Zena Lythgo
GEELONG CELEBRANT
Photo by Kyra Boyer
Hi I’m Zena, a Geelong wedding celebrant & Geelong funeral celebrant, who (technically) lives on the Bellarine Peninsula but same, same right?! I am always open to the odd cameo as a Melbourne celebrant and I spend a lot of time moonlighting as an Otway’s celebrant too. In short, she loves an adventure and goes all over!
I became a marriage celebrant 10 years ago now, because connecting with people, hearing their stories & helping you share them with your loved ones sounds like the best time going around to me. And I have gotta be honest, it turned out to be very, very true!
Do you want the process of planning your ceremony to be easy, fun & rewarding?
My role is a support one. I am here to guide you, give you choices & make things simple, calm & reflective along the way.
The couples I work with want to do something different from the norm… They aren’t overly traditional & don’t want their day to be a cliché that feels separate from who they are. They want simple, heartfelt & honest. Does this sound like you?
A Decade At It
So why did I feel the need to tell you I have been at this 10 years you ask? Honestly cos it matters; it means I am very, very seasoned.
I have seen a lot; so I can tell you a lot! (and handle A LOT!)
Haven’t been to many weddings?! Not sure what you don’t know?! I’ve got you!
Calm on an average day, even more so when things go a little awry in the flurry of big energy on your wedding day!
When it comes to the person who is guiding your decision-making and prep, is leading the space for you, shaping your guests’ experience and will be the first face everyone sees at your wedding, years of experience means an ability to handle whatever comes up with ease, care and honestly, you likely won’t even know it has happened!
Who you pick to share your day with you matters deeply (and this includes the guests you choose to invite, as well as the suppliers you hire to bring it to life!).
Weddings + Ceremonies
Photo by Peak & Valley Wedding
As Seen In
Photo by Belle Martin
I like to make the process as collaborative as possible, that way it’ll be the truest representation of the two of you.
A winning wedding ceremony is an honest reflection of who you are day to day. It allows everyone to have a few laughs (with you, not at you), and is an engaging and heartfelt experience that your guests feel a part of! It raises the energy in the room and leaves everyone feeling privileged to have been invited in to that moment with you.
Planning a wedding can be busy and high-pressure.
Ceremony planning should be the opposite:
- It is a chance to reflect on what brought you to this place.
- And where you want to go together in the future.
- It shouldn’t feel like work.
- It should be fun, a little revealing & very insightful.
Video by Bottlebrush Films
Amongst the busyness that is planning your wedding, ceremony planning is a chance to pause and reflect on why you chose each other and get excited for the day ahead.
Your wedding should be:
- Fun and easy
- Calm and authentic
- Organised and individual
I am Geelong based – but love to road trip to scenic locations!
If this sounds like the way you’d like to collaborate, then please get in touch. I look forward to connecting with you.
How it all works
Get in Touch
We’ll chat and book in a time for a face to face meeting
Let’s Meet
We’ll get to know each other and discuss your dream wedding
Plan
We plan your ceremony down to the nitty gritty details
Let’s discuss your ceremony!
Feeling the Love
Photo by Baker Boys Creative
A few words from my lovely couples
My husband and I are wedding photographers and when we decided to get married there was no doubt in our mind that Zena would be the one to legalise our love union.
We have shot many weddings over the years and have experienced a wide variety of different celebrants. Trust us when we say, Zena is the best in the biz!
Zena, thank you for being our celebrant! You made our wedding day extra special! All our guests kept saying we chose such a great celebrant! You really are the best!
Storm & Xavier
Zena was a guiding light not only through planning our destination wedding but also on the day when we were both overcome with emotion. As a queer couple Zena created a safe place for us to both feel comfortable, she was able to easily adapt more inclusive language to better suit us as a couple. Thank you Zena for your beautiful words during the ceremony, your patience during our zoom sessions and for celebrating our love story.
Jess & Tess
We had the absolute pleasure of having Zena marry us earlier in February this year. From the beginning, Zena made us two nervous nellies feel very relaxed and at ease, and that was all because of her warm, caring, and professional approach. Even though we were complete strangers, our catch ups felt like going out for coffee with a dear friend, where you share some of your favourite moments and life’s joys. Zena was patient through tears and listened to our story to create a ceremony that was a perfect representation of who we are. Our wedding day was the most magical experience and if we were to do it all again, we would choose the lovely Zena over and over!
Rachel & Rob
Photo of Nel the Van by Analogue Modern
a bit about me
As we plan your wedding I get to know a lot about you… So here is a little about me in reciprocity.
I have spent most of the last five years moving around Vic performing weddings; I was based in Melbourne but spent a lot of time on the road living in my van Nel, visiting friends along the way, popping down to the Otways as often as I could to stay with my partner on our piece of land (with a small caravan set up we call home down there) and dropping in to say hey to my folks in Apollo Bay along the way.
I grew up in Apollo Bay and it shaped me in so many ways, it’s a very special place and it taught me a lot about community.
In 2021, like so many others, we relocated to the Bellarine Peninsula and I returned to that slower coastal pace of life.
We, you may be wondering is myself, my partner Jimmy and our cat Ziggy.
All sounds like a lot of fun right?! Oh my gosh it was so much fun, until it wasn’t; honestly due to Covid it all got pretty crazy busy and a little overwhelming.
These days life is pretty lush and slow in comparison.
I am working on working less, not being stuck in busy culture and just being.
When I am not connecting with great humans and hearing their stories for a wedding or a funeral, I love having a dance at a music festival with mates (think Boogie, Meredith, GP), zombie wunning (you’ll have to ask me about that one yourself!) having an ocean dip, sitting as close as possible to fires, trips to the Otways (I am trying to become an enthusiastic farmer alongside Jimmy, I am trying!), doing creative projects, especially with my friend Petronia and generally just appreciating time spent with good people, but especially my people cos catch ups can feel few & too far in between at times (when you work weekends and a lot of evenings).
Life is pretty lovely really and working in death has taught me to never take that for granted.
I am a sucker for a cause, known to get euphoric and yell ‘these are the moments’ oftennn, I absolutely love a good efficiency hack and wholeheartedly believe Milo is a meal and good one at that!
Before I was a fulltime celebrant I worked at SisterWorks Inc.
SisterWorks is a not for profit social enterprise that supports women of asylum seeker refugee and migrant backgrounds to work towards financial independence and settle happily in Australia.
These women are my family & I still volunteer there today, because I get so much out of being apart of this community. I find that having this connection in my week is especially important when I work from home.
SisterWorks has also taught me the importance of making a contribution; A percentage of the fee I charge couples is donated directly to SisterWorks to support this organisation to continue to grow.
My most recent project there has been working with my gal Petronia, helping her to design and digitally print her fabrics. It is the best fun EVER!!! This ipad is usually only used for ceremony writing, it’s SO nice doing something creative with it as well!
Doesn’t this photo look like the best time ever! I gotta be honest, it really was. I worked in one of Melbourne’s BEST gay bars for five golden years: SIRCUIT! Here, I had the opportunity to discuss marriage equality with many people. These conversations with dear friends and complete strangers left me clear on one thing, this issue mattered! And when equal marriage was finally recognized I wanted to be a part of it. Because, you know: love is love.
I am not sure I would even have become a celebrant if I hadn’t had these conversations. Marriage wasn’t really on my radar!
So now marriage equality has been passed and it is the new normal – woohoo! (about time!) But I understand that for a lot of couples, the wedding industry is still complex to navigate & pretty heteronormative.
It is really important to me, that the experience I offer couples feels genuine, safe & fun every step of the way ; not just for you but everyone you invite to be a part of your day with you.
Industry Mates…
Geelong Crew
Melbourne Crew
If you have no budget and want an uber talent (& one of my fave collaborators!) fly Eerik Sandstrom over from Perth to anywhere 😉
Otherways to work with me
That’s cool, not everyone wants to BUT if you do come this way…
Contact Zena
Phone: 0409 932 106
Email: hello@zenalythgocelebrant.com