As your Registered Civil Marriage Celebrant, it is my job to ensure that you understand the legal requirements. To ensure that these legal requirements are followed according to Australian Law and you have a valid and legally binding marriage.
The 'Celebrants Code of Practice' outlines the obligations, requirements and penalties associated with Civil Marriage Celebrants and non-secular Celebrants under Australian Law. Please follow the link to read the 'Code of Practice' for full details or refer to our resources page.
(I am able to provide a printed copy should you request)
You should book your celebrant when you have picked a date, time and preferably a venue but so long as you have a location, we can work with you around this. Celebrants can be as popular as venues and, in some cases, book out months in advance.
Additionally, all Celebrants legally require a month's notice (in the legal format found here) to conduct the ceremony, so best not to leave it too late. Please ask me for more information if you feel you may require a shortening of time.
If you decide to engage me as your Celebrant, we will need to complete a "Notice of Intended Marriage" form, otherwise referred to as a NOIM, together at a meeting.
It is a four-page official form that you complete with your Celebrant and it requires you both, as the bride and groom, to give personal details and states your intention to enter into marriage. This form is sent to the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages after your marriage and the Registrar will use the information in the form to register your marriage.
Download the NOIM form here from the Attorney Generals website or find a copy on our Resources page.
If you were born in Australia, you must provide an official birth certificate or an official extract from an official register (ie, not a copy). You can obtain an official birth certificate from the Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the State or Territory in which you were born.
If you were born overseas, you must produce a valid passport or birth certificate issued by the government of an overseas country, showing the date and place of your birth.
It is also advisable that you both bring along another form of identification, and the most suitable form of photo ID is your current driver's license.
If either of you has been married before, I will need to see evidence of how your most recent marriage ended. If you are a widow or widower, an original or certified copy of the Death Certificate of your spouse must be presented. In the case of divorce, I must see the Decree of Absolute or Certificate of Divorce of your most recent marriage.
You should be aware that, under Australian Law, I am not permitted to perform your marriage until I have sighted your original documents.
If you were born in Australia, you can obtain a copy of your birth certificate from Births, Deaths and Marriages, in the state in which you were born.
This service with Birth, Deaths and Marriages incurs a fee, and the application can take a couple of weeks to be processed.
If you have divorced and need a copy of your divorce certificate or decree absolute, then this can be obtained from the family law court in the state in which the marriage was dissolved.
Your civil celebrant is able to receive your identification via email or photo via your phone.
The marriage ceremony cannot proceed unless all the required documentation has been produced.
You must complete the 'Notice of Intended Marriage' form no earlier than 18 months before your proposed wedding date and no later than one month and one day before the date of marriage.
A shortening of time may be granted, under exceptional circumstances, but is not automatic and must be applied for. Please ask me for more information if you feel you may require a shortening of time.
The Notice of Intended Marriage is valid for 18 months, I am only too happy to reschedule the wedding with you.
Usually not, but it's entirely up to you as to what is included in your ceremony, so if it is important to you or someone in your family, then I would suggest incorporating a religious element such as a reading from the bible or a prayer into your ceremony.
A registered Celebrant can perform your wedding ceremony anywhere in Australia, including Australian waters. Obviously for most locations you will require permission - so we aren't going to waltz into your neighbours place uninvited - but otherwise the sky is the limit (literally - you can do it in a hot air balloon if you like but Melissa may cry).
Certainly can! Melissa will happily provide pointers to you in the free initial consult and give you some things to consider in planning regardless of if you choose to progress with her! If you do decide to work with Melissa, she has plenty of knowledge, experience and reference materials to impart and will do so at the earliest possible time.
To be honest with you, it is relatively simple. If we can be sure of your identify, that you aren't direct blood relatives (siblings for example) and that you are both entering into the union of your own free will, then (in summary) the requirements are as per the below;
More information can be found on pages 74-78 of the Marriage guidelines document found here.
So, if you are thinking of eloping for example, we can definitely cater to this - just make sure you get two witnesses along on the day (you can ask a couple of randoms on the bus if you like!)
There are a series of three forms;
The first is Form 14, each party intended to marry is required to sign the statutory declaration witnessed by the authorised celebrant as to their conjugal status and belief that there is NO legal impediment to the marriage. Form 14 is usually presented at the dress rehearsal and must be signed BEFORE the marriage ceremony.
The second is Form 15, this is a Marriage Certificate. Both the Newlyweds sign this Certificate with their two witnesses and Authorised Celebrant. This is signed at the Marriage Ceremony.
The third is Form 16, this also is a Marriage Certificate. Both the Newlyweds sign this Certificate with their two witnesses and Authorised Celebrant. This is signed at the Marriage Ceremony.
Finally, the Marriage Register Book, this is in the care of the Marriage Celebrant as a record of your marriage. Both the Newlyweds sign this Certificate with their two witnesses and Authorised Celebrant. This is signed at the Marriage Ceremony.
The Form 14 and Form 16 are sent to Births, Deaths and Marriages registry office in the state where the marriage ceremony was officiated.
The Form 15, Marriage Certificate is a keepsake for the couple.
Your official marriage certificate can be obtained through the Births, Deaths and Marriage registry by application. This requires a fee to the registry.
This certificate is what you will need if you are changing your name.
As part of my service for extra clarity and support, I provide assistance with applying for your legal Marriage Certificate.
An interpreter maybe required if the bride, groom or witnesses do not speak English or are not fluent enough to understand everything an interpreter must be used. This may be a family friend or relative. There are legal requirements that include a Statutory Declaration regarding an appropriate interpreter. I am able to provide additional information upon request.
As your Celebrant I must be confident that the party intending to marry must understand English sufficiently. I will request an interpreter is present for processing of all legal forms and at the ceremony should I believe that a party intending to marry requires. This service will incur an additional fee. Should the party intending to marry say or do anything that suggests that the consent is not real it is against the law for me to continue with the wedding.
Where one party to the marriage is resident overseas and is applying to immigrate to Australia on a fiancé (Prospective Spouse) visa, the Department of Immigration & Citizenship requires that you provide proof of your intention to marry and that you actually marry within 9 months of arriving in Australia. I am able to guide you to the appropriate authorities such as a registered Migration Agent to ensure you are provided with the proper immigration advice.
If you would like any further information, please link to www.ag.gov.au
At the first interview we will go through the 'Service Agreement for Ceremony' together.
The 'Service Agreement for Ceremony' includes:
The five circumstances in which an application for shortening of time may be considered by a prescribed authority are set out in Schedule 1B to the Marriage Regulations 1963 (Cth).
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.
If the parties to an intended marriage have not provided the NOIM to the Authorised Celebrant with the minimum one month’s notice, they will need to apply to a prescribed authority for authorisation before the celebrant can make or confirm any arrangements to marry them.
Home funerals are permitted in each State and Territory of Australia.
Why would we have a funeral at home?
A family-led home funeral allows the time & space in which to care for your person and create ceremony and ritual at your own pace, in your own time and according to your needs.
A home funeral can be an empowering choice for many families.
Your level of participation in the home funeral is led by you and the aspects you are comfortable with and feel able to carry out.
You can be supported to be involved at all stages. Tasks such as:
For comprehensive Home Funeral support please contact Jacqui at End of Life Transitions
For more information, please go to THE AUSTRALIAN HOME FUNERAL ALLIANCE.
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