Gold Coast Marriage Celebrant Jake Newell

I’m Jake Newell. I’m thirty-eight years young with a passionate love for my family, and life in general. I’m also a Gold Coast Wedding Celebrant being part of weddings and solemnising marriages from Byron Bay to Brisbane. I live on the GC with my beautiful wife (she’s a kickass celebrant too over at LoveLei Weddings, and also part of the Janda Fam), 3 kids, and a dog called Fame.

I love the ocean, the outdoors & everything the Australian life affords me. Whether that’s splashing in the pool or hitting the beach with my kids, enjoying a cold beer while watching the footy, or sneaking away for some solitude surf-time.

I also love ‘love’.

Seriously though, how good is it!?

How good is this thing that makes you talk in a dorky voice saying things you swore you’d never say. It makes you want to alter the course of your life for goodness sake. I’m pretty passionate about how much I bloody love love. That’s basically why I became a celebrant.

Through the process of planning your wedding as well as providing a marriage ceremony that beams YOU. Over the years I’ve been witness to about a thousand wedding ceremonies, and so have seen the full spectrum. That gives me a pretty unique perspective on how you love should or could be portrayed.

I also created the ‘Janda Fam‘ and work with some of the region’s most talented musical geniuses to create the perfect atmosphere for your awesome day – from ceremony through to reception end.

What I don’t want is for wedding ceremonies to keep getting the bad rap that they do. Most people think of the ceremony as the part where you sit in awkward silence, too afraid to move, too polite to cough. Just sitting there uncomfortably waiting for the bar tab & fun part to start.

If we combine our collective enthusiasms, harness our excitements and leverage my decade of wedding industry experience, we can create a ceremony where you (and your guests) are comfortable, confident & simply stoked – a ceremony you love.

Your story – and your love – is like none that have come before. And your wedding ceremony should be just as unique. Your ceremony can be traditional, or it can be casual. Your vows can be long or short.

This is your wedding day, it should beam and scream you. – Jake

For the modern marriage celebrant, and your wedding ceremony, these days there’s very few ‘compulsories’. In fact, only this:

I must say; “I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence
and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.” (Or words to that effect).

Groom must say; “I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, [Groom with last name], take thee, [Bride with last name],
to be my lawful wedded wife.” (Or words to that effect).

Bride must say; “I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, [Bride with last name], take thee, [Groom with last name],
to be my lawful wedded husband.” (Or words to that effect).

That’s it! The rest is up to you.

Your wedding ceremony is your blank canvas. Personally, I think your loved ones would like a whole lot of you to shine through. Don’t you?

We’re talking about a day that will be built around honouring your love;
a love that is the sum of so many completely unique parts. All parts of you.

My job as your celebrant (should you choose to honour me with that role) is to facilitate. To guide you through the planning process. To calm your nerves.

My aim is to make your day as special as it deserves to be – not to take centre stage or steal the spotlight.

The more you can tell me about you the better.
That way your ceremony will be more personal, and represent the ‘real you’ more honestly.