Marriage
June 2024: The Marriage Act 1961 has been amended. This means I can now witness the signing of a Notice of Intended Marriage over a video call. I must also meet with each party to the marriage in person, separately, before the ceremony. Full details of the changes can be found here.
What the law says
Before you can get married in Australia, you must:
June 2024: The Marriage Act 1961 has been amended. This means I can now witness the signing of a Notice of Intended Marriage over a video call. I must also meet with each party to the marriage in person, separately, before the ceremony. Full details of the changes can be found here.
What the law says
Before you can get married in Australia, you must:
- Be over 18 years old (except in rare cases where court approval is given for a person aged 16-18 years to marry an adult)
- Not be married to anyone else
- Not be directly related to each other (eg mother and son; or grandfather and granddaughter; or brother and sister)
- Understand the nature of the ceremony and give your free consent
- Give an authorised civil celebrant or minister of religion at least one month’s written notice of your intention to marry using the official ‘notice of intended marriage’ form.
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The fun stuff
Once you have covered the legal requirements, you are free to design the ceremony of your dreams! Wedding ceremonies can be as short or long, as casual or as elaborate as you want. There are some words that must be said during the ceremony by the celebrant and the two people who are marrying to make the marriage legal. You can add your own vows and include poems, readings or songs. You can also include rituals such as a hand fasting, a sand ceremony or exchange of gifts.
My services
I work with you, giving you ideas and resources to put together a ceremony that is tailored to your unique and individual style while ensuring that the legal requirements are met. You can have as much control over the process as you like. Some couples choose to design most of their own ceremony, while other couples prefer to have a framework and some ideas put together to think about.
My marriage services include:
My fees
My fees vary because every ceremony is created uniquely for you. As a guide, my fee for a full wedding ceremony which includes all the features listed above is $600. Small weddings (elopement style or micro weddings) are popular these days and I offer these services for reduced fees - contact me now for details!
Once you have covered the legal requirements, you are free to design the ceremony of your dreams! Wedding ceremonies can be as short or long, as casual or as elaborate as you want. There are some words that must be said during the ceremony by the celebrant and the two people who are marrying to make the marriage legal. You can add your own vows and include poems, readings or songs. You can also include rituals such as a hand fasting, a sand ceremony or exchange of gifts.
My services
I work with you, giving you ideas and resources to put together a ceremony that is tailored to your unique and individual style while ensuring that the legal requirements are met. You can have as much control over the process as you like. Some couples choose to design most of their own ceremony, while other couples prefer to have a framework and some ideas put together to think about.
My marriage services include:
- Completing legal paperwork
- Drafting your ceremony in consultation with you
- Use of resources including a 'ceremony builder' workbook
- Conducting a rehearsal before your wedding day
- Being available for email and telephone contact along the way
- Arriving at least 20 minutes before your wedding
- Providing a PA system (with the ability to play music) and certificate signing table and chairs
- Providing you with a commemorative certificate and copy of your ceremony
- Sending the required documents to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages after your wedding (you can also opt to apply for a copy of the registration certificate at this time)
My fees
My fees vary because every ceremony is created uniquely for you. As a guide, my fee for a full wedding ceremony which includes all the features listed above is $600. Small weddings (elopement style or micro weddings) are popular these days and I offer these services for reduced fees - contact me now for details!
