Deborah Lilley Celebrant and MC Services

22/10/2025

A simple photo of my big red book from Saturdays wedding…
Those silver numbers mean -
❤️ 1000 people married.
❤️ 500 couples legally married.
❤️ 500 individual ceremonies.
❤️ 1,500 wedding day documents.
❤️ 2,500 legal signatures.

12/10/2025

Simply stunning!!!

✨ Love was in full bloom at this stunning ceremony setup in the heart of the Adelaide Botanical Gardens 🌿💍

Our Sky Blue Events team had the joy of styling this intimate celebration — a soft, romantic look with blush draping, delicate florals, and timeless white seating that perfectly complemented the garden surrounds.

Beautifully officiated by Deborah Lilley Celebrant and MC Services and made seamless with Kiss Package — keeping it simple, stylish, and full of heart. 💕

📸 A perfect day to say “I do” under the palms!

07/10/2025

It's an honour to be a Celebrant, and great to be part of a supportive organization such as the Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants ❤

And next week I conduct legal wedding number
🌟 500 🌟
😍

🌟 Introducing Member – Deborah Lilley 🌟

✨ What 3 words describe you as a Celebrant?
Fun, adaptable and organised.

📍 What areas do you work as a Celebrant?
Honestly, I would go anywhere in Australia, traveling for work is a great excuse to visit new places! I have traveled to some remote Australian places to marry amazing couples. But usually, I am working in the Adelaide Metro, McLaren Vale, or Fleurieu Peninsula. With regular travels to the Barossa or Clare Valleys, or Yorks or Eyre Peninsula.

💍 What Celebrant services do you offer?
Weddings, Funeral and Life Celebrations, and every ceremony possibly that falls in-between.

✈️ If you had a FREE return plane ticket, where would you go?
Family is always first, but why not add luxury? I would go first Class to England to see family.

💖 What do you love about being a Celebrant?
Everything!!!! Ok, so maybe not so much loving on the accounting.... But being a Celebrant means I spend my weeks doing the best, most rewarding job I have ever had! Whatever type of ceremony I am creating with clients, the delivery of that ceremony gives me joy and fills my cup of 'love for life'.

📖 A little bit about Deborah Lilley
Fun, Quirky, Happy, Vibrant, and above all.... Heartfelt with just a touch of Serious.... That's what me, and my ceremonies for you, are made of! I have been a Celebrant since 2014, and at the time of writing this profile (June 2024) I have conducted over 450 legal weddings, and over 100 non-legal ceremonies for all sorts of occasions. So with me, you can be sure that you are in safe, confident, competent, and knowledgeable hands. I am a vibrant, fun-loving, and young-at-heart 50-ish-year-old. I especially love animals and anything retro or vintage, from the 20’s flapper days to 50’s rock-and-roll, to Star Wars and Sci-Fi. I see it as my job to put your dreams into action, to make your vision a reality, to be the facilitator of your dreams and the glue that holds everything together on the day. Being a celebrant is my job, but it is also my passion!

👉 Learn more here: https://www.afcc.com.au/celebrant/deborah-lilley/

01/10/2025

Today is the first day of October 🎃

And that means that THIS MONTH is what will be one of the biggest events in my life, but most certainly the most special of my Celebrant journey ❤

If you know you know 😍
If you don't, then you will have to wait until the end of the month for the big reveal ❤

01/10/2025

Something a bit different today 😍

I am at the Ageing Well Expo with Onkaparinga Compassionate Communities and Southern Vales Compassionate Communities at Woodcroft Onkaparinga Library.
Starting gentle conversations about death and dying, funerals and life celebration planning, topics often avoided but ever present in everyone's lives ❤

Come down and speak to over 30 different businesses and organizations who specialize in aged care issues ❤

30/09/2025

I have been with the Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants for over 11 years, almost my whole time as a celebrant ❤
It provides me with amazing resources, professional learning opportunities every year, and most importantly professional insurance and public liability 😍

25/09/2025

ABIA Weddings SA awards 2025

❤ Celebrant finalist 😍

❤ I won't win, as you have to pay to attend and be there on the night to win, and I'm not doing either 👎

❤ But I'll take the finalist joy and run with it 👍

❤ To me, being a finalist means more than winning the top spot, as it means that my beautiful couples have voted for me 😍 And that is enough for me 😁

❤ I don't need to buy an award, my couples love is enough ❤

❤ Thank you to all my couples for the votes, the love, and the joy of being your Celebrant ❤

15/09/2025

This Sunday ❤

Come and say hello 👋
Grab a special expo discount 💷
Book me as your Celebrant (and maybe your MC) before someone else grabs your date ❤

Expo specials -
❤ 10% off Celebrant Services
❤ 2 hours free MC services
❤ $10 off Handfastings and Sand Ceremony Sets

(T&Cs apply, subject to availability)

Say “I do” to stress-free wedding planning.

The Adelaide Wedding Expos is coming to the Mitcham Cultural Village on Sunday 21 September, from 11am to 3pm. Meet up to 40 local vendors, from caterers and celebrants to florists and photographers, all in one place.

This event is supported by a City of Mitcham Quick Response Grant → https://bit.ly/4gjk6kz

Entry is free. Find out more → https://bit.ly/4fRaYmZ

15/09/2025

Today I am at partridgehouseglenelg to assist barefunerals with a Life Celebration ❤

Did you know I do funerals as well as weddings?
Being a Celebrant isn't just about the fun of weddings, for me it is ALL about assisting couples and families to create meaningful moments ❤

With funerals this is about assisting to create a memorial service that is fitting for the person who has died, and also about assisting the family to navigate their grief 💔

No I don't always wear black.
In fact it is rare, and mostly I wear navy blue.
Today's family asked for something colourful and maybe a little purple, so my vintage coat over my navy dress is perfect 💜

13/09/2025

I wanted to share with you all a great post from a fellow Celebrant. This post was put up in a Celebrant only group forum this morning and I am sure she won't mind me sharing as it is also really good information for couples getting married ) or already married) ❤

Cram Celebrant is a wealth of knowledge. This post about the legalities of the pretty certificate you are presented with on the day you marry, is a great example of her kindness in sharing all her experience ❤

From Jennifer -
You can’t change name by marriage using only the Form 15 certificate because the marriage has not been registered so it is not proof of change of status for legal, financial, and immigration purposes in Australia.

However it is good for quite a few things
1. If something goes awry with the registration of the marriage, or the celebrant fails to lodge the documents with BDM, it is proof that the marriage took place and a belated registration can be initiated
2. It is documentary evidence of who their solemnising celebrant was, the type of ceremony (civil or according to the rites of a particular religion), together with the date and venue.
3. It can be used as proof of the link between maiden name and married name for the purpose of establishing the paper trail between birth certificate and divorce certificate
4. It will keep a couple out of jail for cohabiting in middle eastern countries where doing so without being married is a crime

Suggesting to couples that it is only a commemorative certificate trivialises the role of the celebrant as the solemniser and therefore authorised to present them with a legal document confirming that the ceremony conducted has changed their legal status.