Selina and Amanda’s surprise commitment ceremony
By now I’m sure you all know that I love love and I love weddings, whatever form they come in. So when Selina contacted me earlier this year and asked me if I’d be willing to perform a same-sex commitment ceremony for her and partner Amanda, I jumped at the chance!
Selina and Amanda
Selina and Amanda have been together for six years, and have two beautiful children. They’re just like any other family, but there’s just one problem. Under Australia’s current (archaic) laws, their relationship cannot legally be formalised in marriage. But stuff it, they decided they wanted to celebrate their commitment just like any other couple. So on Saturday 21 November 2015, we did just that.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our day truly magical!! We are so happy and blessed that we were able to have you as our celebrant!!! You are wonderful!!” Selina Caruana
Documenting the ceremony
Backtrack to September, when I received an email from a Melbourne photojournalist working for the ABC. She was keen to know if I had an interesting same-sex commitment ceremony coming up, and asked if I would be willing to put her in touch with the couple. I immediately thought Selina and Amanda would be perfect for such a story. They’re so keen for the world to know that their kids are just as happy and healthy as kids growing up with different-gendered parents. So I put them in touch, and Margie delighted me by introducing herself before the ceremony. ABC News published this article on the homepage today, and it’s a beautiful summation of the gorgeous day and this amazing relationship.
A beautiful ceremony
I was beyond thrilled to be able to write and perform an incredible ceremony for these two incredible women. I can’t wait to make their commitment legal when (not if) marriage equality legislation is finally passed.
Photo and article credit: Margie Burin, ABC News
Venue: Baxter Barn
Update
After marriage equality was legalised in December 2017, I performed a legal marriage ceremony for Amanda and Selina on 20 January 2018 – it’s fair to say we were all pretty chuffed!
