Being a marriage celebrant in Coffs Harbour has allowed me to gain a first-hand experience of all things weddings and the impact of COVID-19. At the end of 2020, the ABS released some interesting insights as part of their provisional data for January to June 2020 highlighting changes in patterns of marriage associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and for that reason, I want to issue a minor nerd alert for my latest blog.

2020 and now 2021 has been a period of exceptions.  We keep hearing of the word unprecedented, one that I need no longer right click to check if I have spelt it correctly.  The pandemic has of course changed the wedding landscape in so many ways.  Let’s take a quick look…..

Between January and June 2020 a total of 37,813 marriages occurred in Australia – in which I proudly contributed 0.08% ‘I do’s’.   The number of marriages represented a 31.9% decrease in the same period a year ago.  When comparing the same period of the last five years, the number of marriages was lower by 62.2%.

Between April and June 2020 the median age at marriage was 32.6 years for males and 30.7 years for females.

A whopping 80% of ceremonies were performed by a civil celebrant. This is a figure that I have seen climbing every year since becoming a civil celebrant many years ago.

Over the past decade, the marriage rate has decreased from 5.5 to 4.5 marriages per 1,000 people.  Despite the restrictions, nearly 10,000 weddings went ahead between April and June 2020 – and that’s a good thing not only for couples but Coffs Harbour’s awesome wedding industry suppliers and my amazing celebrant friends.

Without question, one of the biggest trends I have seen during the pandemic is the increase in elopements and micro weddings, two popular services that I have now been providing for more than 13 years to couples locally and afar. 

If you are trying to navigate how to get married within a world with a touch of uncertainty, then let’s talk.  I can make your wedding ceremony truly one to remember for a lifetime – and for all the right reasons. It’s what I do!

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    Simon was a pleasure to deal with. We felt our ceremony was unique and special. We just loved how Simon put in a story at the start of our story of how we met, fell in love and became engaged. Thank you so very much Simon, I will definitely recommend you to future family and friends. 11 out of 10 for a great ceremony.

    Sarah and Chris

  • Thank you for officiating our wedding ceremony.  We had an amazing day and loved how relaxed and genuine the ceremony was – just perfect thank you!

    Danielle and Nick

  • We would just like to THANK YOU for such a perfect and personal ceremony. Our guests thought you were a friend we had known for years (we didn’t tell them any different). There were so many positive comments about the work you did. We loved that you kept the ceremony about us, that you talked about our story and you were so professional. Great suggestion about the music playing throughout. We would highly recommend you to all of our friends and family (even strangers). I also believe that you made such an impact, our guests would be recommending you to their people.

    Your work was very much appreciated!! We can not thank you enough, Simon!!

    Pav & Jacob

  • Hi Simon, we are on our honeymoon and remembering our wedding day. We cannot thank you enough for all that you did in making our ceremony special to us and the best everyone else has witnessed. Particularly our parents who doubted our decision for a civil celebrant – they loved every part of it! You exceeded our expectation and made us feel like we have known you all our lives. You calmed me and guided us all to make it a beautiful ceremony. Again, it was a great pleasure to have met you and shared the day with you.

    Dee and Adrian

  • Dear Simon. Thank you for making our day perfect and absolutely memorable. So many of our family and friends commented on your ceremony and how your professionalism and presentation along with your caring and understanding nature assisted with what was a truly remarkable experience. Thank you for including our son throughout the proceedings and a huge thank you for being so understanding towards the interesting dynamics of our families and parents.

    Emma and Toby

  • We just wanted to say a huge thank you for making our wedding day the most memorable and perfect day ever! You did such a fantastic job, everyone commented on how professional you were and how relaxed you made us and the kids feel. Thank you again for being part of our fairytale!

    Melinda and Luke