About

Hi, I’m Rach, lover of love, event planner extraordinaire and magic-making Byron Bay based wedding celebrant for couples from the Gold Coast to Yamba and everywhere in between.

First up, congratulations to you both, I’m so excited for you. You’re reading this because you’re wondering if I’m the right wedding celebrant for you, right?

You might be wondering how you’ll know if I’m ‘the one’. So let’s get to know each other a bit, shall we?

When it comes to your wedding and your ceremony, you two… your story, your love, your way of doing things, is everything. As your wedding celebrant, I bring all that to life. And I also take care of all the things for you: how a ceremony works, what to say, when to say it, and keeping your ceremony running smoothly so you can chill and enjoy.

My background in corporate event management working for some of Australia’s biggest companies (think American Express and the Sydney Swans) means you know I’m a born organiser. Translation: I know how to plan and make a ceremony that’s ‘you’ happen like magic.

Everyone is different in what they want for their ceremony (and if you have no idea what you want, that’s OK, I’m here to help – it’s what I do!). That’s why I offer a range of wedding packages to suit. I’m also there for you if you want an MC who knows how to make people laugh and cry in the right spots at your reception. 

If you’ve made it this far and you think I might be ‘the one’ (yay!), your perfect ceremony starts with a chat. Simple, right?

Here’s to your perfect ceremony and creating magical memories.

Rach x

p.s. I love my fur babies, so of course I had to share a pic of them. Meet Fern and Billy, my two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. 

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Lovely words from happy couples

  • Aldo & Ari, Port Stephens

    Rachel was amazing! There was a few hiccups on the wedding day and Rachel was more than accomodating regardless of the hiccups. My wife and I would highly recommend Rachel to anyone looking for a marriage celebrant. The process was seamless and efficient. Rachel was honest with us from the moment we spoke to her, and she was always in contact with us and clarifying any questions we had without hesitation. We can’t thank Rachel enough.

  • Gemma & Jacob, Coomba Park

    Rachel is the absolute best, she was recommended to us and I am so so pleased that we found her. Rachel really did take care of us from start to finish. When we first met, we instantly felt so connected and she made us feel comfortable from the get go. Her constant checking in did not go unnoticed, she was so thorough with getting to know us to ensure she had a true vision of who we were as a couple and lead the most gorgeous ceremony that was the perfect combination of being sincere yet extremely fun. All of our guests commented on how beautiful our ceremony was and this was entirely down to Rachel - she nailed it! She felt the room, got many laughs but when the important parts needed to be said - all guests were well and truly transfixed on what she was saying. I really cannot recommend her enough, we met twice beforehand and then did a rehearsal the day before our wedding to make sure we all knew what we were doing and where we had to be. It was down to Rachel that I felt so calm and at ease when walking down the aisle. We were thrilled to not only have found the best celebrant that was able to shape our day into the most perfect day of our lives but now a new dear friend to us and we cannot wait to catch up with her again.

    Rachel - thank you for being you, you are so wonderful at what you do. I am so grateful that it was you that married us, you made our day absolutely PERFECT. xxxx

  • Tee-Arra & Brad, Dalwood Estate

    Rachel was amazing, we could not recommend her enough. Rachel supported us all throughout the wedding planning and made our cermony so so special. It wouldn't have been possible with you.

  • Emme & Max, Fletcher

    Rachel Bracken was amazing. Her professionalism, organisation, and charisma as a marriage celebrant were exactly what you would want in a celebrant. From the very first meeting Rachel made it all about us and crafted everything to perfectly suit us and our situation. She made the entire process from start to finish... easy (which is not something that happens a lot with weddings.) I wholeheartedly and confidently recommend Rachel Bracken as a wonderful marriage celebrant.

  • Sarah & Nick, Bonny Hills

    What would we have done without Rachel?!

    Rachel, you made our ceremony so seamless, relaxed, fun and memorable.

    From our zoom calls, to meeting in person, writing our own vows to the ceremony and reception structure.. she helped two wedding rookies each and every step of the way.

    Her professionalism, calm, caring nature really made our ceremony so special. We were blown away with the words she wrote about our personal story, which added lighthearted humour to really sum up our story.

    Thank you so much Rachel, we will remember you forever (and getting soaked in the pouring rain 5 minutes after the ceremony finished!)

    Cannot recommend Fern Weddings enough!

  • Jessica & Vikram

    Thank you so much Rachel for you wonderful service!! We wanted an easy ceremony you gave us exactly that with wonderful thought and love into it.

    So friendly and very helpful right from the moment we booked you. So thank you.

  • Kirsty & Ben, Riverwood Downs

    8wks out from our wedding day, our original celebrant pulled the pin on us;

    In hindsight, that was the Universe sending us the biggest blessing in disguise - Rachel!

    Rachel stepped in & stepped up, & had everything falling into place so smoothly & calmly.

    From her welcoming presence, to her innate professionalism, to her ever-there advice & experience, to the way she is able to create magic from the most minor of details, Rachel's skill set in bringing together people's 'Happily Ever After's' is flawless.

    We are so incredibly grateful that we had this wonder of a woman officiate our day, micromanage our reception, & provide us with lots of laughs along the way.

  • Elise & Les, Sydney Harbour

    “Rachel was the celebrant for our wedding. She made the process so easy and we didn’t need to lift a finger. The ceremony was exactly what we wanted. She was very organised and prompt and made the process so seamless.”

  • Tyran and Louise, Lake Illawarra

    “It was a really great experience. Rachel really went above and beyond for us and we couldn’t thank her enough. She was so helpful with everything and always answered my calls at random times, as well as being very polite. She planned our wedding in 40 days from finding venues to organising so many things. She was like a close friend we never met lol. Highly recommend Rachel! Thanks so much.”

  • Bryony & Joanne, Oxley Island

    Rachel was outstanding, she really put us at ease, not only on the day but also the lead up to the elopement. Her communication was excellent and was only a message away for any advice. Rachel is very down to earth and easy going, a beautiful person. She tailored the ceremony perfect for us, and made us feel extremely special. She organised all the paperwork, which took a big stress away from us. Thank you Rachel for being part of our beautiful day xx

  • Wayne & Tracie, Karuah

    Rachel was not only our wonderful celebrant at our wedding on 21/5/22, she was also our MC, and she was so professional and competent at both. From the first time we met her we knew we had chosen the best. Our wedding was postponed twice before, and we were hoping it would go ahead this time, and it did, and it was wonderful. Our ceremony was just perfect, and we had so many commenting on what a wonderful ceremony it was, funny, relaxed and so full of love!

    Rachel made the whole day and night flow brilliantly and we highly recommend her for your special day as she felt like our friend right from the first time we met.

    Choose Rachel from Fern Weddings you won’t find anyone better than her!💕

    Love Wayne & Tracie 😘

Vows. They’re important, right? So here are mine, to you two as your celebrant. For your ceremony, I vow to:

  • Make it feel like ‘you two’… your story, your love, your way (so it gives everyone all the tingles)

  • Give you unlimited support as we plan your ceremony: face-to-face, phone, text or email – I’m there for you!

  • Take care of organising everything so you can relax and get on with planning the rest of your day

  • Write a beautiful ceremony for you

  • Make sure everything runs smoothly on the day

  • Keep it profesh with a state-of-the-art PA system and cordless microphone

  • Help you write your vows with access to my video series

  • Help you feel confident reading your vows with your very own printed cards and tips on how to use the microphone

  • Find ways throughout your ceremony to pause so you can take it all in

  • If you need it: remind you to stop, breathe, that “you’ve got this” and everything is fine so you can enjoy every moment 

And if you choose, I vow to help by being the MC at your reception.

Ready to take the next step in our relationship? Don’t worry, I won’t get all serious on you, it’s just a chat:

My vows

Let’s really get to know each other, shall we?

If you’re like me, this is the bit of the website you scroll to… the juicy bit. Here’s some random stuff about me so you can really get to know me:

  • I adore my two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Fern and Billy (love you guys!)

  • I love nature and being outdoors, especially anything water-related

  • Organisation is one of my superpowers (hence my event management background with the Sydney Swans and American Express)

  • I love good food, good wine and can’t get by without a cup of Earl Grey Tea

  • I’ve travelled a lot. And when I say “a lot”, I mean Mexico, the Philippines, United States, United Kingdom, Cook Islands, Middle East (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey), Bali, Thailand, the Netherlands, Greece and Papua New Guinea

  • I used to be the person who would drive the Sydney Swans players around the SCG in the back of a ute during half-time after they retired

  • I’ve scuba-dived with whale sharks and a school of 7 million sardines

  • I walked the Kokoda Track

  • Whilst working in a Michelin starred restaurant in the UK, on request I found myself singing to a table “My dad picks the fruit that goes to Cottee’s, to make the cordial, that I like best”

  • I’ve paraglided off a 2,000m-high mountain in Turkey

  • I had a near-death experience riding a donkey in Petra, Jordan

  • I legit love love and what I do – getting to know the couple, being a part of the fun of planning their wedding, speaking in front of an audience, people laughing in the right places, and all the warm fuzzy feelings that come with it

If you’re still reading this right now, maybe it’s time to meet me and have a chat about making that amazing ceremony of yours happen…?