This is Wendy’s story:
My interest in becoming a Celebrant began when I was in my early thirties but discovered that becoming one was not a straightforward process. Fascinated by the subject and hungry for more, it was not easy to get hold of information at that juncture, so my interest waned. Had I known that requirements to follow the funeral industry did not require being registered, things could have been different. Of course, timing is everything. Upon moving to the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne in 1998, I became aware of the Government lifting the capping on celebrant licenses, allowing a new phase of people to train and gain access to a once closed door in the wedding industry. TAFE Frankston offered Australian Celebrations accredited course which I completed in 2007 and became qualified in September 2008, when the first wave of Celebrants were accepted. Each year it is a requirement to complete Ongoing Professional Development (OPD) to keep us up to date with changes in legislation, Birth Deaths and Marriages requirements and expanding our wedding knowledge. Celebrants are also required to pay an annual fee to retain their licence. I regularly attend conferences and workshops.
Obtaining my celebrant licence put 
me in touch once again with fulfilling a chapter of my life I once sought earlier. It was the beginning of an exciting journey.
The Mornington Peninsula is a delightful venue for the wedding industry. I joined the Mornington Peninsula Weddings group (MPW), which was an umbrella of suppliers in the industry. I was a member of the group for 4 years. This group supported me in the weddings I performed on the Peninsula. With this support, my network and business grew.
We relocated to Brisbane for my husband’s work in 2013. I started building a new network in Brisbane, joining several business networking groups, such as Absolutely Positively Women (APW), Women’s Network Australia (WNA) and the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce. I have performed a number of weddings in Brisbane and regional areas.
I have also worked with Children’s Services/Disability, Aged Care and corporate relocations.
Having achieved my goal of becoming a celebrant and gaining more life experiences in the process, I felt it was a natural progression to move into the funeral industry. To consolidate the move, I completed a course in performing funerals in 2015. I am currently consolidating this part of my journey with my life skills and experience to join with professional funeral providers.
Wendy