By Mikayla van Loon
It may make for a slightly different ceremony but one celebrant is looking to bring a wedding to a Lilydale supermarket before she retires from the practice.
Founder of Julia’s Celebrant Agency, Julia Handford, will be putting up her feet after completing her 1000th wedding in November.
With two wedding spots left to fill, Julia said she hopes one of them can tick an item off her bucket list by hosting a ceremony in the Lilydale Woolworths supermarket.
“It’s been one of my bucket list things to marry a couple in a supermarket and another thing that I had on my list was I really wanted to marry a couple in a hot air balloon,” she said.
“I was actually fortunate enough to do the hot air balloon wedding last year and I thought well, before I retire this year, I have to get this supermarket wedding done.”
Looking for a willing couple to accept the offer, Julia said it has been approved by management at the supermarket and she will be doing it for a cheap price given the location.
“It might suit a couple that has been engaged for a long, long time and they just needed a kick up the bum to just be like let’s just get married, who don’t want all the bells and whistles, that are happy to just get married in a supermarket,” Julia said.
“Or it might be a couple who just absolutely love Woolies to death and who couldn’t think of a better place to get married.”
As a former staff member of Woolworths when she was in her early teens, Julia said it was there that she really built up her business, so the wedding is somewhat of a way of giving back.
“I left there when I was maybe just shy of 20 and I got my first wedding clients that way and I’ve actually married quite a few staff members from Woolies over the years.
“It was just such a nice kickstart to my career because of all the customers that would come in like they really supported me in this new venture and I thought now that I’m tying things up, it would be nice to do a wedding where it all began.”
With 16 weddings to officiate before finishing up in November, Julia said it’s bittersweet but after 1000 weddings she is ready to take on a new challenge and find a new path.
If interested in a Woolies wedding, contact Julia on 0402 916 245 or by emailing hello@jcacelebrants.com
