Complete Civil Wedding Ceremony at The Valley Estate Chapel | Gold Coast Wedding Videographer

Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the wedding ceremony of Molly and James on the stunning grounds of the Valley Estate. My name is Stephanie Mills, and as a civil celebrant, it is my absolute honor to officiate the marriage of this lovely couple who are so excited to start this next chapter of their lives together as husband and wife. Molly and James have decided to make a lifelong commitment to each other in an intimate setting with just their closest family and friends. They cherish each and every one of you for being a special part of their day and are grateful that you are here to celebrate their love and future. They appreciate that many of you have traveled to be with them today, and would like to make a special mention to those of you who have come from interstate and overseas. For Molly and James, today is about formalizing a union which already exists in their hearts. Marriage feels like a natural progression for their relationship, an even deeper connection than the incredible bond they already share. This love story started, as many do in these modern days, on Hinge, aka the dating app designed to be deleted. And James and Molly have clearly added to this success statistic. After matching, they chatted for a few days online, and Molly's approval of James' strong banter abilities led to them having their first date at Mr. Percival's in April of 2021. It was a Thursday night, and they both had work the next day. So one might say this was a tactical move, so they each had an exit strategy, just in case things didn't work out. But little did they know, they were about to have one of the best and most important nights of their lives. When they first laid eyes on each other, they both quietly celebrated that they hadn't been catfished. Molly remembers noticing how tall James was, thankful that she'd finally come across a man who hadn't lied about his height online. She also remembers feeling very nervous as he was quite handsome, but she was very soon put at ease because of his kind, caring, and genuine energy. James remembers immediately noticing that Molly was wearing a groovy blazer, and that she had an air of elegance and grace in the way that she walked, which he later learned was thanks to her incredible ballet dancing abilities. He also very quickly noticed her long blonde hair, and of course thought she was absolutely beautiful, particularly loving the way her face lit up when she smiled and laughed. Well, it's safe to say that the night started off incredibly successfully, so much so that after a few too many margaritas, they moved on to felons to play ping pong, and Molly also vaguely recalls reading James' horoscope to him. They had such a good time in each other's company that they completely forgot to order food for the entire night, which led to a few sore heads the next morning. In denial that she would ever hear from James again after leaving him in a slightly tragic and drunken state at the end of the night, Molly received a prompt follow-up text at 8 a.m. the next morning, and the rest is history. From this moment, Molly and James' relationship continued to grow from strength to strength. They established that they both love Lego and Harry Potter. They now enjoy the simpler dates these days, featuring a cheese board and wine on their balcony while watching the sunset, making pasta together, and cuddling up on the couch to watch a movie. They also have a mutual love for traveling, having had amazing experiences in Western Australia, London, and Melbourne, and they can't wait for their next adventure together on their honeymoon. The genuine love that Molly and James share is so hard to find, and something they never want to let go of, which is what led James to pop the question in the most meaningful way. To start with, Molly had always told James that if he ever proposed to her in public, she would say no. So this made choosing a location very easy, their new home they'd just purchased. After a long day of renovations and furniture shopping, they decided to take the afternoon off and have a lovely cheese board together. This was alarm bell number one for Molly, as James had suggested getting the nice cheese from the cheese shop in Albion rather than from Woolies. As Molly was preparing the cheese board, James dropped a note on the bench in front of her and ran away. The note said, go put on your favorite outfit. Molly remembers thinking that this had to be it. So she put on a nice dress, but decided to wear her Ugg boots to keep herself grounded just in case. There was then a slight miscommunication about the next step, as Molly went back to the kitchen to continue making the cheese board, but James had expected her to walk outside. So after waiting for a few minutes, he knocked on the front door to get her attention. As she walked out, she found a maze in their garden of baskets, each containing items and notes from memories throughout their relationship. There was a ping pong paddle to symbolize their first date, a bottle of the same champagne they had shared at the top of the Shard in London, a picture of Liam Neeson, Molly's celebrity crush and the namesake of their cat, Liam, who sadly couldn't be here today. And a few of Molly's favorite treats, just to name a few. When Molly got to the final basket, James came out from his hiding spot around the corner, got down on one knee and proposed. Molly thought the proposal showed just how well James knew her, them as a couple and the values of their story. And of course she said, yes. Molly and James, you are so lucky to have found each other as there is no greater gift in life than to love and be loved. Are you ready to become husband and wife? I am duly authorized by law to solemnize marriages according to the law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I'm to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship you are now about to enter. Marriage according to law in Australia is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others voluntarily entered into for life. James, do you take Molly to be your wife? Will you love and respect her, stand with her in whatever lies ahead? Will you give your relationship all it requires and deserves so that you can live the rest of your lives together in love and happiness? I do. Molly, do you take James to be your husband? Will you love and respect him, stand with him in whatever lies ahead? Will you give your relationship all it requires and deserves so that you can live the rest of your lives together in love and happiness? I do. Mollie and James, it's now time to speak your marriage into existence through your vows. Who would like to go first? Mollie, I can't even begin to describe how beautiful you look today. It feels a bit surreal that we are standing here in front of all of our best friends and family and it's even more surreal that in T-minus five minutes I'll finally be able to call you my wife. From the first instant we met, I knew that the connection between us was something unlike I've ever felt. It is this connection that I think is one of the most special things about us. As most of those here would know, we are both quiet people at times, but I feel like we always know what the other is thinking, feeling or doing before it even happens. I think it is a rare thing that you can truly be this yourself together and share your life so completely with someone. I'm so excited to watch this connection grow over the rest of our lives and I promise I will always cherish it. I remember when we first moved into our apartment, we told each other how exciting it would be to come home to each other every day instead of squeezing time between work and our lives. It has always been and always will be the best part of my day when I get to come home and be with you and it never feels like I'm completely whole until I'm back by your side. Thank you for always being my rock and my support. I could never imagine my life without you by my side and I promise I will always be by yours. Even though we've been living together for a few years now, I still feel like I learn something new about you or myself every day. It might be that you can only have an even number of snacks or that it is humanly possible for someone to watch Harry Potter, The Hobbit or Twilight upwards of 14 times in a week. Or it might be that I've never felt so happy as when I know we have a whole day to ourselves and the rest of our lives ahead of us. I promise that I will always love you, whether it be when you book another spontaneous trip to the UK or when you wake up three days into said trip with such a bad hangover that you try and book flights home. Whether it be the days where we simply sit together with Liam and read our books or the days when we might be on different sides of the country. You've helped me reconnect with parts of myself that I thought I had lost and you make me feel like the best version of myself. Thank you for always trusting, encouraging and believing in me. It means more to me than you'll ever know. Molly, you are the most beautiful, funny, intelligent, perceptive, kind and unique person I have ever met. I am so proud of the life we have created and being able to watch you achieve all your goals in the way you've connected with my friends and family and in being able to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't express how excited I am to be standing here in front of all of our best friends and family about to marry the love of my life, my best friend, my better half and my soulmate. But I know if you can tell what I'm thinking, and I know you always can, then you know that I will love you forever and always. Thank you, James. Firstly, I'd like to start by saying, as someone who writes for an engineering company as a living, this was by far the hardest thing I've ever had to write. And for a girl who was put forward for D-Maths in high school, that's saying a lot. Not because I didn't know what to say, but because I realised no matter what I wrote down, it never quite conveyed how lucky and grateful I am to be standing up here beside you about to become your wife. From the moment we met, I knew that you would matter to me in a way I couldn't yet explain. It wasn't just your tall, dark and handsomeness. It was an instant sense of peace, of familiarity, like coming home to someone I hadn't even realised I'd been searching for. Since that moment, you've shown me, every single day, the endless depth of your kindness. You carry no judgement, lead with empathy and treat everyone you meet with warmth and respect. You have no ego, despite having every reason to. And no matter what life has thrown our way, you've always been my steady, unfailing support. You champion me in everything I do, and your belief in me, and in us, leaves me with no doubts that we can face anything together as a team. We've already survived the ever-growing LEGO collection, and the transformation of our home into Mr Gadget's house, where literally nothing works unless you yell at it. I truly believe if we can get through that, and the one time you shaved your beard, then we can get through anything. Instead of making you promises today, I want to take this opportunity in front of all of our friends and family to thank you for being the incredible man that you are. Thank you for showing me that true love isn't about grand gestures or expensive gifts. It's about finding joy and contentment in life's daily mundanes. It's in the quiet moments, the shared routines, and the way you always care without needing to be asked. Thank you for turning our house into a home. I've had the absolute pleasure of watching the handyman lurking beneath the surface work some serious YouTube tutorial magic. And even though I've done my fair share of complaining about the mess and the noise, I'm so proud of everything you've created for us. Thank you for your endless patience with me, even when I'm being just a little bit bossy. Enough said there. Thank you for taking on every hardship, loss, excitement, and win as your own, without even realising you push me every single day to keep striving toward the best version of myself so I can one day be worthy of the love you always so effortlessly give. And finally, thank you for exceeding every expectation, wish, and dream I've ever had and being everything I hoped for without needing to be asked. I know that in the future, if we're lucky enough to grow our family, you'll be the most incredible dad. Our children will grow up knowing not to settle for anything less because they'll have a father who sets an example of quiet strength, unwavering kindness, and how to love without conditions. Thank you for choosing me as your wife. Today was the easiest yes of my entire life. I love you. It's now time to exchange rings, which will be a constant reminder of the promises you've just made to one another. I'd like to invite forward James's best man and brother, Doogie, to present you with your rings. I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, Molly Jane Brinan, take you, James William Hill, to be my lawfully wedded husband. And I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I'll always be by your side. Wear it, think of me, and know that I love you. I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, James William Hill, take you, Molly Jane Brinan, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To be my lawfully wedded wife. And I now give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I will always be by your side. Wear it, think of me, and know that I love you. Molly and James, today you've married your best friend, the one who is committed to giving you a life filled with happiness, fun and meaning. I speak for your family and friends in saying that it's our wish your love will last forever through whatever lies ahead as you continue on this exciting journey together. Through the love that has brought you here today, I now have the greatest pleasure in declaring you husband and wife. You may now kiss your beautiful bride.