FAQ

Key Wedding Information & Useful Links

Provided you meet the set legal requirements, there are no restrictions on where and when you can marry in Australia . You can be legally married in Australia at any time, any place and in almost any way, as long as the following requirements are met:

To quote the Attorney-General’s website

“To get married in Australia, you must:

• not be married
• 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 1 person is 16-18 years old
• understand what marriage means and freely agree to marry
• use specific words during the ceremony
• give a notice of intended marriage form to an authorised marriage celebrant at least 1 month and no more than 18 months before your wedding
• be married by an authorised marriage celebrant“

Marital Status

You must declare your current marital status eg. married (divorce pending), divorced, widowed, never married. Prior to the ceremony you will be required to swear a statutory declaration, called a Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage, which simply means that you swear you are legally able to marry. A copy of this document can be found on the Attorney-General’s Department website (link shown below).

Age Requirements

You must be at least 18 years of age to be married in Australia. There are certain circumstances in which you can apply for permission to be married to somebody who is under 18. More information can be found on the Attorney-General’s Department site . Under no circumstances can two people, who are both under 18 years of age, be married.

Documents You Will Need

Some of the documentation we may need to get started​:

A Birth Certificate plus a Government recognised photo ID
or
A foreign or Australian passport (may be expired but cannot be cancelled)
And, as required:
Divorce Certificate
Death Certificate
Official Change of Name

All original documents in a foreign language must be translated into English by a Certified NAATI Authorised Translator.
I can advise you which documents you will need when we chat.

How much notice do we have to give?

A Notice of Intended Marriage must be lodged with your Marriage Celebrant no later than one month prior to the wedding date. The notice is then valid for 18 months from the date of lodgement. After that time, a new Notice must be completed.

What is the process?

Initial Meeting
Our initial meeting can be either face-to-face or via Skype or Facetime. Personally, I prefer a personal meeting where I feel we can get to know each other a little better. As I live in a rural area, I am more than happy to travel within the Southern Highlands to meet with you either at your home or a quiet cafe or even a local pub. Wherever you feel most comfortable.

When we meet we can discuss the type of ceremony you have in mind and, if timely, complete the Notice of Intended Marriage. Of course, I can help you with ideas and resources to complement any of your own thoughts and together we can create a ceremony unique to you as a couple.

Deposit
To secure your date in my calendar, I require a non-refundable booking deposit of 50% of my total agreed fee. The balance is due two weeks prior to the ceremony date.

Pre-wedding
Leading up to the wedding, I will be available for email or phone contact and can assist you in writing your vows as well as suggesting readings such as poems or song lyrics. No later than one week prior to your big day, I will provide you with a full “run-of-show” schedule of the ceremony and, ideally, meet to do a full run-though of the ceremony with you and any other participants. I strongly recommend this mini rehearsal to ensure all parties are familiar and comfortable with their individual roles. It really reduces stress levels on the day! The level of my involvement will depend upon the package you have chosen, so check package descriptions for details.

Your Big Day
On the day, I will arrive 45 – 60 minutes before the ceremony to set up my PA system, signing table (if required) and paperwork. Prior to commencement, I can request guests to turn off mobiles, to take photos (or not), advise them where to go while official post-ceremony photos are taken – or whatever other messaging you wish to deliver.

Immediately following the ceremony, I will invite you and your two witnesses to sign the official documentation – there are three documents to sign, one of which is a memento for you to keep – and ask guests to please delay their congratulations until we are finished. Following signing, I will officially introduce you as a couple and invite guests to celebrate your union.

Post-wedding
The first business day after the ceremony I will post or electronically submit all the legal paperwork to the NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages office and send you a link to apply for your official marriage certificate. Alternatively I am happy to apply free on your behalf for a marriage certificate.  A BDM fee of $65 is applicable, this is a government charge and is additional to ceremony fees.

A few handy reference links:

Attorney General’s Information Site
https://www.ag.gov.au/families-and-marriage/marriage

Births Deaths and Marriages
www.bdm.nsw.gov.au

Translation Services
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

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