Frequently asked questions

 

What does a marriage celebrant do?

An authorised Marriage Celebrant is appointed by the Federal Government to solemnise marriages according to the Marriage Act 1961. They may solemnise marriages anywhere in Australia including outside the State or Territory in which they reside. Celebrants do ongoing professional development each year and are bound by a code of practice.

When solemnising marriages, celebrants are responsible for performing the ceremony, including ensuring the compulsory legal components are recited and witnessed; ensuring adequate sound for your guests to hear your vows clearly; and most importantly, completing and lodging all the legal paperwork with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the State or Territory where your marriage is solemnised.

What are the legal requirements for marriage in Australia?

Marriage is regulated by the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) and the Marriage Regulations 2017 (Cth). All marriages in Australia must be conducted in accordance with this legislation. The legislation specifies the requirements for the marriage ceremony as well as matters that arise before and after the ceremony.

You don’t have to be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia to legally marry here. To be legally married in Australia, two people must:

  • not be married to someone else

  • not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister

  • be at least 18 years old, unless a court has approved a marriage where one party is aged between 16 and 18 years old

  • lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) with their celebrant no less than one month and no more than 18 months before their ceremony

  • understand what marriage means and freely consent to being married

  • sign a declaration stating there are no legal impediments to the marriage e.g. already married, underage, too closely related etc.

  • use specific words during the ceremony i.e. the ‘monitum’ spoken by the celebrant and ‘the vows’ spoken by each party to marriage

  • have two witnesses at the ceremony who are at least 18 years of age who will be required to sign the marriage certificates

  • ensure their celebrant registers the marriage with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages within 14 days.

How much notice must be given to be married in Australia?

The most important step in the marriage process is meeting with your celebrant to complete your Notice Of Intended Marriage (NOIM) which is to be signed, witness and lodged with the celebrant. By law, this must be done at least one month prior to the wedding date. A longer time is preferable with 18 months being the maximum amount of advance notice.

What if we want to get married within the next month?

Speak with your celebrant for information about officially applying to a prescribed authority for a ‘shortening of time’. If approved, your celebrant can be given authorisation to solemnise your marriage despite not meeting the required one month lodgement.

What circumstance will the prescribed authority consider for a shortening of time?

These are limited to:

  • employment related or other travel commitments

  • wedding or celebration arrangements, or religious considerations

  • medical reasons

  • legal proceedings, or

  • an error in giving notice.  

What documents and identification do we need to provide the celebrant?

  • Evidence of date and place of birth e.g. original birth certificate or birth extract, passport

  • Photographic evidence of identity e.g. drivers licence, passport, proof of age card

  • Evidence of the end of any previous marriage/s e.g. divorce certificate, death certificate

Ideally these original documents should be sighted at the time of lodging your NOIM with your celebrant. Alternatively, your NOIM and original supporting documents can be lodged with your celebrant via electronic form including an email (scanned), text messaging a photo of the document, or facsimile.

In some exceptional cases a Statutory Declaration may be acceptable. If you cannot provide any of the above, discuss with your celebrant.

Can we use photo copies and certified copies of our legal documents?

No. All identification documents sighted by the celebrant or electronically provided must be originals. A statutory declaration must be a signed original. However, a divorce certificate can be original or a certified copy.

Celebrating love with a personal touch

Booking me as your celebrant

Choosing your celebrant is a very personal choice and if you feel that I am a ‘good fit’ as your celebrant, please contact me to book your wedding date. Once you have lodged your NOIM with me and paid your Lodgement Fee, your date is confirmed and secured for that day and time.

As your celebrant, I will help in planning your ideal ceremony, compose a unique and meaningful ceremony, provide you with lots of resources and ceremony ideas, assistance to write vows, conduct a rehearsal and officiate your ceremony.

Can we personalise our ceremony?

Absolutely, and I am here to guide you every step of the way. Together, we will create a personal ceremony that truly reflects you, and is memorable for you and your guests for all the right reasons.

In order to personalise your ceremony, I will provide you with a ‘Love Story’ questionnaire. As soon as you complete this, I will get to work on crafting your ceremony. I will send you a first draft allowing plenty of time for any changes so together, we can make your ceremony totally unique and meaningful for you both.

How many meetings do we need?

As your celebrant, I’m here to support and guide you throughout the planning process. I am available to meet with you as often as you need. Getting to know you through phone, email, face-to-face meetings or Facetime (if you live outside Geraldton) helps in crafting your personalised ceremony.

How long is the ceremony?

The length of your wedding ceremony will depend first and foremost on how many different elements you choose to include. As a guide, I would allow roughly 30 minutes from start (arrival of wedding party) to finish (signing certificates followed by congratulations by guests).

During the ceremony where do we stand?

There is no particular ‘side’ for the bride/groom/partner to stand for weddings. In saying this, it is most common for the bride to stand on the left and the groom on the right. However, you and your wedding party are free to stand where you want.

A couple of things to keep in mind is, what looks best in photographs taking into consideration the venue, symmetry, bridal party, background, sunshine etc.; and what is going to feel the most special and intimate for you.

Should we have a Rehearsal?

The decision to have a rehearsal is totally up to you, however, it is generally a good idea to get your bridal party together before the big day to help settle any nerves, especially for any children involved. The best time to meet is within a week of the wedding to step through the details and answer any questions you or your bridal party might have. It is also when you will sign the second legal document Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage.

Do you have a sound system?

Yes, I have a portable PA system. I use a headset microphone and provide a hand-held wireless microphone for the vows and any readings by guests. For a smaller intimate service, there is no need for a PA system.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.