Happy Monday! Hope everyone has had a manageable weekend. Today you will meet Fiona, a wedding celebrant based in Brisbane. We recently did a shoot with Fiona, and we really enjoyed the experience. We found her approachable and professional. It was a tedious shoot (long list of shots we were aiming for), and Fiona came in at a time when everyone was hungry and a bit scrappy. She pulled the situation together effortlessly and with a good dose of humour. We have a feeling Fiona might have seen it all and can certainly handle any situation.
"Tell us about yourself"
My name is Fiona McIntyre and I’m a Brisbane wedding celebrant. I’ve been marrying people for 4 years now and love that I get to be part of people’s biggest life moment. When I’m not marrying, I work in my other business doing social media and website design, and try to juggle raising a 6-month-old and 4-year-old who both have red hair!
"Why did you choose to become a celebrant?"
It had been a dream of mine for 10 years before I finally did it. It was a thought that would constantly pop in and out of my head, so when my daughter was 5 months old, I decided in a split second it needed to be now! I enrolled in my course and performed my first ceremony 3 months later. Part of my reason was wanting to show her that you should always reach for your dreams, no matter how hard they may seem.
"Who in celebrancy inspires you?"
My fellow celebrants. We work together on the belief that we’re a community, not competition. We constantly learn from each other and that makes us better. This means I can offer my couples new ideas and approaches to ensure I deliver them the ceremony they’ve always dreamt of.
"Any misconceptions about your industry that you would like to dispel?"
People often question the price of a celebrant because they think we just turn up and deliver a 30-minute ceremony. They don’t realise the amount of work that’s gone on behind the scenes to deliver those 30 minutes. I do research, meetings, interviewing, writing, drafting, rehearsals, travel and, of course, the ceremony. On top of that, celebrants also have to attend annual professional development to ensure we stay on our game. No celebrant turns up and just wings it on the day – a lot of time and preparation has gone into making those 30 minutes spectacular.
"Do you have any tips for those of us who aren't experts?"
Your wedding ceremony should be all about you. People want to hear the story of how you met, fell in love and came to be standing there together. The past is so important to creating a future together. It can be fun, light-hearted and engaging. The wedding ceremony sets the tone for the whole day so have fun with it. No one wants to sit through a boring ceremony!
"Why should couples choose you for their big day?"
I’m passionate about working with couples to identify what makes them unique. That way, I can deliver their perfect ceremony. I take the time to get to know my couples, explain their options, and work with them to craft a personal ceremony. I also believe in making the process fun and stress-free, so guarantee lots of laughs along the way!
"How do you set yourself apart from competitors?"
I invest a lot of time with my couples depending on their individual needs. I provide a ceremony planning guide to really help couples understand their options and think about what they want to include. I don’t limit numbers of meetings or phone calls because I think the ceremony is so important, couples should feel supported through the whole process. I also bring nearly 20 years’ experience as a professional writer, event manager and presenter so my couples are guaranteed a professional ceremony.
"What is the best advice you ever received?"
Give a man a chance to say no – if you never ask the question, you’ll never know the answer.
"What surprising lessons have you learned along the way?"
Each couple is so different. There are common themes among ceremonies but being able to create a new ceremony every time is something I truly love!
"How do you balance work and family demands?"
I thrive on being busy. Running two businesses and working part-time means my life is crazy! I’m lucky to have a really supportive husband and the ability to live on very little sleep!
Instagram // https://www.instagram.com/fiona_mcintyre_celebrant/