“There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.”
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
video by Morelife Films
It’s simple, I just love story-telling. So much so, I fashioned a career out of it on radio. Every day, it is the greatest privilege to wake up the region with my stories. To be invited into homes, into cars, into families - and now, to potentially step into that story-telling role for you and your soulmate? Well, that’s a privilege, a pleasure, an honour; all wrapped up into one sumptuous little arancini ball.
I think it’s so important for a celebrant to perfectly complement the lovebirds - to match their energy, their vibe, their day. There isn’t a script to marrying people, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution like some magic pair of Spanx; your ceremony should be bespoke, should be special, and above all, (in my humble opinion), it should be FUN!
I guarantee a heartfelt, passionate and unique retelling of your love story that will capture you, enrapture your guests and set the tone for the rest of your wedding day (as long as your want that tone to be FUN of course). If you don’t want fun… well, I might not be the right celebrant for you.
Your story is unlike any other… so let’s start writing the next chapter together.
GRANDE PACKAGE…
$3,000
GRANDE means ‘big’ in Italian and this package is big in many ways. Big on romance, big on heart, big on fun, big on drama and big on laughs! A GRANDE ceremony will be a custom-made tapestry woven from the bold, beautiful and unique threads of your personal fairytale. The only thing you’ll have ever heard in another ceremony are the legal parts which I, you guessed it, legally have to say. Over my years in radio, I have mastered the art of interviewing so I know how to mine for gold and will have you experiencing your own story as though you’re hearing it for the first time.
My ceremonies usually run between 15-20 minutes but if you’d like something snappier or perhaps even a little longer, I am here to give you the ultimate ceremony that will set the tone for the rest of your wedding, so I’m open to discussing what suits your dream.
On top of your ceremony, I will prepare and lodge all legal documents, assist where you need with your vows and will provide my own Bluetooth PA System.
I am based in Newcastle and happy to travel within 100kms of Newcastle for no extra charge. Anything beyond that, please send me an email and we can chat. Extra fees may apply.
PICCOLO PACKAGE…
$1,000
Piccolo means ‘small’ in Italian and the PICCOLO ceremony is legals only; perfect for couples who want to spend more time at the table or on the dancefloor than standing up there with me spouting all the lovey dovey stuff. I think it’ll be more fun than heading down to the registry office in Sydney but it will be legal components only, none of the GRANDE touches as mentioned above. These ceremonies last no longer than 5 minutes and are held in Newcastle at a venue of your choosing. Extra fees will apply for travel 15kms outside of that.
• TESTIMONIALS •
Steph & Connor
“When we were looking for a celebrant, we wanted someone we were comfortable being ourselves around and who could capture our relationship perfectly. When we first spoke to Jess on the phone, Connor and I both said - I feel like we just got off the phone with our best friend. This was the absolute theme throughout the whole process with Jess. Giggles over coffee telling old stories of the early days in our relationship and even creating new ones. Jess’ bright and warming personality made us feel so comfortable in a time that should be very stressful. She asked the perfect questions for our questionnaire that even inspired and reminded us of things to put in our vows.. that we were able to send to Jess for feedback and help with might I add. Our ceremony was literally perfect. She had captured exactly what we wanted and told our story so beautifully. We all laughed and cried all within minutes of each other. I lost my mother a few years ago, and I wanted so badly to include her in my big day. Jess had written a beautiful tribute for her that I will just always remember. Her words summed up exactly how I wanted to remember her. After the ceremony concluded, we were told by multiple people “you’re so lucky to have an old friend that’s a celebrant!”. Jess had written such a beautiful ceremony that our friends and family assumed she had been there from the beginning. I don’t think I could sum up our experience with Jess any better than that, she feels like a friend from the beginning. We could not recommend Jess anymore to any couples looking for a personal ceremony of their own. ”
Lauren & Rhys
“It feels impossible to put the ceremony Jess created for us into words, let alone accurately express how grateful we are to have experienced it. But I will try…
When we first started dreaming of how our wedding day would begin, how the ambience would be set and how our story would be shared, we thought of nothing other than Jess. There were no choices to be made, just a question to ask. Please, will you do us this HONOUR? Jess is magnetic. By that, I mean she not only draws in a crowd, she holds their attention with ease. Her vivacious energy, unrivalled charisma and effortless charm fills a space. Her joy is truly so irresistible that everyone in her orbit must choose the mood that she’s already in. We could not have wished to enter a warmer, safer or more welcoming atmosphere than the one Jess harnessed on our behalf. Jess’ storytelling is unmatched. Through questionnaires we answered separately and a few catch ups we had all together, Jess wrote a ceremony that perfectly captured us as individual characters, intertwined both our perspectives seamlessly, articulated not only the love we have but the life we’ve built and showed how important each of our guests were to us. We wanted our ceremony to be a celebration of us and our people and that’s exactly what she gave us. Jess’ ceremony was not only fun and full of personality, it was deeply moving. Her delivery was so compelling that our guests not only felt as though they were a part of our story, it was impossible to believe the rest of the world even existed while they were listening to it. Jess created such an emotional roller coaster that we (and our guests) were hanging on to every word for dear life. Our ceremony set the tone for the day that followed. It was fun, it was theatrical, it was romantic, it was full of heart, but most of all - it was us. We still receive compliments about Jess, which is completely and utterly unsurprising because the joy she gifts you is unshakable - her effect lasts a lifetime. I attended a wedding recently, where Jess was the Celebrant. The couple had booked her days after seeing our ceremony, as guests. As her number one fan, I was beyond excited to watch Jess take the stage once again. I felt as though I had the last tickets to a sold out show. A private performance with only 100 bodies allowed. A book being read by my favourite author, only I knew the main characters and I had lived some of the chapters. Let me tell you, she was everything I remembered and more. Her ceremony had me howling with laughter one minute, wiping away tears the next and smiling like a fool from start to finish. When I looked around to see the rest of the audience, I saw 99 other faces, moving in the same way mine was. Jess is more than a Celebrant, she is an Entertainer. She is A Force. She is A Moment. She is a Mood. If you want a celebration that is felt deeply in the moment and remembered long afterwards, Jess is a non-negotiable. Don’t think, just book.”
Ashryn & Pooley
“Having Jess as our celebrant was one of the easiest decisions we made when planning our wedding. We already knew Jess was an incredibly talented public speaker, but as time went on, we were blown away by how thoughtful she actually was when planning our ceremony. She didn’t just do the formal “I do” parts, but she beautifully created a story about our love for our guests, and shared some funny, intimate and special moments of our relationship. She put in a huge amount of effort to write this story for us that made our ceremony the most special part of our wedding. She felt what we felt, she delivered with humour and confidence and she handled all the formalities with grace. We are so lucky Jess was our celebrant.“
“Jess Farchione, without her I would still be at the altar trying to put my feelings into words! Talk about above and beyond. For months on end I sat down in silence trying to figure out how to put these massive emotions about the woman I cared for the most into words. It seemed like an impossible task. Jess one day asked me, “hey pooley! Instead of filling out the survey why don’t you come round we chat and I take down words that come out naturally.” A 15 minute catch up turned into a hour of laughs, tears and the most beautiful memories. Jess pulled from me all my massive emotions that I felt for my beautiful wife. Being a bloke I often struggle to get my feelings out onto paper, Jess made this process incredibly fun and memorable! I couldn’t speak highly enough of the service she provided.”
Ellise & Luke
“When my husband and I finally decided to tie the knot after a super long engagement we knew we had to reach out to Jess. Words can’t describe what a wonderful celebrant she is. Jess is the most beautiful person and she made us feel like old friends. We were instantly comfortable with her and she simplified the whole process for us, creating a stress free lead up to our wedding. Even though we were her first offical wedding Jess was a natural and all went off without a hitch! We had a few changes in the lead up to our wedding (all on our end) a partner who works away, venue change, date change etc. We probably couldn’t have been a more challenging couple if we tried but Jess was extremely flexible and never made us feel like a burden. As we eloped we opted for the piccolo package but it still felt personal. She even went above and beyond and doubled as a baby and dog sitter during our photoshoot post ceremony. Jess was always professional yet personal, helpful and flexible and we could not have picked a better celebrant. We highly recommend her! Not that we plan on getting married again but if we did we would book her again. Maybe a vow renewal in the future.
Thank you again. Love, The Callejas.”
