Getting Married?

Below you will see everything you need to know about getting married in Australia. 

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Where do you start?

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First and foremost, I will need to know the date, time and location of your wedding ceremony so I am able to confirm my availability for you.

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Once I know these details, we can then organise a convenient time to meet in person, either at my home office in Nanango, a local coffee shop or via Zoom if distance is an issue.

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Our first meeting is a "no obligation" meeting and an opportunity for us to get to know each other. It is really important that your celebrant is someone you like and feel comfortable with, so an initial meeting is very important to establish if I am the right celebrant for you. You will generally know if I am YOUR DREAM CELEBRANT within moments of meeting me.

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Once you confirm this, I will provide you with an in depth explanation of all the legal paperwork, such as the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) and the Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage, Official Marriage Certificates and the application process to Births, Deaths and Marriages for a copy of your Official Certificate.

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To complete your Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) both parties to the marriage are required to provide me with:

- a full birth certificate, or an official extract of an entry in an official register, AND

- a driver's licence, by way of photo identification, OR

- an Australian or overseas passport showing your date and place of birth (*this form of identification replaces both a birth certificate and a driver's licence); AND 

- evidence of any name changes since birth; AND 

- evidence of any divorce or death of a spouse (if applicable).

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The Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) is the first legal document to be completed and must be signed and lodged with me as your Authorised Marriage Celebrant at least 1 calendar month before your chosen ceremony date and no earlier than 18 months. This can be completed at our first meeting, or at follow up meeting. You can also complete the NOIM with a Justice of the Peace (JP) and give it to me at our subsequent meeting.

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Once the NOIM is signed and given back to me, I am legally required (by the Attorney-Generals Department) to provide you with a pre-marital brochure called "Happily Ever... Before and After". This brochure outlines not only the importance of marriage, but marriage education, counselling an dispute resolution; how to change your name after marriage; making a Will and Taxation. If you as a couple choose to participate in marriage education I am able to provide you with the details of local professionals in your region. 

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The Declaration of No Legal Impediment is the second document that must be prepared. This document is recommended to be signed as close to your wedding ceremony as possible, to ensure that all the information on the document is correct and up to date. I recommended we sign this document at your rehearsal, although it can be signed the morning of your ceremony prior to it commencing. 

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On the day of your wedding, you are required to have 2 legal witnesses aged 18 years or over to witness and sign the Marriage Certificates. Your witnesses can be a family member, a friend or work college and for those of you who are eloping; this can be your photographer/videographer. ID does not need to be provided, unless I have doubts your witnesses are of legal age.

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As I am a Registered Online Service Provider with Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, I am happy to apply (on your behalf) for an official copy of your Marriage Certificate. This official certificate is required if either party is planning to change their surname. From 1 July 2024, the application fee, which is an additional fee required to be paid to the Registry, by you, is $54.40, plus postage*  

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For more information, or to start planning your special day, contact me today! Because I'd really love to marry you.