  Many thanks to Liz for providing her snapshot
Perth WA Celebrant Liz Hayes
Appointed June 2009
I started my working life as a flight attendant for British Airways in London. When my husband and I emigrated to Perth, I continued in various Customer Service roles, until eventually joining British Airways again, this time as a Customer Service Supervisor at Perth Airport.
Then in 2004, my husband finally lost his battle with a spinal tumour – and I nearly lost the plot! I took off to Bali for a year, aiming to recover some of my sanity. Well, that didn’t happen exactly…. But I did have a wonderful year – living in a budget hotel in Kuta; learning to ride a motorbike in that crazy traffic; writing a column for an expat magazine - and learning to surf!
I became friends with a wedding planner, who invited me to conduct 2 wedding Ceremonies for them. I couldn’t believe how I felt, standing in front of these couples who were so clearly in love. To feel so intimately connected at such a joyous moment in their lives was just amazing.
Well that was it. I was hooked! On my return to Perth, I signed up for a Celebrant course, and was registered in June 2009. However, other events and commitments kept me busy, and it wasn’t really until October 2010 that I began to market my business professionally. I developed a website and joined ACCN. Now I am hopefully on track….
I have a memory that I will always treasure. Earlier this year, I conducted a marriage ceremony for a couple who had both already been wed a number of times before. Any scepticism I might have initially felt, however, was completely blown away when I met this couple. Their lives had been touched by more tragedies than most – but they approached the future with so much joy and enthusiasm. The energy, and the love between them, was almost tangible as the ceremony unfolded. There was not a dry eye among any of us!
My next ceremony is for a young couple, on a beach, in Bali. This is my passion - simple Bali Weddings. There are several companies specialising in Grand and Beautiful Weddings, using fabulous hotels in Bali. They are stunning. But my area of interest is in creating Individual Ceremonies: in Balinese villages, or on beaches or mountains. I would like to involve local people and local customs – this way the money goes directly into the local economy, and the bride and groom are blessed by the Balinese spirits!
If considering a Bali Marriage, be prepared to spend at least half a day signing papers and filling in forms. If getting married legally in Indonesia, there must be a religious minister (of one of the five main religions) and a government official involved. If a religious minister is conducting the whole ceremony, be aware that the spoken English might not be that clear!
One way of avoiding some of these possible concerns, is to have the legal marriage actually take place quietly here in Australia and then have the Wedding Ceremony or Celebration of Marriage conducted by a Celebrant only, in Bali. For all intents and purposes, you can have all the vows, readings etc as if it was the real marriage – without worrying about all the red tape and officialdom. You should not allow the guests to believe that it is the legal marriage though – they must be allowed to understand that this is the Celebration of the Marriage only.
Liz Hayes
Authorised Marriage Celebrant
Perth WA
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