TAS Coles Bay Susanne Dransfield

Many thanks to Susanne for providing her snapshot

Coles Bay celebrant Susanne Dransfield

Living along the East Coast of Tasmania,  building our holiday home in 2000 with my husband, we moved permanently to Coles Bay - an idyllic beach side town. I was asked by our neighbour to help them arrange their wedding. I was amazed by the lack of celebrants willing to travel to Coles Bay and how celebrants were well and truly in demand.   The celebrant my friends chose, had to travel some 600 kms to officiate the wedding which she did very well. I mentioned to my husband at the time I could and would love to be a celebrant.

After attaining my certificate to Plan, Conduct and Review a Marriage Ceremony in 2004 with the Australian Institute of Education and Training, I received my registration from the Australian Registrar of Marriage Celebrants on the 8th September 2006.


Coming from a hairdressing back ground, and then teaching Infant Aquatics, I was certainly a people person.

I have had some wonderful experiences being a marriage celebrant meeting many people from local, overseas and interstate. I have had some great evaluations after the ceremonies.

One couple in particular were from the UK. I tend to mother or try and make our visitors/ brides and grooms feel like that we are family, especially as I have couples getting married whilst on holidays without their families present. My evaluation read "Sue thank you to both you and your husband for our beautiful, unique ceremony and all the little extras and personnel touches, your kindness and calmness and humour was noticed and appreciated. You reminded us of our family at home, in particular my favourite Aunty. We will always remember our wedding with the fondest memories".

I love surprises. I have helped many families with Renewal of Vows / Anniversary ceremony with surprising the females of the couple more than the male gender  - walking up to the couple on a beautiful beach, introducing myself  as a celebrant and that I have been asked to renew your vows.  WOW!  I have had daughters from NSW pop out behind bushes and another instance I had the Maid of Honour and the bestman from the original wedding in the UK walking behind me to the surprise of the couple which was organised by the family. This is so satisfying.

I am yet to officiate a funeral but I have been preparing for this for some time.

I like to encourage families to have anniversary celebrations and have  this as  a "This is your life"  type of ceremony. I present each couple with a presentation booklet which contains their ceremony, certificate and a section which can be used for their guests to place their comments, which is fun reading.

I have found this to be a very good tool as the couple can look back on this at a later date. But with this also, I encourage all types of ceremonies, anniversaries, naming days where I can also use the family history from their booklet. I have also very interesting ceremonies written. They can be so much fun and with this I remind my couples, friends and family - without having special ceremonies -  that as you get older you only see your relations, friends and ex work mates at marriages and funerals which is very sad.

One of sessions I attended of  many professional development sessions (which is a legal requirement as a authorized celebrant) was writing and creating a personalised ceremony. This was always one of my concerns -  expressing my thoughts on paper - to which to tutor gave me great advice "Write from your heart as that's your greatest asset".

Susanne Dransfield

Civil Marriage Celebrant

Coles Bay, Tas 7215

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