Merrilyn Williams

               Civil Marriage Celebrant
            Adelaide and Adelaide Hills

 

 

 

 

About you and your wedding day

After the last crumbs of your wedding cake have been swept away, the petals have fallen from your bouquet, your guests have gone back to their everyday lives, you've returned from your honeymoon and your photo album sits proudly on the coffee table, what memories will you most treasure about your wedding day?

I'm hoping you'll say - every single minute - but especially the marriage ceremony!

There's no doubt about it ... weddings are wonderful occasions! The glossy bridal magazines and websites are very beautiful and so seductive, and invite your attention to create a magical experience for you and your guests. There is an incredible abundance of businesses just waiting for your call. So, it might be about the dress, the hair and make-up, the flowers, the photographer, the cars, the catering - the list of 'must haves' is seemingly endless. In the excitement, take a little time to put aside the glossies, curl up on the lounge with your beloved, and brainstorm your shared vision for your wedding day.

Consider this:

There's the wedding day. This is the day you celebrate your love and your decision to spend the rest of your lives together as marriage partners.

There's the marriage ceremony. This is the most significant and profound part of your wedding day. It's the beginning of a brand new chapter in your shared lives, and it's here, in these few precious moments, that you publicly speak your promises, your marriage vows, to one another.

and then ....

There's the marriage itself. This is about friendship, love, loyalty, commitment, honesty and trust, compassion and understanding. It's about the day to day sharing, living, loving, laughing, crying, supporting one another through all the ups and downs that life brings .... and working together to make your dreams come true. 

photo by Paula Alexander photography

About me

 My name is Merrilyn Williams. I'm an experienced and dedicated professional celebrant totally committed to creating distinctive ceremonies. I'm proud to be the first of only three South Australians to complete the highly respected Graduate Diploma in Civil Ceremonies at Monash University. This course provided the highest qualification in celebrant training and education. 

In the year 2000, I established CelebrateLife! which over the last thirteen years has evolved into a thriving celebrant service in Littlehampton. Here in the beautiful Adelaide Hills there are so many stunning venues where I've conducted marriage ceremonies - in boutique wineries, magnificent gardens, natural bushland, hotels, cafe-restaurants  and private homes.

I travel to other places too including the Adelaide metropolitan area, the metropolitan beaches, the Far South Coast beaches, Kangaroo Island, the wine districts of the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Clare and Barossa Valleys, the Riverland, the Flinders Ranges ..... and interstate ..... on land, on sea, even in a hot air balloon.

The marriage ceremony is the reason for your wedding day. The  commitment you make, the words you speak, the joy of shouting your love to the world and celebrating your togetherness with your nearest and dearest, is the living heart of your wedding day!

Without the 'I do' bit, it's just another great party!

You'll need a carefully chosen celebrant not only to guide you through  the legal requirements of Marriage in Australia, but one with the skills and expertise to create an inspiring and memorable experience for you and your guests.

The best investment for your wedding day is your vibrant and engaging marriage ceremony.  

Saturday 6 April 2013 …. what a glorious day for the garden wedding for Kate and Tim! They have lived overseas for a number of years but coming home to Adelaide to celebrate their wedding day with their much loved community of family and friends was never in question. There was so much love you could almost reach out and touch it! It was a beautiful, simple, heartfelt marriage ceremony which looked to the past, the present and the future. Perfect! Lots of love and good wishes to you both, Kate and Tim

And they both sent me an email to say thank you!

From Kate Thanks Merrilyn! It is hard to believe I am writing you this email from Vancouver. Time flies by so fast, although I am glad the flight is over:) We had such an amazing day and so many people were full of praise for the lovely ceremony, you really did an amazing job! The photo and words on your facebook page were lovely.  Best wishes, Kate and Tim

From Tim Hey Merrilyn, I just wanted to say a big thank you for being involved with our wedding. You helped make our day so personal, special and unique to us. Many people commented on how they loved the personal aspect of the ceremony, and many people felt quite moved by it, even some of my mates that take quite a bit to get emotional :-)   The way you worked with us to create the ceremony was so much fun, and when we look back, it is nice to see that as this development took place over many months, your questions for us gave Kate and myself the fun tasks of reflecting on special moments in our relationship :-) So the ceremony will not only be remembered as a beautiful ceremony for that day, but Kate and I will always remember the time we spent working with you to make sure the ceremony was special and meaningful to us :-)   Cheers, Tim and Kate Forbes.

Meet Ali and Alec whose beautiful marriage ceremony took place at the iconic Petaluma’s Bridgewater Mill late yesterday afternoon. (December 2012) It included stories of their life together so far, there were tears and laughter. In their ceremony they honoured their parents, they honoured their guests, and they honoured one another with truly heartfelt marriage vows. Thank you Ali and Alec. I loved being part of your wedding day! Congratulations and all good wishes for a lifetime of happiness!

Here is their letter of thanks

Dear Merrilyn
Thank you so much for being a part of our wedding. The ceremony you created and delivered for us was just brilliant. We loved every minute as did our guests - many of whom commented specifically about how much they enjoyed listening to you tell our story. Thank you also for your very professional and methodical, yet very personal way of guiding us through our marriage process. You made it very simple yet still very special. You showed so much care for us and our marriage - we felt like the most important couple who have ever lived. Lots of love, Ali and Alec Deslandes 

 

 

 

My name is Merrilyn Williams. I'm a Civil Marriage Celebrant in the Adelaide Hills.

My guarantee? I don't do boring!
 
 

When planning your marriage ceremony, the information on these pages may be helpful.

Click here to read what people say

Click here for helpful information to consider when choosing your celebrant

Click here to go to the contact page or phone me to make an enquiry for your chosen date

Click here to watch a video on YouTube