Elena Valemarriage celebrant Enquire

Marriage celebrant · Melbourne and Victoria

I marry people.

Legally, and with feeling.

I’m Elena. I write your ceremony and get the legal side right.

Check my date See ceremonies and prices
A bride laughing as she walks arm in arm with her new husband past a wall of climbing white roses
Elena, smiling, in a brown linen jacket in a garden
Ceremonies from
$450, with the legal paperwork included
Where
Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, the Peninsula and the Dandenongs
Replies
Within two working days, usually sooner
If I’m ever ill
A celebrant I trust steps in with your script

Kind words

What couples tend to say afterwards.

“Elena was easy to work with from the very first chat. She had us fill in her questionnaire separately, then read us each other’s answers, which we still talk about. The ceremony was personal and funny, and she kept everything running on time.”

A & J, Yarra Valley

“The ceremony was twenty-eight minutes and felt just right. Elena got the tone exactly how we wanted it.”

P & S, Brunswick

“We had a small legal-only ceremony on a Tuesday with our two witnesses. It was relaxed and quick, and it still felt like ours. Elena sorted the paperwork and explained every step.”

M & D, Northcote
Meet Elena properly

Every ceremony I do, with its price.

Four kinds of ceremony. Every legal one includes the paperwork, a microphone and speaker that work outdoors, and a signing table with two chairs.

  • A bride reading her vows from a small card to the groom under climbing roses

    The full ceremony

    $1,450

    Any size · 25 to 35 min

    Your story, your people and a rehearsal the week before. The one most couples book.

  • Black and white photograph of a couple with their foreheads together, eyes closed, smiling

    Small and simple

    $850

    Up to 30 guests · 15 to 20 min

    Shorter and simpler, and still written from scratch for the two of you.

  • Two gold wedding rings in a dusty pink velvet box beside an ivory ribbon

    Just the legal bit

    $450

    Weekdays · Up to 10 · 15 min

    Two witnesses, the words the law requires and your signatures. Then lunch.

  • An older couple laughing together on a garden bench

    Vow renewal

    $950

    Any size · 15 to 25 min

    Already married and want to say it again, this time with the benefit of hindsight.

Travel within 40 km of Northcote is included; anywhere further is quoted before you book.

All prices and what’s included

Every ceremony starts as a messy first draft.

Once we’ve talked properly, I write your ceremony from scratch. Then you read it, scribble all over it and tell me which lines your family won’t get.

Most couples go through two or three drafts. It’s finished when it sounds like the two of you on a good day.

How the writing works
Priya & SamDraft 1 · page 2 of 6
Elena

Crossed out: We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two souls who were always destined to find one another.Changed to: Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming, and thank you to whoever lent Sam that tie.

Wait for the laugh. There will be a laugh.

Elena

Priya and Sam met at a pub trivia night in Brunswick, on opposing teams. Sam’s team won by one point. Priya would like it noted that the scoring was disputed at the time, and is still disputed.

Checked with both. Priya: “keep it.” Sam: “fine.”

Elena

Crossed out: Their love is a journey of two hearts becoming one.Changed to: Five years, two share houses and one very patient cat later, here we are.

Elena

Before we go any further, there are some words I’m required by law to 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…

Legal bit. I say it word for word.

Notes back by Friday, pleaseE.V.

A page from a first draft, with my notes in red.

A cream vow booklet tied with a dark red silk ribbon beside a white rose on warm stone
Draft three is usually the one.
Close portrait of Elena smiling, in a white shirt and brown linen jacket
Elena, between ceremonies.

About Elena

Who you’d be getting.

I taught drama at a high school in Preston for eleven years. It turns out to be good training for keeping 140 people quiet and two nervous people calm.

These days I live in Northcote with my partner, our two kids and a greyhound called Biscuit, and I write every ceremony at the kitchen table.

  • Brings a second microphone for your readers
  • Reads every draft out loud before you see it
  • A greyhound called Biscuit, who stays home
More about me

How the paperwork works.

Getting married in Australia involves a few forms and one firm deadline. I walk you through all of it. Here’s the short version.

  1. As soon as you can

    A free first chat

    About an hour, in person around Melbourne or on a video call. If we suit each other, a $300 deposit holds your date.

  2. At least a month before

    Sign your notice

    The Notice of Intended Marriage is the one firm deadline. Bring a passport or birth certificate, photo ID and, if you’ve been married before, proof it ended. We can sign it on a video call while you’re both in Australia.

  3. Four to eight weeks out

    Read your drafts

    A full script to mark up, and as many rounds as it takes. Most couples need two or three.

  4. On the day, and after

    Say the words

    I arrive 45 minutes early and keep things on time. Within 14 days I lodge your paperwork with BDM Victoria.

Got a date? Here’s your notice deadline.

Count back one calendar month from your wedding date. That’s the last day your signed notice can reach me.

A guide worked out from the Marriage Act; I confirm the exact day when you book. The full version, and what to bring

Got a place in mind?

  • Melbourne

    Travel within 40 km of Northcote is included, which covers most of the city and suburbs.

  • The Yarra Valley, the Peninsula and the Dandenongs

    Further out, I quote the travel before you book, so it’s on the invoice from the start.

  • Parks and gardens

    The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne always needs a booking. City of Melbourne parks need one for 50 or more guests or a bookable site, and Parks Victoria asks for at least eight weeks. Many ban confetti.

  • Anywhere in Australia

    Any day, any time, any place in Australia. Not overseas, though: an Australian celebrant can’t marry you there.

General information only. Check with the venue or park manager, and bdm.vic.gov.au or ag.gov.au for the current rules.

Questions I get every week.

All questions
Do Saturdays cost more?

No. A Saturday in October costs the same as a Tuesday in July. Saturdays just get booked first.

Is a rehearsal included?

With the full ceremony, yes, at your venue on a weekday evening in the week before, anywhere within 40 km of Northcote. For a small ceremony it’s $150, and the legal bit doesn’t need one.

What happens if you’re sick on the day?

A celebrant I trust steps in with your script and the paperwork, and I tell you myself.

Do you MC the reception?

No. I stop when the ceremony does. I can pass on a few names of people who are very good at it.

Tell me the date, the place, and who’s most likely to cry.

Even if you only know one of those, that’s plenty to start with.

Check my date