humour, and connection into every ceremony. Blending tradition with innovation, she creates unforgettable moments that resonate with both the couple and their guests, ensuring that each ceremony is a true reflection of love and individuality.

Interview Alexander Ross

“The best advice I could give is to find a celebrant that you feel you could truly be pals with. Make sure your values align. Be real, raw and honest with your answers to their questions... ”

What inspired you to become a wedding celebrant, and how does your passion for storytelling enhance your role in a couple's special day?

 I was working THE most boring 9-5. Ten years in the job and I desperately needed a change from the mundane routine of the office. I've always been a writer. I write speeches, songs, even the odd birthday card on behalf of sentiment-stunted mates, and I loved to do it.

I didn’t consider celebrancy until I was engaged and looking for my own vendors. The timing was perfect and I enrolled to study as soon as I was married.

Passion is huge in this role, it’s the kind of job where if you didn’t really love it, you simply can't deliver.

It's not enough to be a great writer and a great storyteller, you need to be as invested in the day as the couple are and that’s what makes the experience for my couples, and for me, a great one.

How do you approach crafting a personalised ceremony that reflects the unique personalities and journey of each couple?

I sit down with every couple I'm marrying, the three of us order something delicious from the bar and once we’ve gotten comfy I go through the elements of a ceremony and get the lover's opinion on how each segment will go.

Welcoming people, acknowledgments, wedding party intros if they choose to flank themselves with their faves, how the legal bits work, where and when we will sign the paperwork, exchanging rings, vows – everything!

Each person gets password access to the locked section of my website where later and in their own time, they answer a questionnaire about their relationship, love language and time together.

The questionnaires are filled out separately, and couples don’t share their answers with each other.

It gives me a chance to get to know them each separately and tell tales of their relationship from both perspectives. 

And it gives them a chance to give me the deets without being placed on the spot during our planning session. Win win.

What elements do you believe are essential for creating a truly meaningful and unforgettable wedding ceremony?

Authenticity, humour and connection.

A ceremony shouldn’t feel like a comedy show but telling the couple's story with their own flavour and personality will automatically result in a few laughs.

Long gone are the days when the officiant stands in front of a crowd and waffles a generic meaning of love and marriage. The real story is what will captivate you and your guests. Individuality is memorable. Love is interesting to everyone. And while your love language might seem totally ordinary to you, it’s the little everyday moments that everyone connects with.

I find out what makes your person love you so damn much and highlight that magic stuff so we can all celebrate it.

In what ways do you collaborate with couples to ensure their ceremony aligns with their vision while also incorporating your expertise and creativity?

A good ol’ fashioned Q&A sesh over a wine or a coffee works wonders. Less like an interview and more like old friends catching up. The couple's vision is essential to planning a ceremony that everyone will feel connected to.

A lot of the time, couples have somewhat of an idea of how they want their wedding and ceremony to feel, but they don’t have all the answers when it comes to executing a plan that brings their vision to life and that’s ok. It gives me a chance to discuss various options with both parties and explore different ideas to give them exactly what they’re jonesing for.

How do you strike a balance between tradition and innovation when crafting modern wedding ceremonies?

We have rituals as old as time that people still love, like having a special someone escort a person down the aisle. And then there are the moments during storytelling that can only be for those two people – it cannot be applied to anyone else. It's them. Tapping into two individual personalities is the lifeblood of a great ceremony.

Sometimes those things can be physically represented as well – I once had someone who picked up his lover by telling them he could crush a walnut in his pecs. When I recounted the story and their first impressions of each other, I produced a walnut, and the reaction from the couple and their guests was sensational.

The story went down a treat, the walnut was promptly crushed at the end of the ceremony and I got to steer a bunch of wonderful humans through a ceremony that had happy tears, heart-holding moments and belly laughs throughout.

Can you share any tips or advice for couples who are seeking to infuse their ceremony with personal touches and meaningful rituals?

The best advice I could give is to find a celebrant that you feel you could truly be pals with. Make sure your values align. Be real, raw and honest with your answers to their questions. Let your personality shine and any celebrant worth their salt will take what you give them and deliver a ceremony that will have everyone believe that you’ve known each other your whole lives. If creating a new ritual is your thing, think about ways you show your love to each other; whether it's acts of service, sharing food, being goofballs or conversing in a series of in-jokes that only the two of you can understand – find what makes you feel the feels and ask your celebrant how you can turn it into a ritual to include in your ceremony. Anything can be represented, the sky is the limit.

What do you believe sets your approach to wedding ceremonies apart from others in the industry?

My ceremony style is a hybrid. I take the intimacy of elopements and the energy of big weddings and bring both elements to a ceremony to give my couples the best of both experiences.

Traditionally, a couple's story is told to their guests, and this is the way I begin storytelling as well, but I also take a moment to speak to each person in the couple just as I would if they were eloping without guests. I tell them all the ways they make their partner's life better, in those moments they aren’t listening to a story, they're being told things they haven’t heard on a regular basis, and sometimes they’ve never heard them. It's all part of the balance.

Lastly, what do you hope couples ultimately take away from their experience working with you as their wedding celebrant?

I want couples to feel like the ceremony was the easiest part of their day to plan, and the most memorable way to begin the rest of their lives.

I want couples to remember how good they felt throughout their ceremony and talk about how much fun they had for all the years to come.

Weddings By Sheridan can be found on THEODORE by CLICKING HERE or on Instagram at @weddingsbysheridan

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