I include an Acknowledgement of Country in all my ceremonies but you may be wondering why.
As a Celebrant I value the importance of ceremony.
It’s pretty amazing to remember that people have been holding ceremonies on the land on which your ceremony will be held for more than sixty thousand years, and it’s important to me to honour this by paying my respects.
An Acknowledgement of Country is an opportunity for anyone to show respect for Traditional Custodians and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country. It can be given by both non-Indigenous people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
I include an Acknowledgement of Country at the beginning of all my ceremonies by saying something like (this example is for a Perth ceremony): “As we join here in this beautiful celebration of marriage, we follow in the footsteps of all those who have held ceremonies on this land, going back to ancient times. We recognise the Whadjuk Nyoongar people as the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.”
For more info about what's included in your ceremony, see my Elopement and Wedding packages, or Book a chat with me!