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 Many thanks to Helen for providing her snapshot
Canberra celebrant Helen Nourse
Appointed September 2009
Hi there. I’m a celebrant appointed in October 2009 working in the Canberra region.
I’m also authorised to conduct legal, same-sex ceremonies in the ACT.
I enjoy being a celebrant and became interested in this work because I believe in the importance of ritual and ceremony in our lives. I believe that my role as your celebrant is to make these occasions as smooth and stress-free as possible. In the case of marriages, there should be a great sense of joy and fulfilment. Once, many years ago, I was a guest at a wedding where a celebrant did a very poor job. I thought: “This couple deserves better than that!” Not long after, I saw how very well a good celebrant looked after her couple in all stages prior to and during the wedding. That celebrant was one I’d always try my best to emulate.
I have a background in secondary school teaching and I now work at the Museum of Australian Democracy in a part-time role which allows me plenty of time to work with brides and grooms-to-be. I am relaxed and friendly and I’m certainly not a bossy-boots but I enjoy public speaking and I am very comfortable communicating with large groups of people.
My first ever wedding stands out as a very happy memory. It was a picture-perfect summer afternoon in a rural setting. Spreading oak trees, dappled light, a bridal party of thirteen, counting the flower-girl, and a fun atmosphere amongst the very many guests. I also treasure memories of very quiet weddings, when couples want to marry with just themselves and their very close family present, in their own home. Winter is often not the first choice for a couple’s wedding date, but I will not forget how radiant one winter bride looked in a long, black velvet gown, standing next to her groom near a crackling open fire on a cold winter evening with the intimacy of just about twelve friends and family around to enjoy this ceremony with them.
My tip for couples about to be married is to be resilient and flexible. The weather changes, your guest list will change and not everything will be exactly the way you planned it. Your wedding is really about you saying that you love your partner and want to spend your lives together, so as long as you remember that above all, and you are determined to have a very good time, all will turn out well.
Helen Nourse
Civil Marriage Celebrant and Partnership Notary
Canberra ACT
More about Helen
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