With Sunrise about to hold a joint Commitment Ceremony for any couples who want to join in, we thought it was a good chance to find out more about this public declaration that is growing in popularity across Australia.   

A Sunrise viewer, Adam Rice, has had a Commitment Ceremony with his partner, Craig. For those who are don't understand what this event is like, Adam has described his ceremony for us an his reasons for having one. 

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My partner Craig and I had a committment ceremony because it was our way to show the world the love we have for each other. It was celebrating something that we both feel is our right. It was also an honour to show each other how committed we were to each other. And it was an opportunity to show our families the love we share for each other - as they too showed us how much they cared and accepted us. 
 
We planned our ceremony just the same as anyone would for a wedding. My daughters were flower girls, I had a best man and my sister-in-law was maid of honour. We had our ceremony in the restaurant where we had our reception. It was to be on the rock platform at Avoca Beach but it was raining. We had beautiful food, a wedding cake and limousines. Of our 60 guests, we had guests that travelled from all over Australia as well as overseas. This really meant a lot to us.

We wanted it to be like a wedding and that is how we view it. As I said we are changing our surnames, adding each other's name to our own. It may not be legally recognised we are married but in our eyes we are and this makes it much more real for us.

 
As a result, our relationship has changed, but for the better. We are committed to each other and we have grown to be understanding of each other. We still fight, we still make up, but most of all we communicate with each other and work through things.  Craig ( my partner) is 11 years younger then me and has taken on the role of a step father for my kids (from a previous marriage). Both of us get on ok with my ex-wife and we all make decisions after discussing issues that affect our children. Also, Craig's parents treat my girls as their own grandchildren.
 
I would recommend anyone to have a Commitment Ceremony. However, I feel you have to treat it as a marriage, not just something to show you are together.

It has meaning to us, as do the words "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health", and a promise that we will be together till death. For us our marriage is real, we may not have a piece of paper but we have a beautiful, fulfilling life together. 
 
Sunrise viewer, Adam Rice, Qld.