Testimonial Sylvia & Christopher Wedding at The Courthouse Restaurant Cleveland Point Redlands
Wow, I can't believe it has been two weeks since our wedding and I am writing this letter, so you may know Chris and I think you are the Best Wedding Celebrant in the World! – I think the wedding ceremony, is one of the most important parts of a wedding, where the love, for a bride and groom is declared between themselves, family and friends. I wanted a ceremony, something that was personalised and a ceremony that would captivate our family and friends, not have “just another boring ceremony”. I found the best wedding celebrant in the world – Marilyn – on the internet, and after viewing her website, made phone contact, found her to be helpful, informative and friendly! The next step was meeting up in person and the best I can describe, meeting Marilyn is like meeting a friend, she has genuine warmth and instantly makes you feel at ease – after a cup of coffee, laughter – we got down to the business side of things, where she explains clearly, the different types of ceremonies, giving you as much input as you wish to make, or if you are a busy person – how little. Our ceremony was personally tailored for us, on what we wanted ( Marilyn is a listener and gives great advice and has available amazing resources) – the planning of the ceremony consisted of sending emails to and fro with drafts, (since I wanted a LOT of input, there were lots of emails – no added expense) until we had it just perfect! Marilyn makes you feel special, as if your wedding is the only wedding she is planning – in fact her attention to detail, would be, as if it was her own wedding. The day itself was beautiful and Marilyn looked beautiful (she consults in colours and what we would like her to wear – she has an extensive wardrobe) as you can imagine, a celebrant is featured in wedding photos! Our true love story and weaving of other magical ceremonies within, had our guests in tears and truly mesmerized from beginning to end. Marilyn herself delivered the ceremony with meaning – each word she spoke was hung on to by the guests…as she put in 110% effort into creating a feeling of love and wonderment. If there is a bride to be reading this now, stop thinking, pick up the telephone, it is the best decision you will ever make! And your wedding will be – as you wish it to be…….and hassle free. So, I end this testimonial, with a heartfelt thank you to Marilyn, from Chris and myself, for we see you now, not just as a “celebrant” but a friend who made our day very special, from beginning to the end. Love Chris & Sylvia xoxo

Testimonial Ami & Tony's Handfasting Wedding at Songbirds Rainforest Retreat Mt Tamborine
Firstly Marilyn, Thank you Thank you Thank you, you truly are an extremely special lady - one in which we are so grateful to have had as our celebrant uniting us as Husband & Wife. Marilyn you are a beautiful, genuine compassionate soul - a "real" person & those that are united by you are truly blessed. Since our wedding we have received so many comments on how unique & beautiful our ceremony was - many of our guests said they were captivated from beginning to end & overwhelmed at how emotionally engaging the words within the ceremony were. Your integrity & gracefulness demonstrated from the preparation to the delivery of our ceremony was amazing & for this we are truly grateful. You truly were such an integral part of our union & we feel blessed to have had you - a true angel to marry us on that beautiful spring day in the rainforest. The Seven Chakra Handfasting you prepared for us was magical - again you captured in words the essence of our love for each other & for this we thank you. Tony & I would recommend you to any couple that is looking for a celebrant that will nurture & bring to life the essence of their love for one another - so on that special day when you say "I Do" to your lover, to your best friend, you have a ceremony filled with the all the words that your hearts wanted to say, delivered in a graceful manner by a soul who believes in your union as much as you do!!!!
When we were looking for a celebrant I scoured the magazines & websites looking for that "friendly face" that we would call & say "Please marry us" - to my surprise it didn’t take long to find you & know that you were the one - you were the first celebrant I called & when you picked up the phone - let's just say Marilyn - you had us at "Hello"!!! At our first meeting with you made us feel at ease you were kind and endearing & really listened to us & our story - you took the time to get to know us.
Your support & enthusiasm that was shown when we wanted to be "different" - & avoid many of the classic wedding ceremony traditions, made us feel comfortable & excited to explore other ceremony ideas - which led to us, with your help creating the perfect ceremony that reflected who we are - it captured our values as individuals & as a couple, allowing us to share the love & respect we have for each other with our friends & family in our own style. Thanks so much Marilyn, Love & Light Always Tony & Ami xoxo

Sara and Dan included a Spiritual Handfasting in their Wedding Ceremony with Marilyn Verschuure at the Mooloola River Park in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast in glorious Queensland.

Angela Holds David's Hands in Her Hands for the Blessing of the Hands on Palm Beach on the Gold Coast in glorious Queensland.

Elisa & Paul had a Blessing of the Hands at their Wedding with Marry Me Marilyn Verschuure at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat Luke's Bluff in the Glorious Gold Coast Hinterland.

Olivia & Cameron's had a Handfasting at their Wedding at Williamina Park East Brisbane. Their two daughters passed the cords to them as they made their handfasting vows.

Testimonial Damian & Clare's Handfasting Wedding With Marry Me Marilyn at Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat in Crystal Creek in NSW
To Marilyn, Damian and I would like to thank you for being our celebrant. You were so supportive and flexible before and on the day. It truly was exactly how we wanted our day to be. Preparing everything over email and Skype from England made us feel like we were working with an old friend. Words can't really express how much you made our day. We can only say thank you, you made our day perfect!
Lots of Love Damian and Clare xoxo

Damian's Brother drapes the Green Cord over Damian & Clare's Hands in the Handfasting with Marry Me Marilyn at Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat in NSW

Damian's Grandmother drapes the Blue Cord over Damian & Clare's Hands in the Handfasting with Marry Me Marilyn at Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat in NSW

A Full Moon is an auspicious time for a Handfasting

Michael Holds Lucy's Hands in the Infinity Hand Hold for their Wedding at their home on the Canal's of Southport on the Gold Coast

Nicky & Tyler's Wedding at Laguna Park Palm Beach on the Southern Gold Coast. They are holding Hands in the Infinity Hand Hold for the Red Cord.

Michael & Lucy's Wedding Marilyn holds up the Blue Cord which represents the East & the Element Air.

Often the ritual of 'Handfasting' is performed, whereby the couple's hands are bound by a natural woven thread, fibre or cloth and the binding is slipped off with the knot still intact, signifying the fact they will always be 'bound together in marriage'. (Many couples who have a civil ceremony today, just incorporate Handfasting into their ceremony without any of the other traditions.)

Julie and Aurelio celebrate their 20 year Wedding Anniversary with a Handfasting Renewal of Vows with Marilyn Verschuure at the romantic hinterland Ruffles Lodge on the Gold Coast.

Here is a beautiful Handfasting verse:
Now you are bound one to the other
With a tie not easy to break.
Take the time of binding
Before the final vows are made
To learn what you need to know -
To grow in wisdom and love.
That your marriage/union will be strong
That your love will last
In this life and beyond.

SOLSTICE & EQUINOXES IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
Auspicious Wedding & Commitment Dates

Know that it is here that you begin your journey of life shared, bound together by the vows of this handfasting rite.
Many are the years that you will share, and countless the moons to watch.

Most couples choose to include in their ceremony a very special moment to share with their guests, making their ceremony truly unique and memorable.

Mary & Brendan had an original handfasting ceremony at their home on Macleay Island in the Brisbane Bay Islands in the Redlands Region. "Thank you again for everything that you have done for us. I think about our wedding everyday, how complete it was in every sense. It couldn't have been the same without you." Much love and light from Mary & Brendan Veitch.

Mary and Brendan believe in mind, body, spirit consciousness. Their handfasting's focal point was to join Mary and Brendan, tying their hands together in an act that blended their physical, spiritual and emotional energies, creating a stronger energy force and exchange between them.
Testimonial Mary & Brendan's Wedding at their home on Macleay Island Redlands off BrisbaneMarilyn helped us to create an amazing, warm and relaxed wedding ceremony. Right from the start she understood our desire to have a spiritual and conscious ceremony and she contributed hours of research and planning to provide us with everything we wanted and more. Right from our initial meeting Marilyn presented herself as professional and confident and provided us with a world of ideas. All of our anxieties over the planning and preparation were put at ease by her presence. She facilitated all of our needs and wants (no matter how left field and abstract!) and created a unique, special and beautiful ceremony incorporating our beliefs and principles of universal energy and love. All who were there will be talking about the day for years to come. We both felt so comfortable in Marilyn's presence and as a result feel as though Marilyn has become more of a friend and not just a celebrant. She is a wonderfully friendly and sincere person that genuinely enjoys her work and interactions with people. We are so fortunate to have found her and would recommend her to anyone initiating a rite of passage or celebration. We look forward to seeing her again and having her included in future ceremonies within our family.  Thanks Marilyn! Much love and light Mary & Brendan x
ps - we might need you for a naming day ceremony soon! That will be fun!

The red, black and silver handfasting cord was hand woven by the Women Shaman of the Island of the Moon in Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. The Blue cord was very significant as it belonged to Fatima’s Spiritual Mentor.

Handfasting Ceremony in Their Wedding Represents Gordon and Fatima's Eternal Bond in their Spiritual and Sacred Conscious Marriage.

Sean Holds Gemma's Hands in His Hands for the Blessing of the Hands for their Wedding at the elegant Santai Resort Casuarina Beach in Northern NSW.

Testimonial Belinda & Tim's Handfasting Wedding at Parkwood International Golf Club Gold Coast
Thank you Marilyn for an Unforgettable Wedding Ceremony!  Our Wedding Day was Amazing and the Ceremony was Warm, Funny and Relaxed. It was exactly what we wanted it to be and went off without a hitch! We decided to go with a Celtic influenced Handfasting Ceremony as well as a Ring Warming Ceremony which was lovely!  It was very 'us' and the guests kept reiterating this to us long after the wedding! Marilyn was the first celebrant Tim and I had met and decided after the first meeting she would be perfect for our wedding day. Marilyn seemed to understand our values well, as we wanted a more 'spiritual' based ceremony rather than a religious one. Marilyn was always very organized, friendly and professional, as well as being a perfectionist. She ensures no stone is left unturned during the planning process and even brought to our attention details we had not recognised as being important, but that we couldn’t have done without on the day. Marilyn was always in frequent contact with us and ensured the lines of communication were kept open from start to finish. Thank you Marilyn! Belinda & Tim - 19th November 2011 Thank You to Naomi V Photography for the beautiful photos of Belinda & Tim on my website.

Dan Holds Sara's Hands in the Infinity Hand Hold for their Wedding at Mooloolaba and had their reception at UnderWater World.

Testimonial Kate & Richard Surfers Paradise
Marilyn, thank you so much for a unique ceremony. When we met with you, you welcomed us with a hug and delicious coffee and biscuits. We knew then that we had made a good choice, especially as you were marrying our friends that following weekend. Your input and ideas were exceptional and we were so glad we settled on the hand fasting ritual. Everyone said it was such a lovely idea and they all really enjoyed the ceremony. We will definitely recommend you to any of our friends who tie the knot in the future. Thanks again for making our day so special. Kate and Richard.

Testimonial Janet & George's New Year's Eve Handfasting Bilambil Heights over the Tweed Valley
Many Thanks Marilyn for making our special day, joyful, fun and relaxing. You were so flexible to our needs and wants, and put a lot of energy to making our day beautiful. Your professional and committed attitude, made it a real pleasure to have you as our marriage celebrant.
Love to You Both, ,Janet & George xoxo

Janet & George's Wedding. George built a stone circle for the Handfasting and their children stood at each of the stones marking the cardinal directions and each of the four elements was represented on the stones.

Red Cord is dedicated in the Handfasting Wedding Ceremony of Jenny and Charles - Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South and the elements of Fire, for energy, passion, creativity and warmth of a loving home. From the Fire within you generates light, which you will share with one another in even the darkest of times.

Peter and Stephanie, jumped the besom (broom) as a symbol of their passage across the threshold into married life.

Handfasting is conducted in a circle it has no beginning and no end, it is eternal.The circle is a universal emblem of wholeness and completion. It symbolises continuity, eternity,completion and speechlessness. As it represents what is complete and unbroken, it also stands for everlasting love. The circle is often aligned with the cardinal points of the compass -north, south, east and west.

Nicolene & Tyler had a five cord handfasting at their Wedding with Marry Me Marilyn in the Gazebo at Laguna Park Palm Beach on the glorious Gold Coast.

Know that it is here that you begin your journey of life shared, bound together by the vows of this handfasting rite. Many are the years that you will share, and countless the moons to watch.

The handfasting of Gordon and Fatima was held on the Winter Solstice and auspicious time to celebrate a wedding as it heralds the Spring with new life and new beginnings.

Kate & Ben had a Handfasting Ceremony for their Wedding at WhiteWater World by the wave pool in Dreamworld. They included their parents and family members to pass the handfasting cords.

Guatemalan Handfasting Cords

Call Marilyn Your Fun, Friendly, Fabulous Gold Coast, Brisbane & Byron Bay Civil Marriage Celebrant Marry Me Marilyn now on 0413344134 & say
Marry Me Marilyn