The Wedding Ceremony

A marriage ceremony is the ritual publicly declaring your love for each other and legally committing to your partner in the eyes of the law. How you make that commitment and the ceremony can be as simple or elaborate as you like. There are legal requirements to include specific wording in the ceremony to make it legal, but other than those required words, you can build your wedding ceremony any way you like, for example personalise it with poems, quotes, songs, rituals, themes or entertainment.

What is required to get married in Australia

To be married in Australia you must satisfy the below criteria:

  • You must be 18 years of age or older, the exception is if one party is aged between 16 & 18 years of age, they must have parental consent and a court’s approval to get married

  • You must not be married to someone else

  • You must not be in a prohibited relationship

  • You understand what marriage is and consent to getting married

Paperwork for your big day

So, I can register your marriage we will need to complete some paperwork. Click on the heading below to expand for more information.

  • You must lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) with me at least one month before your proposed wedding date and no longer than 18 months before the chosen date.

    You can obtain this from the Attorney General’s website via the below link or I can provide it to you prior to our meeting via email.

    https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-08/notice-of-intended-marriage.PDF

    If you decide to have an initial consultation and book my services, I will help you to complete the required paperwork.

    You may be able to marry in less than a month in some special circumstances, should you require information and assistance with, this I am happy to help.

  • You will need to bring evidence of your identity, date & place of birth and documentation proving the end of any previous marriages for either party.
    Documents that would be required are:

    • Birth Certificate (Full certificate not an extract)

    • Passport

    • Photo identification

    • Proof a previous marriage has ended, whether that be proof of divorce, annulment or a death certificate if a party’s previous spouse has passed away

    • If person is under the age of 18, parental consent and a court order is required

    • Should any documentation be in a language other than English an official translation must be provided by a NAATI approved translator before the NOIM can be accepted.

    Should you fall into the last 3 categories, I can provide further information regarding what exactly is required and how you can obtain the required documents.

  • Prior to the wedding ceremony, I will provide a declaration that must be made that the details on the Notice of intended Marriage are true and correct and that there is no legal reason that the couple are prohibited from marrying.

  • As part of the wedding ceremony you will need to sign 3 documents; two of these will be copies of your official marriage certificate and the other a presentation marriage certificate. These will also be signed by myself & 2 witnesses, the witnesses must be over the age of 18, this could be the opportunity to include that favourite auntie or treasured family friend as part of your ceremony.

  • I am required to submit your paperwork to officially register your marriage within 14 days of solemnizing your wedding. I will email you confirming this has been done & provide information about how you obtain your official marriage certificate that you will require to change names with any official offices or financial institutions.