Wedding Celebrants

It is quite an easy process to organise a wedding with a Celebrant. After you have set your date and time, contact an Authorised Marriage Celebrant to see if they are available. You can arrange to marry you on any day and time and at any place you would like, e.g. a beach, park, hotel, boat, your own home etc. You must be 18 or over to marry.

Marriage Licences are NOT required but notification of the couple's intention to marry must be provided to the Celebrant who will conduct the marriage. This notice is given by completing a Notice of Intended Marriage form and lodging it with the celebrant. Copies of this Notice can be obtained from the Celebrant or downloaded from the Internet and faxed or posted to the Celebrant.

The Notice must be lodged with the Celebrant not later than a month and a day before the date of the marriage (e.g. for a marriage to be conducted on 18 August, the latest the Celebrant may receive the Notice is 17 July) however the Notice may be given to the Celebrant as early as 18 months before the intended date of the marriage ceremony. This requirement applies whether the ceremony is performed by a Religious Celebrant, a Marriage Celebrant or at the Registry Office.

Information relating to the personal particulars of each party to the marriage, (plus sighting their IDs - birth certificates for Australian born and birth certificates and /or overseas passports for overseas born and if applicable - divorce papers). You must pay the Celebrant a deposit to hold the date and time for you.

The Celebrant can supply you with sample marriage ceremonies and vows and poems to help you to work out what style of ceremony you would like. Your celebrant can help you with any of the other arrangements for your ceremony.

Article by:
Mrs Lesley Kerl JP http://lkerl.tripod.com