Wedding flower, Mudgee Marriage Celebrant, Diane Simmonds

About Us:

Diane de St Hilaire Simmonds is a well known poet in Mudgee, ex-journalist and published author, so has all the qualifications to write a ceremony completely fitting each individual bride and groom. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Composition from Griffith University and a High Distinction in Country Journalism from Deakin University, which gives authenticity and dignity to her writing.


Diane has been married for 41 years, has raised three daughters and is now a grandmother, so she has the earthy touch of wisdom needed to discern the elements that will express the values and dreams of each couple she marries.

Diane has lived in Mudgee for 30 years, and over that time has been closely involved with the community, through her church and as a journalist. She feels privileged to be marrying young couples from families she has known for generations. “I almost feel like the village elder,” she said, “Everyone’s grandmother.”

During that time Diane has also worked as a Family Day Carer, caring for many children in the community, which also adds depth, humour and caring to her understanding of children and human nature. She has a ‘Mary Poppins’ affinity and caring for children and they invariably enjoy her presence and do what she asks of them.

For many years Diane and her husband Peter provided a horse and carriage wedding service for bridal couples, but she has now moved into the more legal and professional field of a Marriage Celebrant. Diane is a noted public speaker in the community and is one of the few people who actually enjoys public speaking. “I don’t get nervous at all. It just comes naturally to me and I love it,” she said.

Diane believes there are three elements to writing the perfect wedding ceremony:

  1. Ease and flow of the ceremony that captures the heart and imagination of the bridal party and guests.
  2. Sincerity of the words and meanings that stir the soul and give significance, worth and intelligent connection for the bridal party and guests.
  3. A touch of humour and lightness of words to carry the bridal party and guests into the world of romance and dreams.

And she believes there are also three elements to carrying out the dreams and wishes of her bride and groom on the day:

  1. Perfectly planned ceremony, with everything prepared, ready and waiting for the big day, then...relax.
  2. A relaxed Marriage Celebrant, who will lead the proceedings in a calm, tranquil, stress free way, with humour and grace, no matter what happens on the day. This is why Diane mostly chooses to do only one wedding a day, so her bride and groom have her every attention, so time does not matter, so she is there for them and is not rushing off or thinking of another wedding. This calmness flows from the leader of the proceedings to the bride and groom and then to the guests. It is a very beautiful gift to bring to a ceremony.
  3. That her bride and groom know that everything that is said, everything that will happen, has been planned by them and the ceremony will be everything they have ever dreamed of.