“The way you get married is how you’re going to be married.” Those wise words came from Josh Withers, wedding celebrant extraordinaire and our guest on Episode #25 of The Feel Good Wedding Podcast. The ceremony kicks off married life, and according to Josh, you want it to be as intentional as possible.

Apart from being a wedding celebrant, Josh is also the author of The Rebel’s Guide to Getting Married. He and his wife Britt are the founders of the Elopement Collective, a team of vendors that create epic elopements in Australia and around the world.

In this chat we discuss:

• The history of wedding celebrancy
• The Rebel’s Guide to Getting Married
• Personalizing the wedding ceremony
• Overcoming stage fright
• Honouring your identity and story with unique elements
• How to deal with pushback from friends and family

To personalise your wedding ceremony, begin by reflecting on who you are and what you value as a couple. From there, pick out vendors who understand how to make your vision come to life.

Now, what you’d like to include in your ceremony is entirely up to you. If you feel like you have to incorporate non-traditional elements, go for it! There might be some qualms about it, but your family and friends will understand as long as you speak to them from a place of love.

Vows and readings don’t have to be flashy, they just have to be true. Some couples get stage fright standing in front of a crowd. To overcome this, choose the venue, time, and guests that you’re most comfortable in. You’ll feel a lot less nervous when you’re in right environment. Remember: the wedding ceremony isn’t about putting on a show. It’s about celebrating your union in the most authentic way possible.

Links & Vendors Mentioned:

Josh Withers
Elopement Collective
Understanding “The Wedding Tax” With Josh Withers

Find Josh Withers:

On Polka Dot Wedding: Josh Withers Wedding Celebrant
withers.co/celebrant
On Instagram: @hellojoshwithers
On Facebook: Josh Withers
On LinkedIn: Josh Withers

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding
On the website: polkadotwedding.com
For full transcript and show notes visit: polkadotwedding.com/podcast

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This podcast was produced by Polka Dot Wedding.

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present