Ron Hoare

Marriage Celebrant

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Planning.

So, you are planning a wedding (or helping a friend to plan one).

You want it to be the type of wedding you can enjoy, and that will be meaningful, to both the participants and the guests. Most, if not all, of the information you will need can be obtained either directly on this site, or from links I have included on the Useful Links page.

I suggest one of the first things to consider is the timing. There are many things to organise and some need to be done within a certain time frame. To help you with this aspect of your task I have included a Timeline page. This lists the things that need to be done and some indication of which need to be done by particular times. A wedding can be a relatively small affair, or it can be one of the biggest celebrations of a persons life. The absolute minimum things you will need are:

A Marriage Celebrant - A list of all authorised Celebrants can be found on the Useful Links page.
Some documents are required to be completed, to ensure the marriage is legal - Information on this can be found on the Legalities section on this page.
A Place to hold the Ceremony - You will find both generalised as well as specific suggestions in the Locations section on the Useful Links page.
There are many options available for the ceremony itself. The type of ceremony can be tailored to suit your wishes - See the Ceremonies page.

Legalities.

This section is designed to give the normal requirements for a marriage, it is not to be considered official legal advice regarding your personal circumstances. For legal information either visit the Attorney General's site for the Marriage Celebrant Program, examine the Marriage Act 1961 or, for professional legal advice, contact a solicitor.

Age requirments:

Normally both members of the couple to be married must be over 18 years of age.
If under 18 a court order is required.

Family members:

A person must not marry an ancestor, a descendant or brother or sister (either by birth or adoption)
If marrying some other person related by blood, they are advised to consult a medical practitioner if there is any possibility of having children.

Witnesses:

There must be 2 witnesses to the ceremony.
These witnesses must be over 18 years of age.
They may be members of the family of either the bride or groom, but not necessarily.

Notice of Intended Marriage:

A Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM or NIM) must be lodged with a Marriage Celebrant.
It must be received by the Marriage Celebrant at least one calendar month before the ceremony, and no more than 18 months before it.
At least one member of the couple must be 18 years old at the time of signing it.
Required documents should be provided to the Celebrant at the same time as the Notice of Intended Marriage is completed.
The Marriage Celebrant will have copies of this form and will complete it for you.

Authorised person to perform the ceremony:

The ceremony must be performed by a person that is authorised by the Attorney General's Department.
This can be a civil marriage celebrant or a minister of religion that has been authorised.
A complete list of authorised Marriage Celebrants can be found at the Attorney-Generals Department.

Required documents:

Evidence of the date and place of birth of both parties - for those born in Australia this would normally be an original or extract birth certificate. For those born overseas, a passport.
If either party has been previously married, evidence of the termination of that marriage - this would normally be the Decree Nisi or a death certificate.