Standing in front of my brother Hamish and his beautiful bride Lauren, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
It was 2018, and I had the honour of being their wedding celebrant.
“You may now kiss the bride,” I announced.
The whole thing had started off as a joke.
When Hamish announced his engagement two years before, I thought it would be funny to do a Joey Tribbiani from Friends and get a license to marry him.
I enrolled on a TAFE course, forking out $2000.
It took 12 months to complete, and I found it quite gruelling because it focused on religion and tradition.
Is this really worth it? I often wondered to myself.
But now, standing before our family and friends on the happiest day of my brother’s life, the answer was 100 per cent yes!
I loved every minute of it.
So much so, that I began to wonder if I could actually do it as a career.
I started offering my services to other couples, in between working my job in hospitality, and in the first year, I was booked for six weddings.
With little experience, I stuck to the traditional delivery method I’d been taught, but as my confidence in the industry grew, I started thinking about new ways I could do things.
Surely not everybody wants a traditional wedding ceremony? I thought.
So I experimented with styles and did some research, and decided to take a more comedic approach, rather than the usual sombre and serious.
“I want it to be entertaining for the guests, as well as the couples,” I explained to my friends.
“Great idea! Wedding ceremonies can be pretty dull,” one of them said.
When I talked the idea over with couples who got in touch, it was well received.
As I started introducing it into the ceremonies I hosted, the guests seemed to love it.
To up the ante, I brought costumes into the mix.
My staple soon became cowboy boots, a whip and budgy smugglers.
As footage of my ceremonies started being shared on social media, the inquiries from couples wanting me to wed them shot up.
Over time, the requests got more outrageous.
One couple asked me to dress up in a priest outfit.
“We’ll then rip it off to reveal you wearing budgy smugglers underneath,” the groom said.
“Sounds great,” I said, laughing.
Another couple wanted me to marry them in drag, dressed as Moira Rose from Schitts Creek. Under the costume, I would wear a gold chain harness, which I would reveal after the service.
The only thing I refuse to wear is a suit, wanting to stay clear of anything formal, as it doesn’t fit in with my style.
If that’s what a couple wants, I’m not the person who should be marrying them, and I’m always honest and tell them that.
To deliver the ceremonies in a fun and entertaining way, tailored to the couples, I get both parties to fill out a form, with questions about how they met, then I write the ceremony from scratch.
I love seeing the guests’ reactions to the stories I tell about the couple, making them laugh and cry.
I’ve now married over 450 couples all over Australia, and each wedding has been an incredible experience.
One of my favourites has been marrying a couple in the middle of Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory at sunset. The scenery was breathtaking.
I absolutely love my job and I count myself lucky every day.
Although it’s hard sometimes, especially with having to travel a lot in the role, and it puts a dent in my social life, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve even managed to use it as a way to help others. Every year, I team up with another wedding celebrant, coincidentally also called Monty, who has a similar style to me, and with the help of venues, caterers, musicians and photographers, we auction off a full wedding package and donate the money we’ve made to charity.
I hope that sharing this story will show future newlyweds that they don’t have to conform to the norm.
We’re way past the days of outdated traditions.
Your wedding day should be about you and your love for each other.
Do it your way and have some fun!
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