Susanna Jose Ceremonies

Susanna Jose is a lovely, friendly civil celebrant, who officiates tailored, romantic ceremonies for all couples. With a background as a school principal, Susanna Jose remains calm under pressure, is an articulate and confident public speaker and gets along well with people from all walks of life. Susanna is passionate about weddings, and greatly enjoys her job as a celebrant - we think you’ll enjoy how enthusiastic she is about designing your personalised ceremony! Additionally, Susanna has a superb knowledge of the ceremony planning process, and has many resources to help you come up with ideas (to have a song or poetry or both? Hmmm...) One of these resources is her book, Marry Me! A guide for couples planning their marriage ceremony. In this exceptional book is advice for writing personalised vows, choosing music, readings and even photographers - trust us, it’s got everything you need to plan an enjoyable, seamless wedding. By the end of the ceremony, you’ll be so thankful you had a celebrant who made the wedding planning process fun, stress-free and full of personal touches.

“Thank you Sue for doing such a wonderful job and making our wedding easy, personal and genuine. You made us feel instantly at ease when we first met, a feeling that continued right the way through the process. We couldn't have hoped for a more touching ceremony and will look back fondly on that day for many years to come.” Emma

What you can expect when you book Susanna Jose Ceremonies for your wedding:

• Confident speaker. As an ex-school principal, Susanna Jose is a clear, confident speaker - and she can handle any surprises that are thrown her way. She is experienced at talking in front of large audiences and can project her voice - so even if she doesn’t have a microphone, Uncle Joe at the back will be able to hear.
• Tailored ceremony. Susanna Jose believes that each couple has a unique story, and she wants to incorporate this and all the special experiences and quirks that make a couple different into their ceremony. This is why she tailors her wedding ceremonies to each couple, ensuring their day is personal, heartfelt and romantic.
• Warm personality. Susanna is a people-person, and can really charm just about anyone! Your friends and family will just love Susanna - she’ll fit in like she’s one of your guests, which will make for a relaxed, fun ceremony!
• Experienced celebrant. Susanna Jose has officiated many weddings before, and knows how to keep the pace going and can organise her couples efficiently. She knows all about the legal side of things and takes care of this so you don’t need to worry about a thing!

“Sue was the perfect match for our wedding ceremony in May this year. She is genuine and lovely in her approach, and beautifully incorporated our words, wishes and experiences into the ceremony in a way that was perfectly us. Sue was incredibly easy to communicate with in organising the ceremony, and made herself available for a relaxed rehearsal the day before. We can highly recommend her.” Angela

Here’s what else you need to know about Susanna Jose Ceremonies:

• Published book. When couples sign up for a personalised ceremony, they will receive a copy of Susanna's oh-so-helpful book, Marry Me! A guide for couples planning their marriage ceremony. In this handy book is advice on everything from writing your vows and choosing your music to selecting readings and deciding on a photographer - this book will no doubt become your go-to reading material, and will make the wedding planning process so much easier!
• Simple legal ceremonies. If you’d rather save money or you're not one for a big wedding, you might like a simple, legal ceremony. Susanna Jose can perform an intimate ceremony for couples and up to 20 of their loved ones at their house.
• Willing to travel. Susanna happily travels around the ACT, including the coast, Bungendore, Gundaroo, Southern Highlands but needs to charge a travel fee for “anything over 75 km round trip from Canberra,” says Susanna.
• Ceremony rehearsal. Good news, a ceremony rehearsal is included in the planning process, so you can practise your grand entrance in your wedding shoes - you’ll feel much more prepared on the big day.

What packages do you offer and are there any additional fees?

• Marriage Ceremony - Personalised ($900)
• Marriage Ceremony - No Frills. This is simple, legal, at your house, with less than 20 guests ($700)
• Marriage Ceremony - Simple Legal. This happens at Susanna's home, with two witnesses only ($600)
• Renewal of Vows ($500)

Additional extras:

• Other ceremonies are by negotiation
• Letters for shortening of time, visas etc ($100)
• Signing table, cloth, chairs set up and pack up ($100)
• Travel costs. Ceremonies conducted outside Canberra calculated at 80c per kilometre for all distances over a 75 km

What else would you like couples to know about what you do?

Susanna Jose can meet with couples or talk on the phone as many times as needed before their ceremony, and a wedding rehearsal is included in ceremony planning.

What’s your process with couples like?

Susanna Jose offers obligation-free meetings (although these are more like an informal chat) to help you see if she is the right fit for you and your wedding. From here, she will send you some documents, including a ‘Happily Ever Before and After’ brochure, which aims to educate couples on what it means to be a part of a marriage. Susanna will design your personalised ceremony based on your requests, needs and preferences, and will create a draft script that touches on your story, and includes any poetry, readings or music you’d like. Of course, you’ll need to fill out a Notice of Intended Marriage form (NOIM) at least one month before your wedding date. You might choose to have a ceremony rehearsal in the week before your wedding. Then finally, you marry! Afterwards, Susanna will submit all the legal paperwork to Births Deaths and Marriages in your state or territory to register the marriage.

“Sue gave us exactly the ceremony we were after and clearly communicated everything we needed to know. It was great to have her be a part of our day!” Hannah

“Sue created a beautiful marriage ceremony which was a perfect representation of us. She has a wonderful attention to detail and  a great instinct for how to make a ceremony unique and unforgettable. Her commitment is evident in how she ensures all admin is completed in a timely manner, her presentation on the day itself and in our particular case, in that she still managed to make it out to our national park location in a moon boot-encased broken ankle! We can't recommend Sue enough!” Whitney