WEDDING TESTIMONIALS
Our old friend Shelli completed an amazing new task and traveled across the Nullabor with her final
qualification pending (in its final days!) so Shelli was ready the minute her authorisation came through
to be our Shellibrant. What eventuated was this
wonderful human made the best day of our lives even
better.
Her calm and collective composure helped make the
biggest emo (my now wife) keep her eyes dry, in her
professionalism, she got us through our self-penned
vows with great ease.
We would like to recommend her to anyone who would
be lucky enough to have the Shellibrant of the century
conduct their special day.
- Daniel & Natalie Tranter, Perth September 2015
From the moment we met Michelle she made us feel at
ease and comfortable. We didn't have to look any further
for a celebrant. Michelle wrote/conducted a wonderful
ceremony; her advice and support was outstanding.
Michelle's thoughtfulness, experience and genuine
interest were reflected in her planning and on the day.
She took the time/effort to get to know us and include
those details in our ceremony. She gave very practical
advice and suggestions which made all the difference.
Nothing was a problem for Michelle. She was happy to
answer any question we had no matter how rediculous.
We really appreciated Michelle's tact, good taste, humour,
kind words and would not hesitate to recommend her to
anyone.
- Chris and Belinda, Cragieburn Bowral September 2016
Michelle was the best celebrant we ever imagined. She made so much effort to prepare our ceremony as we wished. She was extra passionate about our "A guy a girl and 2 witnesses" and we were her first international couple.
We would highly recommend Michelle to anyone. She was brilliant throughout the ceremony. Once again, thank you so much for everything. You will be always part of our love story.
- Marta & Jesus, Clovelly Beach November 2016
Michelle was absolutely wonderful!
Leading up to the wedding she reminded me of the things I needed to do and constantly stayed in contact to make sure not only I was doing ok but to kindly reminded me of the things I needed to keep up to date with before We got married which was helpful as I had bride brain!!
I am so lucky and happy that I found Michelle and glad she could marry us on our special day... Thank you shell
- Ian and Sarah, Appin, December 2016
We can't thank you enough for making our day so special!
You were so helpful and patient with us in the lead up to our wedding, and yesterday you did a fabulous job bringing the relaxed and fun vibe we were going for. I had several comments about how great you were and how nice the ceremony was.
My father-in-law said we chose our celebrant well, and we agree!
- Shell + Elwyn Brindle-Jones, Sandon Point, Mar 2017
Michelle was caring, friendly and so easy to talk to. When we met her in person for the first time it was like catching up with a friend. She made sure all our questions were answered and any concerns were addressed, and above all she made us feel comfortable and confident that the ceremony would run smoothly...and it did!
Our ceremony was intimate, fun and moving all at the same time, and was our absolute favourite part of the day! And we have Michelle to thank for that!!
-Yin and Desmond, Waterview Bicentennial Park Homebush, Sept 2017
Massive thanks to Shelli for performing our wedding aboard SeaDeck on the harbour. She was a pleasure to work with, super helpful and made the day run seamlessly.
- Emily and Scott, Aboard Seadeck Sydney Harbour, Nov 2017
Michelle was incredible! She stepped in without hesitation when our first celebrant bailed on us, she walked us through changing from a civil ceremony to a legal ceremony when the SSM laws were changed, she handled the numerous changes we threw at her even up until the day before, she let us have as much input as we wanted, and kindly helped us when we were stuck. Our ceremony went off without a hitch, she was well dressed, well spoken, friendly to everyone.
Michelle, thank you for everything, you are amazing!
- Hayley and Charlotte, Lake George Winery, March 2018
What can we say? Awesome! You took the lead on our new journey, helping and guiding us to keep our ceremony beautiful and everything we wanted. You are a true professional. We can’t begin to imagine how we would have managed without your experience, coupled with your warm and friendly personality. Your personal touch helped make the day perfect. Our guests keep commenting on how our wedding was such a ‘Happy’ one. We can’t thank you enough!
- Peter and Greg, Wolfies at The Rocks, September 2017
Michelle is a perfect celebrant. As soon as we met her we knew we would be in good hands. She had so much good advice and plans for things we hadn't even thought of. The legal paperwork was made simple and explained thoroughly. During the lead up to our big day Michelle was available for questions and was always professional, patient and friendly. On the day of the wedding Michelle was calm and even entertained the guests with jokes when we forgot the bridal bouquet when walking into the ceremony. She truly thinks of everything and doesn't assume or leave details to chance.
If you want a five star experience for your wedding then Michelle is your celebrant.
- Paola and Jacq, The Rocks, September 2018
We were delighted with the ceremony, we loved every minute of it and everyone said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. We wouldn't have wanted anyone else marrying us.
Words can not describe how happy we were that she was available to marry us. We spoke with several celebrants but once we spoke with Michelle we instantly felt comfortable and at ease that our special day would be flawless and perfect. Michelle was incredible! Professional, friendly, approachable and dependable. Our service was perfect, if we did it again we wouldn’t change a thing. She managed to make it personal yet at the same time making the ceremony all about us and no one else. It was fun, special, heart warming and felt very “us” which is exactly what we wanted. We would recommend Michelle to absolutely anyone. Thank you so much Michelle
- Catherine and Andrew, Four Winds Winery Murrumbateman, March 2018
Michelle is incredible!! 5+ Stars. My husband and I got married in Noosa Queensland. We had Michelle as our celebrant and all I can say is Thank You.
She was beyond anything we could have ever wanted. Michelle was Professional, caring and truely wanted us to have the wedding of our dreams. The way she entwined our love story and adventures into our ceremony was perfect. We wanted a ceremony that was short, simple and romantic and boy did she deliver that. We had so many compliments from friends and family in regards to how intimate and personal she made the ceremony. If you are after a celebrant that will honour your love story, genuinely care about the fine details and make you feel like she is apart of your family and friends Michelle is your girl.
Couldn’t recommend her any higher.
- Dan and Gabbie, Noosaville, August 2018
Shell, you were an absolute rockstar from start to finish. You made us feel at ease right from the very beginning. You kept us on track and supported us through the whole process.
We made the special request of being able to incorporate my Aboriginal culture into the wedding and you went with it seamlessly.
Thank you!!!! Mr & Mrs Cassim Xoxo
- Zoe and Kyle, The Lagoon Wollongong, April 2018
Michelle was awesome on our day. My wife and I planned to have a small and easy going wedding and Michelle definitely helped us achieve that.
I forgot to download the music for our ceremony and our location had no reception (bummer), Michelle was great with the situation and helped me keep my cool with all the craziness going on.
Michelle was very patient with us and listened to us every step of the way.
We had the best day, and we are so thankful to Michelle!!
- Sammy and Tarlz, Jamberoo, May 2018
Michelle is a wonderful celebrant, couldn’t have been happier with her services. She married my wife and I a couple of weeks ago and was very easy going and accommodating.
She catered to our needs of wanting our mutual friend to co-celebrant, a warm touch among many on the day. Michelle is amazing. I highly recommend Michelle. She is easy going and very organised - a winning combination, you won’t find a better celebrant to marry you and your partner. If I could give six stars I would. Thanks Shell xx
- Julian and Lucy, Leichardt, June 2018
I wanted to say a huge thank you for being our celebrant last week! We really enjoyed working with you. Your whole vibe was exactly what we were looking for and we especially appreciated that you still came all the way down from Queensland to be with us!
A number of our guests asked where we found you and commented that you were the perfect kind of celebrant - relaxed, happy to join in with our banter, but also really focused the day on us.
- Amber and Andrew, Braddon, ACT, March 2024
The day we decided to surprise our parents and get married...
When you design your brief for one of the most important days of your life, you cannot be sure someone else is going to get it, let alone buy-in. Then throw in a fair bit of crazy and you start to get the idea of what we had planned.
It’s at this point that Michelle made it happen. We had declared our vision to the universe and you appeared like our hip and glam fairy godmother! She understood our vision through talking and planned with us to make our surprise wedding work like we’d envisage. She was more than a celebrant, she was our go to for the how and when, she was prepared to make our day everything it could be with a level of care, compassion and a sense of occasion that without her could have been a disaster!
- Mycaila and Nathan, Pialligo Estate, August 2018
I got to marry my soul mate 💙 my now husband Our wedding day was one filled with everything, love, joy, tequila shots and one kick ass awesome celebrant. From the moment we met you we knew you were the one who would be marrying us! We cannot recommend you enough.
Throughout our wedding planning Journey you were there to offer support and answer the many many questions we had. You made the whole process so easy for us, we really didn’t need to think about anything except of course writing our vows and articulating our story. It was very easy.
You made our day so very special! Even in your car breaking down it did not stop you from getting to the coast to marry us by any means necessary. Our day was so magical and you really were such a crucial part of that. You were very professional but also so relatable, down to earth, relaxed and a lot of fun – which is exactly why we chose you to marry us! Our ceremony delivery was everything we had pictured and we have you to thank for that.
One of the many highlights for us (outside of the first kiss) was getting to have the tequila shot with you before we were officially announced as Mr & Mrs! That is is a memory we made together and one we will always look back on and smile about. We are looking forward to having you renew our vows in ten years 💙
- Alex and Nathan, Kendalls Beach Reserve, Kiama, March 2019
Michelle was amazing as our celebrant. Made sure we hadn't missed any important details and was so accommodating with us wanting to change or remove a few 'traditions'. We are so happy that she was a part of our big day.
- Anna and Ryan, Yarralumla, ACT October 2018
Sometimes things are just meant to be – having you as our celebrant definitely fits that category!
Saying thank you doesn’t seem to be enough for bringing to reality our dream of a perfect wedding....it was just as we hoped it would be.
Thank you for your patience and flexibility – you certainly lived up to your promise to personalise our ceremony.
We wanted it to be light hearted and your fun-loving demeanour certainly provided that – whether it was a little joke about remembering our vows, or a quick quip about the weather clearing just for us, you helped to create a wonderful and relaxed atmosphere.
It was an absolutely perfect wedding, and you played a huge part in making that happen. Thank you.
- Robyn and Donna, The national Carillon, November 2018
Michelle did an amazing job, she went above and beyond her role and was extremely organised which is great when you yourself are a headless chicken.
The ceremony was very personalized, and we got lots of compliments on how awesome our celebrant and MC was.
After seeing what a brilliant job Michelle had done, a couple of our friends asked for her details for their upcoming nuptials.We could not speak highly enough of Michelle, she was professional and friendly.
- Kaajal and Karen, Sublime Point, November 2018
.jpg)
We are convinced that the stars aligned when we had the pleasure of meeting the sensitive and clever Michelle. Throughout the months of planning and flurries of correspondence Michelle guided us and brought it all together in a clear and seamless presentation.
We wanted t Michelle's words to be unique and personal and she not only fulfilled this desire but she made the words "glow" for us. This smart and sharp Shellibrant was a wonderful asset and articulate adornment to our precious memorable marriage.
- Robbie and Joep, Cummings Agency and Studio, November 2018
Michelle was our celebrant for our special day, and i am glad we chose her. Michelle is kind, professional and patient, always happy to answer any questions we had and helped me write something personal for the ceremony. I doubt our day would have run so smooth if we had not had Michelle there.
i would highly recommend Michelle for any occasion as she was fantastic! 💕💕💕💕💕
- Dean and Jade, Senate Garden OPH, November 2018
Michelle was such a delight to work with! She is such a kind & friendly celebrant who was organised throughout the whole process of planning our ceremony. There was no problem to small and she made our day so stress free and enjoyable! Thank you Michelle for being amazing❤️
- Heather and Cameron, Kimo Estate, NSW, 2023
Michelle Bailey generously contacted my partner, Johan van Vloten, and me to offer her services as a marriage celebrant, if we decided to formalise our 50-year relationship. We accepted and the event took place at our home in Bondi Junction, Sydney on 11 February 2019. This was exactly 50 years to the day and time that we first met at the Rex Hotel in Kings Cross just across the valley.
We did not want a sentimental, gushy occasion. So we thought we would be safe in choosing Michelle. In her other life, she is an experienced research scientist at the Kirby Institute on Infection and Control that performs important scientific work on blood borne diseases.
She was painstaking in her preparation for the event. She accomplished it in exactly the way we wanted. Johan had banned all mention of religion. I had prohibited Ritzy clichés and stereotypes. For us, it was a serious renewal of the first 50 years of our relationship. Everyone present enjoyed the occasion. We pay a warm tribute to Michelle Bailey. She realises how important these occasions are for those primarily involved. She has dignity without pomposity. Her performance is a class act.
- Michael Kirby and Johan van Vloten, Bondi Junction, NSW, February 2019
My husband and I were so lucky to have Michelle as our celebrant. She explained the whole process of planning and legal documentation really clearly and made us feel at ease with it all. Our ceremony was beautiful, we had so many compliments from our guests as to how lovely Michelle was and how personalised the ceremony was. Would definitely recommend Michelle!
- Melissa and Alex, Arboretum, ACT 2023
It’s no exaggeration when we say that the majority of guests commented on the ceremony and yourself as celebrant. So many people came up to us and said it was the best wedding they had ever been to and that you were integral to setting the tone of the whole occasion.
We are so thankful to have found you to perform our wedding ceremony. There could not have been a more perfect person for the job! Thank you for being so easy to deal with, understanding, and helping us from beginning to end. We would highly recommend you as a celebrant and feel privileged to have had you officiate our special day.
Thank you so much for making our wedding day extra special. Michelle is personable, kind and funny. We where fortunate enough to meet Michelle in person at the Ever After Wedding Expo. We started a conversation with her and knew straight away Michelle was the one to marry Dan and I.
- Will and Dan, Moruya, NSW, March 2019
Michelle was professional, organised and relaxed for the ceremony which didn't make us worry.
She matched her clothing to complement the bridal party very well and everyone commented on that. She made our day special and had our vows written out on a cue card even when hubby sent them to her the day before. It was an emotional day but I'm very grateful for an easy and relaxing ceremony. Thank you
- Jadine and Andrew, Brindabella Hills, NSW, April 2019
Michelle was recommended to us by a friend of my wife who had recently tied the knot. We were both unsure of what sort of wedding we wanted and what we needed to do. Michelle’s advice helped us to have a great day which went very smoothly. We feel very privileged to have had Michelle as our celebrant.
Thanks Michelle
- Nick and Nila, Hotel Kurrajong, NSW, May 2019
We highly recommend Michelle as she was very easy and comfortable to talk to, well organised and reliable. She made our ceremony fun and smooth going. I loved her cute chair and table on the pictures she takes for all weddinsg and up on request she brought those all without hesitation even though which was not needed on the day. 5 stars ⭐️ 😃
- Nick and Deepa, Pialligo Estate, May, ACT
It was lovely to have a celebrant that we knew and who would work with us to have the ceremony our way.
Thank you Shellibrant.
- Jess and Tom, National Arboretum ACT, June 2019
Michelle is a wonderful celebrant. She created a warm and heartfelt atmosphere for our intimate and unconventional wedding. She was so lovely to work with, professional and personable. We feel so fortunate she was able to help us celebrate our special day and wholeheartedly recommend her. Thank you
- Nina and Justin, Duntroon House ACT, July 2019
Michelle was the celebrant for our wedding and she was absolutely fantastic!
She is so supportive during the lead up, and made our day amazing!
Thanks for everything lovely!
- Kate and Joel, Bushfield farm Gundaroo, NSW, Oct 2019
Michelle was amazing! We randomly met at a Defence ball and immediately hit it off. She was so supportive through the initial process and helped Josh and I understand everything we needed to do, always being flexible with our meeting times. I can not recommend Michelle and her celebrant services highly enough!!
- Joshua and Brendon, Lake Crackenback NSW, September 2019
Thank you so much Michelle for being part of our amazing day at The Woods Farm. From the first encounter we had with you, we knew that you were the right celebrant for us! Down to earth, easy to talk to, helpful, available (from the South Coast of NSW to Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and between!) and most importantly an amazing speaker to have officiate our wedding.
There wasn't a moment that we didn't feel comfortable having you by our side.
- Emma and Daniel, The Woods Farm, NSW, October 2019
Massive thanks to Michelle who helped us organise our wedding back home while we were across the world in London.
- Emma and Oliver, Kangaroo Valley Bush Retreat, NSW, October 2019
We loved having Michelle as our celebrant. She was everything we wanted plus an added extra with a 10% defence discount.
- Stephanie and Jordan, The Arboretum, ACT, November 2019
We can’t thank Michelle enough for making our day, one of the best days of our 30 year relationship. Michelle was so professional and listened to exactly what we needed to fulfill and complete our journey to finally become united in ceremony as a family.
Michelle was an amazing Shellibrant who bought joy and tears to our whole family. We thank you with all our hearts and can highly recommend Michelle to make anyone’s day special.
- Ian and David, Kingston, ACT. December 2019.
We absolutely loved Michelle and so did our guests. Prior to the ceremony, she was organised and flexible, meeting with us at times that were convenient. Michelle was always very clear and was very good at explaining how we could tailor our ceremony to exactly what we wanted. She made sure to check-in with us to see how we were going, whether we had any questions and was always available to respond or meet as much or as little as we needed. She instilled great confidence in us that all would go to plan.
And so it did. At the service, Michelle was clearly very experienced, and handled the occasion with a friendly dignity that struck exactly the right note. Importantly, Michelle had also worked closely with us on writing what she would actually say, including helpful suggestions about some of the finer points based on her experience. There were no surprises and she spoke beautifully.
We couldn’t have been happier with how things went with Michelle, and would recommend her very highly to anyone considering which celebrant to work with. Since the wedding, a number of our guests have also remarked on how Michelle was a perfect choice for our special occasion.
- Grant and Malcolm, Woollahra, NSW. November 2019.
Michelle you were perfect and made our intimate ceremony all we could have ever dreamed of.
- Daniel and Sarah, Lennox Garden, ACT. December 2019.
Jake and I cannot recommend Michelle more highly, she is very professional and walked us through all our requirements and questions leading up to the day. Her support and guidance helped us to craft a personal and tailored ceremony that was perfect for us and a hit with all our guests.
_ Shannon and Jacob, Goolabri, NSW. March 2020
Michelle Bailey Celebrant "Shellibrant" , thank-you for making our special day what it was. The ceremony was small, and socially distanced but was everything we wanted it to be and more. You have made the entire process so easy for us, even with all the hiccup’s of COVID-19 and we really appreciate it and couldn’t be happier.
Thank you again!!
- Katie and Tyler, Hyams Beach NSW. April 2020
When we wanted to get married in a small ceremony at one of our favourite places in the Budawangs, we knew we'd need a special celebrant who was capable of the difficult hike and who would be good company on the long day together. We reached out to Michelle, and from our first meeting we knew she was perfect for us. Michelle seemed as excited as we were about the idea of our 'wedding hike'. Apart from easily handling the hike and being good hiking company, Michelle expertly guided us through the paperwork beforehand.
Michelle was flexible, which was important given weather and other potential complications, and we really appreciated the little touches like that she had laminated our vows (particularly helpful given the nearby waterfall!) and even had great suggestions for photos. We really felt like Michelle listened to what was important to us for our wedding and made it happen - it was the perfect day! Thank you so much Michelle.
- Dane and Kath, Budawang National Park, NSW. April 2020.
Michelle was an exceptional wedding celebrant. She was responsible, friendly, and incredibly responsive throughout the entire process. Her warm and enthusiastic presence made us feel like we were working with a friend. We can't recommend her highly enough! Thank you, Michelle, we were lucky to find you ❤️
- David and Iullia, Botanic Garden, ACT, 2023
Michelle was excellent at our wedding yesterday. She made our day go smoothly which was great. Thank you Michelle.
- Kylie and Steven, Yerrabi Pond, ACT. May 2020.
Michelle was so accommodating to include some cultural traditions in our ceremony.
- Ramandeep and Maninder, Holt, ACT. July 2020.
Michelle was a lovely celebrant and the perfect fit for our wedding!
Down to earth, smiley and bubbly!
Thankyou Michelle!! Will definitely recommend
- Lisa and Michael, Royalla Common, NSW. August 2020.
Shelli far exceeded our expectations, and made the whole wedding process so organised and stress-free. From start to finish, she was professional but relaxed and warm, and made us feel at ease so we could focus on what was most important - each other! Shelli was such a special part of our day, I can't recommend her highly enough.
- Nadia and Will, Carrington Falls NSW, October 2020
Liam and I had such an amazing day, albeit incredibly windy! Michelle was so lovely to work with, told us exactly what we needed to do and made the process very smooth! Definitely recommend!
Thank you so much Michelle!
- Hayley and Liam, Arboretum, ACT, December 2020
10/10 awesome human, professional job, and kept us at the centre of it all with thoughtful touches like standing off to the side.
She gave helpful advice on how to shape our Ceremony, and importantly got all the paperwork done no fuss!
-Peta and Ben, Yarralumla Brasserie ACT, Mar 2021
Thanks for being the best Shellibrant and now a friend
- Jess and Michaley, NGA ACT, Mar 2021
My partner and I had an Elope-mount. We hiked to the top of a mountain with Michelle where she married us.
She did such an amazing job, and the ceremony she wrote was very heartfelt and personalised to us.
Michelle is a lovely and friendly human being and really helped make our day so special. She was super easy to communicate with and always responded to any question we had in a heartbeat.
We are very grateful to Michelle and all the hard work she put in to make our day as amazing as it was.
- May and Paul, Mt Franklin ACT, April 2021
Michelle is calm, kind and the perfect celebrant. We were so lucky to have her with us for our wedding, she was supportive, keen to make sure our ceremony reflected us and super prepared. We appreciated all the little practical things Michelle did to make sure we had copies of our vows and readings, as well as her warmth and professionalism on the day. Our family and friends were impressed and we were so happy to have her as part of such an important day to us - thanks Michelle!
- Sol and Ant, Arboretum, ACT, May 2021
Michelle was a stand out with her sincere helpfulness and willingness to make sure our ceremony went as smooth as possible.
Michelle is such a kind, fun loving person, and that really showed on the day, I will never forget her coming up to me before the deed was done, and how she calmed my nerves!
We would easily suggest her services to anyone! We could not fault Michelle!
Thanks again Michelle :)
- Anna and Gary, Lake Crackenback, NSW, May 2021
Michelle was our celebrant for our Wedding in the Southern Highlands. She was fantastic across the whole length of our very long engagement thanks to COVID!
She helped us to navigate what we wanted from our ceremony with patience and infinite amounts of expertise. She brought calm and humor to both of us on the day and made sure that myself as a nervous groom felt at ease. The ceremony went off without a hitch.
After going to many weddings I have seen the full spectrum of celebrants including those that can be a tad overbearing and I can safely say Michelle was absolute perfection! Cannot recommend her highly enough.
- Rory and Mia, Hopewood House NSW, May 2021
