The value of an holistic approach

As a holistic  & boutique celebrant, I specialise in bespoke ceremonies, custom created for every individual and couple, and unique to your needs, values, personality and style. Every ceremony I create is individually written, crafted and designed with the value placed on getting to know my clients and conducting personal interviews and questionnaires in order to authentically and genuinely represent YOU.

Sarah and Luke were married at the beautiful Mindaribba House in the Hunter Valley in March 2015. It was a weekend affair of family, love and laughter.

“Life is full of wonder, beauty, joy and love. It is our relationships and our community of family and friends that brings life alive by the sharing of our experiences – our love, our children, our family, our achievements, our growth & change, and our sorrows. I believe ceremony, celebration and ritual can bring richness, intimacy and meaning to the changes, events, loves and losses that we experience in our life journey.

Whether it is a small or big event, the ceremony carries the same sacred and special significance. My promise is to make it a WOW and special ceremony experience for you and everyone there. It will be a ceremony that speaks about you, your love, your relationship, family, your memories and loved ones, in an authentic and real way.

I take time and care, to understand who you are, and give to your ceremony my creativity, passion and energy, so that it is a unique and genuine expression of your life and love – joyful, life-affirming, natural, fun, meaningful and very beautiful.  It would be an honour to share and create your life and love celebrations with you.”

Sarah Tolmie, Civil Marriage Celebrant

Registry-style, Boutique & Holistic Wedding Ceremony Packages

Premium Package

Bespoke & Holistic Ceremony Craft + Marriage Care

(From $1200 for weekdays & $1400 weekends & public holidays. Regional & Interstate Packages begin from $1600)

  • Includes all legals & registering marriage.
  • Unlimited Guests & Any Location (including regional/interstate destinations)
  • Unlimited ceremony planning sessions & full resources kit
  • Includes on-site Rehearsal
  • Includes application and purchase of the official/standard Marriage Certificate from BDM (valued at $75)
  • Includes couple access to Sarah’s “Creating a Miracle Marriage” online course for relationship enrichment & marriage preparation valued at $349
  • Travel up to 100kms round trip.
  • Provision of PA and Signing Table.
  • 25% loading on ceremony delivery fee for after-hours (outside of 10am-4pm)
  • Additional travel charged at $1/km beyond 100km round trip or $50/hr after first free hour.

Gold Package

Boutique & Professional Celebrancy Service

(From $1000 for weekdays & $1200 weekends & public holidays, Regional and Interstate Packages from $1500)

  • Includes all legals & registering marriage.
  • Unlimited Guests & Any Location
  • Custom written ceremony
  • ceremony planning sessions & full resources kit
  • Rehearsal available upon request @$110/hr + travel (based on 1hr minimum)
  • Travel up to 100kms round trip before additional travel charged.
  • Provision of PA and Signing Table.
  • 25% loading on ceremony delivery fee for after-hours (outside of 10am-4pm)
  • Additional travel charged at $1/km beyond 100km round trip or $50/hr after first hour free.

Little, Local, Legal & with LOVE

Boutique Registry-Style

(Monday – Thursday ONLY during hours from 10am-4pm from @ $880)

  • Includes all legals & registering marriage.
  • Maximum 12 guests on location or at my office in Gosford with maximum 4 guests including your 2 x witnesses.
  • Local Locations only on Central Coast (30kms radius from Gosford)
  • Email NOIM submission process and ceremony plan brief.
  • Pre-written ceremony + customised section/vows.
  • Provision of PA and Signing Table.
  • NO Planning meetings & NO Rehearsal.
  • 25% loading on ceremony delivery fee for after-hours (outside of 10am – 4pm) or if on Fri-Sunday or Public Holiday
  • Additional travel charged at $1/km beyond 60km round trip or $50/hr after first 30mins free.
  • Additional celebrant time at location beyond 45mins billed at $110/hr

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS for Marriage in Australia

Legal Requirements

Australian law has a number of requirements for couples entering into marriage. Marriage is legal to all couples in Australia – of any sexuality and gender.

Sarah is an LGBTIQ inclusive celebrant.

  • The Notice of Intended Marriage must be lodged at least one month prior to the date of the wedding. You can lodge this with me up to 18 months in advance of the wedding. To download this document – Click Here
  • You must be at least 18 years of age to marry in Australia.
  • If you are Australian born you must show your original birth certificate. If born outside Australia, you are required to show your birth certificate or passport from your country of birth.
  • If you have been previously married, you must show your Divorce Decree Absolute or a Death Certificate of a previous spouse.
  • You are required to have two witnesses to the ceremony. Witnesses must be aged at least 18 years of age.
  • Your birth certificate, passport from your country of birth, divorce papers or death certificate if relevant, must be sighted prior to the marriage taking place.
  • If you are bringing your partner into Australia on a prospective spouse visa I can provide you with the necessary letter for the Immigration Department for a small adminstrative fee.

All the other Life & Love Celebrations & Rites of Passage

Funerals & Memorials

As a bespoke and holistic celebrant for 17+ years, Sarah brings a deep experience and care approach to working with families to not only create an authentic ceremony of honouring, remembrance and celebration, but she does so in a way that can bring profound healing, family connection, deep intimacy and even joyful transformation.

Death is a profound rite of passage that escapes no-one. Facing the end of life process – whether through illness or old age, disease or accident – can be made meaningful and bearable by creating the appropriate rituals and celebrations. End of life ceremonies to mark this final passage, and the people and relationships involved, are incredibly important.

The funeral is the most sacred and profound ceremony to conduct. It is the final authoring of ones life. To honour a life, Sarah takes an holistic approach. She attends and cares for her families on many levels and the way she approaches creating the ceremony is creatively and collaboratively with the families. Sarah also works with her families at the end-of-life stage preparing them and their loved one for death and funeral plans. As a funeral celebrant Sarah creates a very intimate portrait of the person and delivers a custom created and very personal ceremony.

Sarah is also an end-of-life consultant and community funeral director, working with funeral partner Picaluna. In addition to being a funeral celebrant, Sarah can also deliver a full holistic end-of-life caretaking – from caretaking family leading up to an anticipated death, to organising the funeral care as your funeral director, as well as celebrant for your ceremony. Sarah is also a trained clinical pastoral care practitioner (previously working at Gosford Hospital) and trained in Grief & Bereavement therapies.  To learn more about her holistic funeral and end-of-life practice – click here.

Celebrant Fee: from $880 W/d and $990 W/e

Baby Naming & Secular Christening

Ceremony and ritual is all about honouring and acknowledging relationships, especially at times of transition and transformation – not just beginnings and endings – but at moments of development and change. A Namegiving Ceremony is a way to celebrate a child’s life in a meaningful and special way – it honours the journey the whole family undergoes and the range of emotions and the spiritual intensity that children bring into our lives.

With a Naming ceremony we create a personal and unique ceremony that celebrates your family, your community and your child.  In the ceremony I acknowledge the journey and transformation that has taken place for you both as a couple and your family. I talk about what family and parenthood means for you. I also acknowledge the special people around you – godparents, grandparents etc- your community – and of course, celebrate your child, its personality and uniqueness, their name and then formally name your child with family and friends as witness.

In the ceremony you can create layers of richness and I can give you ideas and guidance about the various rituals/readings/music that you may like to include in the ceremony depending on what suits you and make sense and feel right for you. Some creative ways to celebrate your child can include using bubbles, creating an artwork, origami, planting a tree, and anointing with oil.

Celebrant Fee: from $550

Motherhood Blessingway & Sister Circles

Pregnancy, birth and motherhood is a transformative and expansive journey on many levels – physically, personally, spiritually, emotionally. A motherhood blessingway is babyshower with a difference. It is a motherhood ceremony where women gather together to shower the expectant mother with their love and respect and prepare her for her brave journey into motherhood.

From ancient communities, a blessingway – meaning “blessing the way” – is a powerful and spiritual celebration of a woman’s passage to motherhood where she has all her important women friends and relatives around her to celebrate and honour the woman she is in a sacred way. It is for the sharing of wisdoms and the giving of love and support.

The blessingway ceremony is an interactive experience which invites each woman to participate through storytelling, poetry, song, ritual, creativity, pampering, feasting and celebrating being women together.

It is a different, lovely, special and moving experience. And of course fun too. My intention is that not only will it nourish and strengthen the expectant mother for the transformative journey she is experiencing, but also give each of participant a way to celebrate who they are as women and share that with each other.

Celebrant Fee: from $660

Betrothals, Commitments & Re-affirmation of Vows

A betrothal celebrates your engagement and dedication to each other before marriage.

Committment and Re-affirmation of Vows ceremonies can be at significant times in an enduring relationship that celebrate renewal, regeneration and significance.

A ceremony provides a profound rite of passage and a sacred ritual of love, friendship, and family.

Having a ceremony is an opportunity to express your love, your relationship and make a powerful affirmation about your future – an intimate, emotional and historical portrait of your life and love.

In my process I give you lots of ideas, resources and guidance and help to craft a ceremony that fits with you, not a fixed, set format. The process is an enjoyable, fun, and thoughtful experience and will prepare you well to fully appreciate the ceremony, the day, your community & family and your LOVE.

Celebrant Fee: from $880 W/d and $990 W/e

Receptions & Special Event MC, Presenter & Facilitator

Prior to her unique practice bringing magic, miracles and meaning to all things Life & Love, Sarah’s first career was in corporate communications, PR, media,
events and adult education.

Sarah now combines her complete experience and unique expertise to create a range of educational, engaging and enjoyable experiences and events that
aim to continue to enrich, enhance and evolve people through Life & Love.

Sarah is an experienced corporate writer & communications professional. She has worked in education and is a seasoned presenter and facilitator. In additional to being able to provide MC duties at weddings and functions and community events, Sarah can deliver a variety of educational experiences.

Presentations, Workshops & Training Offerings
• The 5 Languages of Love
• Mindfully Wed
• Manifesting Love & Your Next Right Relationship
• Dying to Know Day
• Death Soiree
• How to plan for an Authentic Funeral
• Living, Loving and Laughing through Loss
• Laughter Yoga
• Self-Care & Compassion for Clinical Practitioners

Ceremony Consulting & Writing Fee: from $110/hr

Corporate Day Rate: $1200

Presentation & Workshop – POA

Holistic Relationship Resources & Marriage Preparation

Creating a Miracle Marriage – Marriage Preparation Private Couple Workshop

A privately delivered, and bespoke preparation for couples preparing for marriage combining Sarah’s Miracle Marriage foundations + Gottman Couple Institute principles.  A fun foundation for a skilled-up start to marriage… and life long loving.

  • Start your marriage with the best foundation for success, empowerment and enjoyment.
  • Acquire a proven and sustainable framework for understanding the natural cycles and cycles and flow of life and love within the unity of relationship
  • Learn skills, communication principles and strategies to approach conflict, change, growth, needs, intimacy and desires in a healthy and loving way.
  • 2.5hr Private Workshop @$300
  • $500 for Workshop + Creating a Miracle Marriage Online Course ($47 saving)

Creating a Miracle Marriage Online Course for Couples

Creating a Miracle Marriage online course enables couples to bypass the time, expense and logistical challenges of attending relationship coaching or marriage therapy. The course offers a unique and comprehensive relationship coaching that goes both deep and practical with all video tutorials delivered personally by Sarah.

These teachings are based on Sarah’s lived, loved and proven Miracle Marriage method, outlined in her eBook, Miracle Marriage Manifesto, and underpinned by her training in Gottman Institute Couples Therapy.

The course delivers Mindset Mentoring  AND the relationship tools, practices and strategies to help you implement true change and feel the results. All videos are delivered by Sarah, they are easy, fun and also include exercise worksheets couples can do together.

Part 1. Miracle Marriage Mindset Modules offers 5 x mindset training modules on the fundamentals of relationship creation and design.

Part 2. Miracle Marriage Tutorials Series, 10 x super practical videos on the skills, practices and relationships exercises that will TRANSFORM your relationship into a Miracle Marriage.  These tutorials teach you the real tangible skills essential for maintaining, nourishing, protecting and evolving your relationship into deep intimacy, great communication, mutual respect, friendship and joy. Valued @ $247.

Click here to find out more.

The Fine Print

All Fees & Costs Are Inclusive Of GST

For all ceremonies, any travel above 100kms per trip is charged at $1per/km or $50hr after first hour, on day of ceremony. For longer road trips, travel is charged at $50/hour after the first hour. (For rehearsal I try to organise my diary and appointments so I don’t have to charge travel.

However for Hunter, Southern Sydney & beyond (regional) I can offer a 50% discount on travel for any rehearsal/site visits or for additional travel not initially specified…the rehearsal and reccy is important…don’t scrimp on doing without!) For independent advice on fees and the standards of service expected of a professional celebrant, please take a look at the advice given by the leading training organisation and referral centre for celebrants Australia-wide – The International College of Celebrancy.

Additionally, I have 100% happy customers (and testimonials) who would be happy to speak with you should you feel that necessary to make your decision.

Cancellations & Postponements and T&Cs

Booking Fee/Deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable to another date

If ceremony is cancelled within a month & one day from ceremony date, full costs of final balance will still be required (excluding travel & accomm). For these couples, if the celebrant is engaged for a rescheduled ceremony, a ceremony delivery fee will be charged. $440 weekday & $550 weekend + any additional travel and costs.  If for some sad reason celebrant cannot commit to the rescheduled ceremony date, the ceremony written is IP that remains with the celebrant and is NOT to be given to the next celebrant to deliver.

If ceremony is cancelled before the month & on day cut-off period from ceremony, however it is written and meetings/plannings sessions have been undertaken since booking, celebrant can bill for time and value of work to date completed. For these couples, if the celebrant is engaged for a rescheduled ceremony, a new agreement and financial arrangement begins, including a new booking fee.