The punk rocker celebrant shaking up Brisbane weddings

Rock star weddings are somewhat of a specialty for Brisbane marriage celebrant Paul Voge. Last year, one of his brides even crowd surfed down the aisle.

Rock star weddings are somewhat of a specialty for Brisbane marriage celebrant Paul Voge, 39.

The former record shop owner and lead guitarist of Brisbane punk/rock band We Set Sail lives in Albany Creek with his wife Cassie, 39, and their children Lucca, 8, and Molly, 4.

Why become a marriage celebrant?

It turns out owning a record store is not the best way to make a living, so about five years after starting Kill The Music in Brisbane city I gave the idea of being a celebrant a go. I needed to make extra money to keep the shop going, plus keep my family alive, but I never thought I would end up doing this full time. I started back in 2012, which seems like a lifetime ago now. I think I am at about 650-700 weddings so far. This year, I currently have 80 weddings booked.

Brisbane marriage celebrant Paul Voge. Photo: Natalie McComas

Music is still a big part of your life though …

Yes, I’m still making music. My band We Set Sail will release our third album — Ritual & Ceremony — this year. Musically we get described as “sad bastard music”, but we are just a punk rock band that grew up and forgot to stop playing in a punk rock band. Plus I still have numerous hits on the ukulele that my daughter and I write together.

The most memorable wedding you’ve officiated?

Last year at a wedding the bride crowd-surfed down the aisle carried by her wedding party. It’s weird because every little wedding has something rad that happens and I usually have the best seat in the house to see the couple and the audience and all their reactions which is cool. In a way every wedding is memorable because you spend so long planning it that when it finally happens, and it happens just as you planned, it’s awesome.

Paul Voge officiating the marriage of Petra and Shari. Photo by Talitha Crawford Photography.

Your favourite wedding moment?

Seeing and hearing the couple say their vows. They never know each other’s vows (before the wedding) but I do, so … seeing their reaction and the crowd’s reaction is always killer. And of course the end — the kiss. The music plays, they walk down that aisle and everyone congratulates them.

What’s new in weddings?

All my couples just want to get married and have fun with it … no poems, no bibles … just hearing about the couple getting married is all we need.

Your top tip for engaged couples planning a wedding?

Listen to everyone’s advice and opinions and then instantly ignore them. You do a wedding your way and if you don’t know how that’s done, well that’s what I am here for. The number of times I’ve heard people say “I didn’t know you could do that in a ceremony” when I explain some ideas is crazy. Most people think a wedding ceremony is this weird part of the day they need to get over with. When couples say it was the best part of the day, I am so stoked.

Newlyweds Simon and Jess and more than happy to have Paul stand in for their wedding portrait. Photo: Kristina Wild

Can you tell if a marriage will stand the test of time?

That is a skill I do not possess. I got an email the other day that said there were 112,954 marriages in Australia last year, and thankfully all the people I married are doing all they can to stand the test of time. Marriage takes work, people know this.

What does love look like to you?

In my job I see it every week. I see it when a bride or groom walk down the aisle. I see it when I pronounce them married. I see it when they call each other husband or wife or partner for the first time. Love is not poems that make no sense. It’s not huge diamond rings. It’s just two people that get each other in all their weirdness and they want to hang out for the rest of their lives. Love is easy, hard sometimes, but easy.