The date is January 2014 and it’s a few days before my very first job as a celebrant! The bride and groom to be, Emily and Josh, and I are ‘rehearsing’ in their living room. Rehearsing is a generous word; what we’re really doing is giggling our way through perfecting the smoothest transition from a children’s clown show to their wedding. The costume change from kids’ party gear to elegant wedding outfits within the confines of a tiny home-made change tent has us all in stitches! Josh is wondering if he can put his pants on in time and Emily is reconsidering the high heels she bought online due to the fact that she can’t actually walk in them.. but they match the dress, so they’re staying! And together, we all wonder if we will indeed pull off this ambitious act in only a few days time…..
The next thing I know is it’s Australia Day – and Emily and Josh’s wedding day has arrived. It’s really hot – especially since I’m dressed in two layers of clothes (I’m hiding a tailored ‘celebrant’ dress under my clown suit!!!) We’re all on Herring Island in the middle of Melbourne’s Yarra River but as far as the landscape, and the heat, are concerned, we could be in the African Savanna! The band have been given their cue.. which was difficult considering I couldn’t tell them what it was for and the parents are all reluctantly watching the clown show even though they’d rather be sitting in the shade sipping a glass of wine! I have no doubt they’re all wondering why the clown insisted they watch the “balloon tying” show but they’ll see… they’ll see…In the meantime; the kids are loving it!
The adults are starting to move away and talk amongst themselves so I introduce the ‘ring disappearing’ trick which was the planned seg-way between the clown show and the marriage ceremony. I ‘lose’ the ring and then I ‘find’ the ring and announce that we should choose two people to get married, just for fun. Falling quickly off the loose script, two children volunteer and it takes all my wit and quick-thinking to divert that situation and choose the only two adults I know out of the crowd: Emily and Josh! Success!
I send the couple with a suitcase in hand into their make-shift little tent and they emerge in all the appropriate wedding outfits. We then dress up three flower girls and I ask the guests if they know of any celebrants. As predicted, no one does, so I announce that ‘I’ve got this one covered’ and take off my sweltering clown suit to reveal my tailored red dress. Voila – Klara McMurray, the celebrant, appears!
Trying to convince the guests that I was in fact a qualified, legal celebrant was greeted with laughs all round. They couldn’t quite believe that the ‘clown’ entertaining their children only three minutes prior was now marrying their friends. As the shock subsided, the tears started to flow … in a good way!
Thank you Josh and Emily; your innovation and bravery were are pleasure to be part of! And now I wait patiently for a request to top that….
Ms Chinoiserie Says: What a wonderful surprise for Emily and Josh’s guests; such an original ceremony full of fun and laughter!
About Klara McMurray: Hey there…I’m Klara McMurray and I believe wedding ceremonies should be fun, relaxed, a little bit quirky and something special for both the couple as well as their guests! I’m passionate about creating something that people talk about for years, and laugh about for even more!
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