This is me

Hi, my name is Jo Betz.

I figure if you’ve popped over to this side of my website, you’re curious about me and my life.

So here goes, this is me.

I’m a marriage celebrant, and have been since early 2013. I’ve now officiated hundreds, and I mean hundreds of weddings for the most incredible couples. My role as a celebrant has seen me go to some amazing locations across Australia and every wedding and every couple have been so unique. It’s a fascinating ‘job’ to have and while I’m sure you think I might encounter loads of ‘bridezillas,’ I actually haven’t. I think you attract like minded people to you in a role like this, and the odd bridezilla here or there only makes life interesting.

I’m a business owner. I run a wedding blog and directory called Ivory Tribe. I started this, along with my two fabulous colleagues, in 2014. Sounds like I’m wedding obsessed right? Funnily enough, I’m not. I just really loved the idea of starting and running a business and the new and varied challenges that would come my way. It has been incredibly fulfilling and I’ve adored seeing Ivory Tribe go from strength to strength. We then wrote a book – hooray! Bride Business (a guide on how to plan your wedding) has sold thousands of copies across Australia and the world. I just love our sleek and sassy wedding planning book and I’m so proud of it.

I’m a widow (cue awkward silence), and because I am a widow, lucky me earned another new title because I’ve gone from being a mum, to a single mum. I took on this role in September 2017 when my husband woke me in the middle of the night and unexpectedly died from an asthma attack on our bathroom floor (cue more awkward silence). What I experienced was intensely traumatic. In the space of a few hours, my whole life as I once knew it, was virtually smashed to pieces.

It’s fair to say my story took a very unexpected twist in the early hours of that morning. I instantly knew this was going to be one of the biggest battles I will hopefully ever have to face – fingers crossed hey! And I knew that it was going to take every ounce of my being to fight my way back.

I have been thrust into a brand new world of grief, trauma, loss, love, child bereavement, single parenting, mental health, resiliency, adaptability and so much more. Since my husband died I have learned so much and I still have so much more to learn.

But one thing I am determined to do for myself and my daughter is to still live a beautiful life despite the sh*t circumstances we have found ourselves in.

I look forward to sharing with you various chapters of my story, my learning and thoughts.

Enjoy this crazy journey, that is life, alongside me.

Please note I have no formal qualifications in these areas, except my own experience. Always seek professional help and advice if you’re struggling.

Want to know how did Jo continued to work as a marriage celebrant after the death of her husband? Read her post 450 weddings and a funeral.