Catherine Kate Thomas: Registered Celebrant in Albany and Denmark WA
My name is Catherine (Kate) Thomas, and I work as a registered celebrant in Albany, Denmark and the wider Great Southern. I have been a registered celebrant since 2007. Over the past twenty years I have mainly conducted weddings, and I have conducted more than 1200 marriages in that time. I follow the Attorney-General’s Department Code of Practice for Marriage Celebrants. I continue to officiate at a small number of weddings, and when invited I also assist with funerals.
Forty-five years of nursing behind the work
Before I became a celebrant I spent 45 years working as a registered nurse. The caring role and the commitment to people that came with that career carry over into the ceremonies I conduct now. I have lived on the south coast of Western Australia for 39 years. I have been married to Neil for 52 years, and we have two sons and two grandchildren of our own.
I am actively involved in the local community. I co-founded the Albany Death Cafe, a space where community members can share stories, ask questions and talk about the end of life openly rather than avoiding the subject. I volunteered there for many years so that families and individuals in Albany could make a plan and talk it through.
Ceremonies I conduct across the Great Southern
My website lists four kinds of ceremony. I have also conducted naming ceremonies, and there have been families I have worked with across all of those stages: a wedding first, a naming ceremony later, and then a funeral when a parent or grandparent died. Being asked back is a privileged role.
The ceremonies listed on my website
- Wedding ceremonies: the largest part of my work, and the reason for more than 1200 marriages conducted since 2007.
- Renewal of vows: a ceremony for couples restating vows they have already made to one another.
- Funerals and memorials: I assist with funerals when I am invited to, and those occasions are managed in a caring and compassionate manner.
- Commitment ceremonies: a non-legal ceremony marking a commitment made between two people.
Choosing a venue on the south coast
I can perform your service in, or at, the venue of your choice. That includes coastal locations, gardens, a function centre, or your own home, and the choice of place is yours. Whether you live in the Albany and Denmark area or somewhere else altogether, the region has the scenery and the venues to hold a ceremony outdoors or under a roof.
Ceremonies can include as much or as little of your preferred verse, poems and music as you wish. Family, children and friends can be given a part to play, along with any rituals that mean something to you. Acknowledging the importance of ritual, I aim to keep the standard of service high and to make each ceremony a specific one rather than a stock reading.
How to get in touch with me in Albany
I am based in Albany and travel to ceremonies across the Albany and Denmark area and the south coast. You can call me on 0419 561 470 or email [email protected], and there is a contact form and a Facebook page linked from my website at albanydenmarkcelebrant.com.au. A Notice of Intention to Marry form can be downloaded from the About page of that website.
If you are planning a wedding, a vow renewal, a commitment ceremony or a funeral in the Great Southern, contact me and we can talk through what you have in mind.