Your Marriage and Funeral Celebrant is Dally Messenger III based in Docklands

What I offer you

I cannot offer you youth and inexperience but I can offer you a ceremony you will remember with happiness, experience, proven ability, professionalism, value for money, and my best effort. Further I can assure you that I believe in ceremony. Milestone ceremonies contribute to a mentally healthy human life.

For larger weddings, I usually come with a skilled assistant so you get two skilled persons for the price of one. I provide a good quality sound system.

You have complete choice of ceremony. I provide resources (poetry, prose, sub-rituals) to help you with with your choices, and encouragement of your creative input.

I encourage the creation of Vows by you as a "compact". I advise you in regard to music and singing (together) - live or recorded. I believe in rehearsals and careful planning. I have a sense of humour but I am not a "joker".

Barry and friends wedding

I believe I have a good reputation. I am esteemed by my clients as evidenced by hundreds of unsolicited testimonials. (see column on left). I am held in high regard by my peers (or that's what they tell me anyway!) See Dally Messenger III.

Re weddings. I am skilled at preparing all the legally required marriage documents. I guide you through the necessary legalities with a minimum of fuss.

My Attitude To Wedding Ceremonies - and by analogy other ceremonies

I have tried since I became a celebrant to hold to, and develop, the original ideals of Lionel Murphy’s commission to the civil celebrant. Each marriage ceremony should be unique to each couple. (In over 6000 weddings I can honestly say I have never delivered two ceremonies which are the same.)

The substance of the ceremony, and especially the vows, should be totally authentic for the couple. The celebrant should be trained and educated in his role. The celebrant should provide the very best guidance, advice, and most of all sufficient resources so that the couple can create (or co-create) a ceremony, the recall of which will give them a relationship strengthening memory and lifelong satisfaction.

The celebrant should advise his clients of the offence given to guests when ceremonies are too short (and dry). (When we were first appointed the public was appalled at the 2 minute ceremonies then delivered by the Registry offices – things are different now !) .

Kaizen, Ceremony and Personalisation

Like all graduates of the International College of Celebrancy I attempt to live by the principle of Kaizen – namely, that every ceremony I deliver is a little bit better than the last one. I have observed, and I believe, that what makes Australian Civil Celebrant ceremonies the very best in the world is our techniques of personalization – e.g. the story of the couple’s personal journey, personalized vows, personally chosen and introduced poetry, music, and symbols.

Secular Spirituality

I keep in mind that my prime constituency are persons without religious affiliation – secular people. This does not mean that my clientele is not spiritual. On the contrary – in my clients I constantly observe a wonderful secular spirituality – the best ideals, moral principles, dedication to goodness, and devotion to relationships – which is inferior to none.

A lot more could be said - but you get the drift.

Fees and Value:

Celebrancy is one area of life you really get what you pay for. I am not talking about myself here – nothing personal – but the best investment for your wedding or any other ceremony - should be in the celebrant and the ceremony. The one area in which you should not try to “save”.

Weddings: $750 to $2000 (plus travel for long distances). Includes PA and music system and operator. Dally 6

FUNERALS
Funerals: Please get one thing straight and I am sorry to be so blunt. There is no such thing as a short cut to a good funeral. I cling to the idealistic notion that a worthy life cannot be dismissed by a one-size-fits-all funeral done quite often in a few minutes. I also believe that the funeral ceremony is the most important part of the funeral. I also want to make it clear that I believe that the low fixed allocated fee of most of the funeral directors in most states is exploitation.(Funeral Directors control the fees because people go to them first and take their advice).

Funeral Fees: Victoria

I usually spend between 20 - 30 hours, I can’t remember the last time I spent less than 15 hours - preparing a Funeral ceremony. Eulogy, appropriate readings, symbols and photos, and music - all take care, preparation time and checking back to make sure it is right. It is mentally demanding, physically demanding and emotionally demanding work. In my opinion the only fair way to pay a Funeral Celebrant is by an hourly rate.

My fee is $190 hour. ($1900 to $3800 or more per Funeral - ball park figure).
For State Funerals or equivalent $400 per hour.

I am Located at:
Docklands Vic 3008 Australia

And my contact details are:
Mo: +61-411-717-303
Email: dallymessenger@mac.com

My Qualifications are:
Graduate Diploma of Celebrancy
Librarianship: Post Graduate Diploma (Melbourne Uni)
Licentiate: College of Teachers (London)
MA Prelim (La Trobe and Monash)
Bachelor of Theology (Sydney)

My Celebrancy Qualifications are:
Certificate IV in Marriage Celebrancy
Certificate IV in Celebrancy
Graduate Diploma of Celebrancy (includes Diplomas in Marriage, Funeral and General Celebrancy)

For my Celebrancy qualification I was Trained by:
International College of Celebrancy

My Associations were - and some still are:

Dally 1 Foundation Secretary: Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Australia
Foundation President: Funeral Celebrants Association of Australia.
Foundation President and Life Member: Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants.
Member: International College of Celebrancy Alumni and Friend

I Provide the Following Ceremonies:
Marriage
Commitments
Renewal of Vows
Name-Giving
Funerals (including State Funerals and similar VIP Funerals)
Adolescent Rites of Passage
Coming-of-Age
Life Changes Other Rituals and Celebrations
Community Ceremonies

About Me:
My current role is as Principal of the International College of Celebrancy.
My contributions to Civil Celebrancy revolve around my authorship and chief editorship of the ceremony resource book “Ceremonies and Celebrations” (Hachette Livre - Sydney 1998), now in its fourth edition, third printing).