Kristie Wilkinson

I’m a morning person - I am up with the sparrows 7 days a week, and can usually be found writing ceremonies as I watch the sun rise from my local café. I’m married to an absolute dreamboat who, thankfully, is a morning person too. When we’re not hanging out with our 2 rescue cats Austie and Channy, we’re outdoors every chance we get; hiking, paddle boarding, crossfit and being big fat podcast nerds.

We love to meet new people, try new experiences and are excited about any sort of travel, whether that’s a weekend away or a few months abroad and have racked up close to 30 countries together.

Our fat cat Channy has a bad back, so when I’m not driving her to Sydney once a week for acupuncture (yes, you read that correctly), I’m catching up with couples and twisting their arms to include their dogs in their ceremonies and I have been known to play uber to many a dog who needs a lift home after the ceremony!

I’m a bit of an animal welfare nut and I proudly work for The Animals Asia Foundation as their Events & Community Fundraising Manager. This means that event planning and management are a part of my day-to-day, and run sheets are my second language. It also means that my hours are flexible, and I have the luxury of working from home which gives me plenty of time to catch up and get to know my couples.

Why did i become a celebrant?

I’ve been in the wedding business for a while now - I spent 15 years working as a vocalist and I have performed at, and attended more weddings and seen more beige pant suits than you could possibly imagine! I’ve been part of so many different types of ceremonies, but all too often they were cheesy, by-the-book or somewhat lacking in warmth and personality. I saw a need for wedding ceremonies with a much more authentic approach, and that is exactly what I strive to deliver with each and every single one of my ceremonies.

Oh, and I love it!

Where do I marry people?

I’m based in Wollongong, NSW, but I’m forever zipping up and down the coast, interstate and I love me a good destination wedding. Drop me a line and we’ll chat!

What does being 'married by kristie look like?

Well, honestly, it looks like whatever you want it to look like. No two couples are the same, and no two wedding ceremonies of mine are the same. I spend time getting to know my couples as individuals and as a pair, and I work closely with them to create a highly personalised unique ceremony that not only will they love, but so will their guests. Because, you know what? As a guest, there’s nothing worse than attending a boring, drawn out, cookie-cutter style wedding ceremony!

So, to wow the socks off everyone, I aim to create a ceremony that has the perfect balance of vibrancy, warmth, confidence and sincerity, whatever that means for you!

words of wisdom to share with couples planning a wedding?

For the Grooms:

Buy two shirts because even in winter you’re going to sweat bullets! This way you can sweat to your heart's content, and before you head into the reception you can change into a freshy. You’ll thank me for it later!

For the Brides:

Buy your groom two shirts because let’s be honest, he probably won’t read this.

Also, don’t stress too much about which side you need to stand on. That’s my job! I’ll get to the ceremony well before the first guest arrives and will assess the wind direction and pop the girls on the side that will see them chewing on the least amount of hair.