New Zealand is proudly the first Asia-Pacific country to legalise same-sex marriage. And Australia still hasn’t done anything about it sadly.
Paul McCarthy and Trent Kandler from Newcastle NSW became the first Australian same-sex couple to marry in New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa. Winning a Tourism New Zealand holiday competition against 300 other couples to be amongst the first to wed, Trent said, “I am in awe that we have this opportunity to finally make our dream a reality. I am so proud to stand together as a couple today. Ready to become united in marriage and to spend the rest of our days together. With love, friendship and our steadfast belief in each other.” Just beautiful. I love the lego men cake toppers!!!
Here’s how the rest of the world is progressing with recognising same-sex marriages:
Legal same-sex marriages:
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay. There are nine US States and Washington DC that allow same-sex marriage.
Countries with some same-sex legal status:
Andorra, Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Highest same-sex marriage rates:
Spain over 27,000
Canada over 21,000
Netherlands over 15,000
I really liked the sentiment behind this and thought about including it in my wedding. I would love to be able to include this is a wedding I officiate one day. I think Kate and Wills even incorporated this into their day:
This is what I found online…
In late medieval and early modern Scotland and northern England, “handfasting” was the normal term used for “betrothal” – that is, for the ceremony of exchanging consent of future marriage and agreeing to marriage contracts. The actual practice was neither Pagan nor Christian but was a common practice in general.
Well after formal betrothals/handfastings had ceased to be practiced in Scotland, a legend or myth arose that “handfasting” referred to a trial marriage of a year and a day, after which the partners could either marry permanently or part ways freely, providing there were no children involved. This myth was further purported to have been an ancient Celtic/Pagan practice as opposed to one generally observed by everyone.
Over the centuries, the story took more twists and turns and new elements were introduced, many from other cultures, such as the tying of the couple’s wrists with a ribbon or cord, sharing of bread and wine, and jumping the broom. Even the meaning of the word Handfasting changed. The original definition meant a pledge by the giving of the hand, otherwise known as a handshake. By the late 20th century, the term had been adopted and used by various Earth-based religions (believing it to be an old Celtic/Pagan practice) to refer to their own modern religious wedding practices, ranging from temporary unions to legal marriages and in almost all cases, involved the tying of the couples wrists with ribbon or cords.
In recent years, however, we are seeing more contemporary Christian, Interfaith or Spiritual couples using the term and some of the specific elements (such as the tying of the wrists) in their wedding ceremonies as well.
A friend of mine is about to be proposed to and it got me thinking about cool ideas… here’s the first one I want to share with you. What a guy!!!! This video has some awesome ideas you could steal to propose to your loved one!!
The VenueYour venue needs to be more than just a pretty space. First and foremost, it needs to be a place where your guests will be comfortable. Is the room big enough to accommodate everyone? If you’re getting married outdoors, does it have an indoor option in case of bad weather? Does it fit in with the décor you wanted, and will the lighting work for you? Make a list of must-haves and bring it with you when you visit each option. Make sure the venue managers are prepared to be flexible on any little details important to you.
Who ever knew the Wiggles had a girl member??? I’m so out of touch, haha.
Not only did I find that out, but I also found out that last month Emma Watkins and Lachy Gillespie, aka Yellow Wiggle and Purple Wiggle, have celebrated their big red love at a ‘bowtiful’ wedding in the NSW Southern Highlands.
The couple, who allegedly hid their love from fans for two years, exchanged vows in front of 200 people, including past and present Wiggles members, in Bowral, News Corp Australia reported.
“Lachy, love, laughter. The best day of my life,” Watkins told the Sunday Telegraph, while Gillespie said he was overwhelmed by the sight of his bride.
“Seeing Emma was the most magical moment of my life. Everything else just seemed to melt away.”
Watkins, 26, had traded her yellow bow for a crown by Australian milliner Viktoria Novak and her skivvies for a stunning lace embroidered gown by Melbourne designer Suzanne Harward. And she looked stunning!
Her 30-year-old groom and his groomsmen, which included Red Wiggle Simon Pryce, wore suits by Melbourne designer Arthur Galan, while Gillespie honoured his Scottish heritage with the addition of a tartan sash.
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field was also involved in the ceremony, playing bagpipes during the reception.
Sometimes the hardest part of writing a maid of honor speech for a wedding is figuring out just how to start your speech. You know what not to say in a wedding toast (like mentioning exes, embarrassing stories, or drunken debacles), but knowing what to say about a great friend and her new spouse can leave even the best of public speakers a bit overwhelmed. There is so much to say in just two to three minutes! Thankfully, there are a few tried and true ways to start a speech that will help get your creative juices flowing in no time.
The list below lays out a few ideas for your maid of honor speech. Simply pick one idea to start your speech, or follow numbers one to eight to write your entire speech. Either way, once you start brainstorming a few different intros, you’re likely to stumble on a gem of an idea and find your maid-of-honor-speech-writing stride before you know it.
So take a deep breath, grab a glass of wine (preferably poured into one of those big goblet glasses), and let your maid of honor awesomeness flow!
♥ Tell guests who you are
It’s always a good idea to start your speech by letting the crowd know who you are, and how you know the bride. Otherwise, they may be asking the people around them, “Who is she?” right as you’re getting to the best part of your speech.
♥ Give thanks
Since everyone knows weddings are expensive and require a lot of time and energy to plan, it’s a good idea to recognize the parents who helped contribute to make the celebration possible. Particularly if the parents are hosting the wedding reception, or have hosted any of the wedding festivities, now is an appropriate time to thank them, and it gives everyone else the opportunity to clap and show their appreciation as well.
♥ Tell a story about the bride
You can start off by telling a story about the bride, or by telling the story of how you and the bride first met. Just remember to leave exes, drunken shenanigans, and unflattering stories of the bride out. This is definitely a situation where the “whole truth and nothing but the truth” is not applicable.
♥ Tell a story about the first time you met the groom
Beginning your speech with a funny story about how you met the groom for the first time can be a good way to get people laughing. Were you at a concert with your friend when this random guy (a.k.a. the groom) tripped and spilled a drink on her? Did she try on 15 different outfits before he came to your shared post-college apartment to pick her up for their first date? Any fun stories about your first impressions can make for a good laugh, and provide a window into the couple’s first days together for the rest of the guests.
♥ Share a story about the couple
♥ Use a prop
Using a prop for a wedding speech is something that can go fantastically well if it ties into the main idea of the speech. Some good props can be old photos, slideshows, or an unexpected item like a childhood toy. This is not something that you want to force into your speech by any means, but if you happen to think of a prop that would work well, it can make a good wedding speech all that more amazing and memorable.
Our MC was hilarious – he incorporated a mobile phone into his speech which he gave all tied in with my new duties as a wife and being ‘on call’! You get the idea!
♥ Share a love quote
A good way to start (or end) a speech is with a powerful quote about love that will resonate with the couple and the guests. Something meaningful that gives guests something to think about is always a safe bet.
♥ Ask the audience a question
A good way to pick up everyone’s energy is to bring an interactive component to your speech, like asking the audience a question. If done at the start of your speech, you may use a question like “Raise your hand if…” and “How many people here…” and then insert something funny about the couple. If you’re going this route, it’s a good idea to have a few shills in the audience who can get the audience going and encourage others to respond to the question. A question at the end of the speech can be something simple that will leave guests cheering like “Who is ready to celebrate this couple with an awesome party?” (and who doesn’t like a good cheer after a speech!?).
Just remember to keep it short, keep it sweet, and keep it about the couple. As long as you speak from your heart, the couple will love it no matter what — and that’s all that really counts.
And if you’re really brave you could do your speech as an outrageously funny rap…
My Darling this one’s for you xxx
