A MOMENT WITH: Ron Gallagher from Celebrants Victoria
How did you become a celebrant?
I first became a marriage celebrant through contact with a fellow entertainer. It seemed a natural and logical progression for me. I love the writing process and ceremony writing gives an almost limitless opportunity of creativity, which is tempered by the discipline of the legal process and the couples expectations.
Tell us a bit about yourself, what do you like to do in your spare time?
When not actively engaged in ceremony writing or performance, I work as an entertainer with emphasis on magic and variety. This is where my catch phrase, ‘I do not just talk about magical moments, I create them’, comes from. I bring this slogan into reality by offering all my couples the option for small magic show – where I mysteriously produce a bottle of bubbly from thin-air at the very conclusion of the ceremony!
What is your favourite part about your work?
The focus of a wedding ceremony should always be the couple, and display their love and connection to each other, as well as the vows which are the essence of the legal and personal commitment to each other. Writing and presenting the couples story is one of my favourite parts of the ceremony, it is a truly unique part of the ceremony.
What do you do to prepare for each wedding?
In the lead up to the big day, I read through the ceremony between fifteen and twenty times to make sure it flows as it should. I arrive at the ceremony site a minimum of one hour prior to the start time, looking for anything that could possibly go wrong and then ensuring that it doesn’t!
Are there any ceremonies you have been a part of that been particularly special to you? Can you tell us about it?
I have had the opportunity of marrying a number of members of the same family, as well as a double wedding that’s a relatively rare occurrence in Australia.
What are you excited about for your business this year, and for the future?
This year I will again be taking part in the three-day Melbourne Wedding and Bride Spring Bridal Expo in October. This will give me the opportunity to meet and speak to couples in a relaxed environment, and a place where I can offer them advice without obligation. Wedding expos are one of the best ways for couples to make an informed decision and Melbourne Wedding & Bride’s October expo is the best expo in Victoria, hands-down.
What is your advice for couples getting married?
There are a number of pieces of advice I offer couples;
- Never commit to any wedding professional unless you have unwavering confidence that they can, and will, deliver what they offer.
- Meet with as many candidates as it takes till you find those that instil that confidence.
- Ask them lots of questions! They should able to explain how and why they do anything that impacts the ceremony.
- I try to convey that the ceremony is the reason for the reception, not the other way around.
- I have a F.A.Q. page and a blog on my website, I suggest they read them and the three articles I have been interviewed for Melbourne Wedding and Bride magazine such as the one about writing personal vows. They form an invaluable source of information and inspiration.