Musings about weddings, from your Perth Celebrant
Blog
How to make your wedding day simply unforgettable (and not for the reasons social media will have you believe).
From a Perth Celebrant and 2026 Bride.
Hey, I’m Christine. Perth Celebrant, MC, and April 2026 bride. If I may be so cheeky-my wedding day was quite literally unforgettable. It was the best day ever. Months later, we’re still getting comments from our family, friends, and even our vendors about how fabulous our day was.
As a Perth wedding vendor myself, I admittedly went into wedding planning with somewhat of an advantage. I already had great vendor friends whose work I knew well, so choosing our incredible team was easy. What really helped me, though, was seeing week after week what works and what doesn’t, relating to how couples feel on their wedding day.
My whole ethos in my wedding business is to help Perth couples create a day that feels good. Yes, it is true that stunning aesthetics and fun trends are nice to have, but what really makes your wedding day one of the best days of your life is a day that allows you to feel all the feelings, without stress, and always with joy and authenticity guiding your choices.
So, let's get into it.
First up, is our SUPER SHORT family photo list. I always knew I wanted this part of the day to be short, after seeing how frazzled couples feel after launching right into 30-45 minutes of family photos, right after they walk down the aisle as newlyweds. Nobody really enjoys this part of the day, especially when emotions are high, even though family photos are, of course, very important (love you fam!).
So, to mitigate this, I had a couple of photos with my parents and siblings pre-ceremony after we were all dressed and glammed up, and my husband did the same with his parents and brother.
Our photo list for after the ceremony was less than ten photos long, and so it took less than ten minutes (you can download my list at the bottom of this post!).
Our short photo list allowed us plenty of time to mingle (and snack) after the ceremony and keep enjoying that post-ceremony high.
Now, moving on to guest photos. We skipped the big group photo- these rarely turn out well. Herding guests all into one photo, trying to get everybody’s faces to be seen, simply isn’t fun and honestly, isn’t something you're likely to print and frame.
Instead, we did a “photo dash” into our reception. This was SO FUN. The music we entered to was “Darude” by Sandstorm. We sat on chairs in the middle of the dance floor, and each table had to race up for a lightning-fast photo before the song finished.
It was silly, fun, and the absolute best way to have a photo with every guest at our wedding. Our family and friends had an absolute blast with this, and we have the best photos to print and enjoy.
Now to something that helped us beyond measure-our first look. I was so indescribably nervous while I was getting ready (why, I’m still not even sure!) and seeing my husband before the ceremony completely changed everything, for the better. I got ready at an Airbnb overlooking the Cottesloe Civic Centre where we got married, which was perfect for the first look.
I wanted the experience to feel normal and natural (for nervous system regulation reasons) so he literally just walked up the stairs into the apartment, and we hugged (no kissing; had to preserve the lipstick!) and had a little chat about our morning.
As soon as I saw him, my nerves eased and a feeling of normality returned to the day.
Our photographer joked that we should go out onto the balcony to wave to all our guests who were gathering in the ceremony space below. Not people to say no to a laugh, we did! It was giving royal wave (but more unhinged). Our family and friends gasped and waved back up at us, and it was such a fun way to really get those nerves out and start the day.
This wouldn't be for everybody, but I love something quirky and unexpected, and felt like I could actually enjoy walking down the aisle because I’d already had my grand reveal.
I could probably go on and on with all the choices we made; I’m honestly so proud we pulled off such a great day. But alas, attention spans probably mean I’ve only got time for one more, and you’ll want to read this one!
We didn’t curate a huge playlist for our DJ with all our favourite songs and preferences. My taste in music is very basic b*ch- almost exclusively Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. So, while I’d love nothing less than to boogie to my faves all night, that would have gotten approximately six people on the dance floor. Additionally, my husband enjoys classical music or songs a teenager would listen to after their first heartbreak, so he had no say in what was played.
Instead, we trusted our DJ to incorporate some of our wish list along with bangers that would get three generations onto the dance floor. And that is exactly what happened. Our dance floor was PACKED all night long, and we only had a very small number of guests leave before the lights turned back on at the end of the night.
Yes, everybody is still singing the praises of our DJ (shout out to Dion from DJ Primz!).
The love, connection, community, and support we felt on the night as we truly partied the night away with our people was incredibly special, in huge part thanks to our approach with the music.
So, if you made it this far, congrats!
I hope these ideas help you see that small decisions can really make a difference to how you (and your guests) feel on your wedding day. It is so worth it to consider doing things a little differently, and prioritise a feeling instead of just doing what might be standard or expected.
Three of the best decisions to make while planning your wedding reception, from a Perth celebrant and MC
So, you’re planning your afterparty and feel swamped with all the possibilities, inclusions, ideas, and mountains of logistical hurdles to jump. As a Perth MC, I’ve helped many couples plan a wedding reception that flows well, keeps guests engaged, prioritises the fun, and doesn’t drag out the formalities.
These are the three things I think you should do, which I suggest to every couple.
Remember, it’s your night, enjoy it!
-
I’m talking a maximum of five minutes each. Talk to everybody who has a speech and tell them they have three minutes (they’ll always talk for longer). Additionally, set some gentle expectations by telling them you’d appreciate keeping it meaningful and to the point (your guests don’t really need to hear about your whole life story).
-
Let’s face it, nobody likes sitting for hours of speeches. Yes, it’s so important for parents, siblings, or whoever is lucky to get an opportunity, to share their love for you on this special day, a day that’s special for you and your family. But don’t ruin the mood by making everybody sit through a straight thirty minutes. Split them in half with a mood booster such as the shoe game or scavenger hunt.
-
Not everybody wants to do a father-daughter dance, or a mother-son dance, or cake cutting, or a bouquet toss. You know what? It’s perfectly okay not to. You can also make something your own by, for example, cutting your cake as part of your grand entrance to the party. Why not get it done while you’re up, and the music is pumping? This works especially well for couples who don’t want to have to drop a move by dancing into their reception.
If you’re planning your wedding ceremony, don’t forget to include something fun.
Aisle walk, music that pulls at the heartstrings and those all-important lifelong vows to each other. These are the only things you need in a wedding ceremony, right?
Technically, yes (I guess). But what many couples sometimes forget is that there are no rules. You’re getting married, and you’ll share plenty of heartfelt moments, but you can also include something fun. Not only will this ease your nerves, but your guests will love this too.
One of my favourite ceremony inclusions is the guest “I Do”. As a Perth celebrant, I write a couple of personalised promises for guests to loudly and enthusiastically share a “hell yeah” to declare their support for you as newlyweds. For a dog-loving couple, this might be a promise to always shower your dog with love. For an ambitious couple, this might be a promise to support your next crazy business venture. Guests love getting involved, and this will really lift the mood in your wedding ceremony.
What about a surprise ring bearer? Tape the rings under a chair and the lucky winner will be chosen, unbeknownst to them.
Cheeky and fun vows are always a hit too. Presumably, if you’re getting married, you love to share a joke or two, so why not incorporate this into your ceremony? For my couples who wish to do this, I get them to send me a few cheeky vows that the other has to promise them. On the day, they read this out as a total surprise, and this always results in some beautifully funny photos.
The possibilities are endless. A little thoughtful inclusion is all you need to completely transform your Perth wedding ceremony.
