Ross Whitfeld
As a psychologist and teacher, relationships have always been a core of who I am and what I value. I live out these values in my interactions and connections with others. My path to celebrancy began some years ago at the request of some friends who run a wedding venue. Hearing that I was a Toastmaster and am experienced public speaker, they suggested that being a celebrant would naturally combine my psychological, teaching and public speaking skills all in one; which was a wonderful idea.
As a people person, I embrace getting to know people, hearing their stories and becoming part of their journey. As a celebrant, whether it be officiating at weddings, funerals, vow renewals or a ceremony of your choice, we can work together to create a time of meaning, memories and connection, not only for you, but all those who share your experience.
When I am not working as a celebrant, I lead the wellbeing team at a school, tutor in education at university, spend time exercising, going to the beach and being with my family and collection of pets. I enjoy being in the garden, attempting to grow my own vegetables and listening to a rich collection of music, Bears Deb is my current favourite.
I am supportive of inclusion, diversity and equality, with my ultimate wish being to see people peaceful, happy and finding joy in their lives.
Traditional Wedding
Your traditional wedding package has me officiating all aspects of your ceremony whilst also incorporating any friends or family members you may have doing readings, songs, instrumentals or other meaningful inclusions into your ceremony. This package includes:
A face to face or online meeting to get to know you and hear your needs, desires & wishes
Ongoing emails & phone calls
Completion of your legal paperwork
The ceremony
Registration of all your paper work
Wedding Packages
Bespoke Weddings
Perhaps you have always had your dream wedding in your mind and now is the time to turn a dream into a beautiful reality. I will work with you to create this dream in a way that ensures enduring memories for yourselves, family & friends whilst whilst also fulfilling all your legal requirements. This package includes:
A face to face or online meeting to get to know you and hear your needs, desires & wishes
Ongoing emails & phone calls
Creative planning and consultation with your wedding team
Completion of your legal paperwork
The ceremony
Registration of all your paper work
Married by a friend
Being married by a friend or family member is an absolute joy & happened for my own wedding with my wife’s father marrying us. If you would like this to be your wedding option, I will work closely with your chosen person to mentor them through the process whilst ensuring all the legalities are also included. Part of the ceremony must include me delivering the momentum and ensuring the legal wording of the vows are spoken. This package includes:
A face to face or online meeting to get to know you and hear your needs, desires & wishes
Ongoing emails & phone calls
Creative planning and consultation with your wedding team
Mentoring of your chosen person
Completion of your legal paperwork
The ceremony
Registration of all your paper work
FAQs - Weddings
The Planning
What is my availability?
Please contact me for my availability. To comply with the legalities of the Marriage Act, you will need more than a month to book you wedding, this is part of the Notice of Intent to Marriage form which must be submitted to the Births, Deaths and Marriages office between 18 and 1 month prior to the wedding. I submit this form.
What are my costs and will I travel?
My costs vary depending upon the type of service you require and the location. My starting price is $1500. I am very happy to travel for your wedding, from the coast to the desert and everywhere in between.
Can we plan our own service?
I can be involved as much or as little as you like with your wedding, however before the vows are said, I must by law say the Monitum, which is: “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 2 people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.”; or words to that effect.
Can you help us chose a place to get married?
Choosing a location to get married is a decision you need to make together. Keep in mind if you chose to get married in a public location, such as a beach or park, you will need to consult your local council for this. If the location is outdoors, I encourage you to have a backup location in-case of inclement weather.
The Service
How long should I plan for our service?
Most ceremonies take between 20 – 30 minutes. Long enough to create complete the legal requirements and to publicly share your love, but short enough not to overwhelm yourselves and your guests.
Readings, vows and music
I encourage you to choose your own music, readings and write your own vows however, I can help you out with these. There are some legal words which must be said in your vows that I will help you with. I will have hard backup copies of the spoken words and readings for all those involved which can be added to your wedding album.
Do I need witnesses?
To make your marriage legal, you require two witnesses over the age of 18. Being a witness can be seen as quite and honour and it is nice to choose two people who have shared experiences with both of you.
Can we include some religious practices into the service?
I am happy to work in any practices into your ceremony. I am respectful of everybody’s right to follow the religion of their choice as much as I acknowledge those who are not religious.
Can we include a friend in delivering the service?
It is your wedding and I will delighted to work with your friend or relative on delivering the service. I just need to do the Monitum and vows. Your friend can even to the pronouncement.
Other
LGBTQIA+
I have worked with many people and couples are who are LGBTQIA+ and celebrate that love does not discriminate. If you have committed to each other to formally share your lives together, I would be delighted to be part of your marriage ceremony.
What if I need a translator and interpreter?
Having worked with many interpreters and translators I am very happy to include them in the service. All translators should be accredited with National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (NATI) and must complete the Certificate of Faithful Performance by Interpreter form. There is further information for interpreters I will go through with you.
Do you also MC?
As an experienced Toastmaster, I can MC your reception or both post-ceremony party. This will include me liaising with your speakers, musicians and food providers.
As a psychologist, do you provide couples counselling before a wedding?
Whilst I am an AHPRA Registered Psychologist, to avoid any conflict of interest between the two roles, I do not provide couples or relationship counselling as part of my service, however, I can link you up with places and colleagues in your area if this is of interest. As a celebrant, I am legally required to provide you with the “Happily ever . . . before and after, information for couples planning to marry” document which provides great advice on the marriage process, legalities and ways to strengthen your marriage.
Funerals & Memorials
The loss of a loved one or a person close to you can be a very difficult and challenging time, particularly depending upon the circumstances of the loss. Ultimately, you want your service to be one that celebrates the life of your person,whilst also valuing and acknowledging the pain and heartache to family, friends and community. As much as there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there is no right or wrong way to have your service, this becomes your choice. Deciding on what to do for a service can be difficult and upsetting and to assist with this, I will sit with you and those close to you, to work out a service that seamlessly incorporates all that you want from your service whilst also linking in the funeral directors and the place of your service.
There are many places you can hold the service, this may be in a private setting such as a crematorium, a farm or a public space, or it may be in a religious setting such as a church, temple or mosque. To avoid disappointment and additional stress, it is important to book your location as soon as possible. Factors to consider include the beliefs of the deceased, anticipated numbers of those attending the service, parking, disability and access for the elderly and proximity for the reception after the service if you chose to have one.
FAQs - Funerals & Memorials
The Planning
What is my availability?
Unlike weddings which are often planned years in advanced, you may only have a short period of time to plan the funeral or service. Please contact me about my availability and I will do my best to accommodate you. Memorial services are generally planned well in advanced and are easier to schedule.
What are my costs and will I travel?
My costs vary depending upon the type of service you require and the location. My starting price is $650. I am very happy to the funeral or service, from the coast to the desert and everywhere in between.
Location
I am very willing to travel to the location you have decided upon for the funeral or service. Please know however, that I cannot book the location for you, this is up to you or a representative. If using a public space, please check with your local council.
Can you help us to plan the service?
I would be delighted to help you plan the service. Factors to consider in your planning include the length of time you have booked for the service, the number of speakers you propose, IT availability for videos, photos and music, and any rituals for example, the laying of wreaths.
The Service
How long should a funeral service take?
This is a question that requires a lot of consideration. Considerations include the number of people you would like to speak, music, poetry and film/slideshow options, the distance from the service to the reception and nature of guests e.g. young children will find a long service difficult and may struggle to stay still for long periods of time. Some places have restrictions on the length of service with the option to pay for additional time, whilst less commercial places may offer more freedom and less restrictions.
Who speaks at a funeral or service?
Speaking at a funeral can be difficult and whilst I encourage you to have those close to the deceased to speak, I am happy to speak for you as well. The number of speakers depends on the time you have allocated, their age and their capacity to speak. Overall, it will be my role to direct the service and I can speak as much or as little as you like.
Can we include religion in the service?
Whilst I am not officially appointed as an official to any religion, I am respectful of everybody’s right to follow their own faith and can incorporate aspects of your faith into your ceremony under your direction.
What do we do about IT such as speakers, projectors and microphones?
This depends on your location. Most private establishments will have the IT and audiovisual equipment available for you to use, if they do not, speak with me and we will be able to work out a plan. If you are planning to have service outside and in a public space, be mindful of how far you want your sound to travel, you may not want someone inadvertently coming up and complaining.
Other
Are there any legal requirements for a funeral?
In NSW, anyone can conduct a funeral, there are no legal requirements. However, as funerals can be emotional experiences, I encourage you to use an experienced person, or someone who knows the deceased’s family or close friends, this will enable them to speak from the heart but without becoming overwhelmed themselves.
As a psychologist, do you provide grief counselling?
Whilst I am an AHPRA Registered Psychologist, to avoid any conflict of interest between the two roles, I do not provide grief counselling as part of my services however, I am able to link you up up with a range of supportive places and colleagues who can support you
Other Ceremonies & Services
In addition to officiating at weddings & funerals, I am able to work in with services and ceremonies of your choosing, these may include:
Naming ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
Vow renewals
Memorials
Speaking engagement
The Process & Fees
The Process
Once you have decided upon the type of service you would like me to participate in with you, please contact me via the Contact tab and I will get back to you within 48 hours. Our next steps will be to talk on the phone and then arrange a time to meet either in person or via an online option. We can then discuss if we are a good fit together, and hoping this is the case, we can lock in a date and start planning.
If the matter is urgent, please contact me directly via my email at whitfeldr@gmail.com.
Fees
My fees vary depending upon the type of service, time and location of event. Weddings start at $1500 and funerals start at $650, other services are dependent upon what you require. For services outside Sydney, there will be some travel costs, however these are not excessive and are about covering my petrol. If I require accommodation, we can discuss this, I do however have many friends in the regions I can stay with.
