And I am all about calm! I will be there to help everything run as smoothly and as easily as possible - both in the lead up and on your special day.

'Hi Kelly,

Thank you so much!! You were absolutely wonderful even though the wind was howling & it was freezing. You made the entire process so smooth & easy & stress free. You were just wonderful!

Thank you again.'

For more information about what is required to become legally married and answers to the most frequently asked questions, please refer to the Everything You Need to Know heading below. You can also find my statement of fees under the Fees heading below.

I look forward to meeting with you soon and getting started on making your day as special and unique as you are!

Everything You Need to Know

Every ceremony is unique and different and can be personalised in any way you choose, however, there are some things that are legally required in order to make your union official.

These include the following things:

FORMS

In order for your marriage to become legally recognised you will need to complete/sign the following forms:

Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) – at least 1 month 1 day prior to marriage.

A declaration stating you can both marry legally – prior to the marriage – usually signed at the rehearsal.

2 x marriage certificates – on wedding day (1 is sent to Birth, Deaths and Marriages along with your NOIM and declaration and 1 is stored with me)

1 x marriage certificate (keepsake) – on wedding day – you keep this.

RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION

It is also legislation and my obligation as a celebrant to inform couples applying to marry about family relationship service. This applies to all couples planning to marry, without exception, and it is not borne out of my assumption that you, personally, require these services based upon my own personal observations of you both as a couple. My obligation as a celebrant under the Marriage Regulation 1963 is as follows:

(b) inform parties about the range of information and services available to them to enhance, and sustain them throughout, their relationship.

WITNESSES

In order for your marriage to become legally recognised you will need to have 2 witnesses over the age of 18 to witness your signing of the marriage certificates on your actual wedding day.

LEGAL WORDING

In order for your marriage to become legally recognised you will need to include the following minimal legal wording somewhere in your ceremony.

Groom

I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, _______________, take you, ___________, as my lawful wedded wife.

Bride

I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, _____________, take you, _____________, as my lawful wedded husband.

I, as your celebrant, am also required to say the following minimal legal wording somewhere in your ceremony.

Celebrant

“I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the August 2008 31 exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.”

While nicknames or preferred names can be used throughout the majority of the ceremony, it is also legally required that the full name of both the bride and groom (as shown on each birth certificate) is stated at least once also.

THE LEGAL SIDE – Frequently Asked Questions

What do I have to do legally to get married?

No earlier than 18 months and no later than one month and one day prior to your wedding day a completed Notice of Intended Marriage form has to be done and you have to give me all the relevant paper work. If you want to have a look at the form here it is. Don’t get too concerned I will do this form for you! It’s one of my most important tasks as your celebrant to get it right.

What paperwork do I need?

You will need your birth certificates (originals or an extract). If you have been married and are divorced we need the original of your most recent divorce papers. If your previous partner died we need the original death certificate. We cannot use photocopies. Here’s a link for getting your birth certificate if you were born in WA: http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/A/application_forms.aspx

Can I get married if I’ve lost my birth certificate? Can I use my passport?

No. You have to request your original birth certificate from the Registry. In exceptional circumstances you can use a statutory declaration but you can be prosecuted if any false information is given. Here’s a link for getting your birth certificate if you were born in WA: http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/A/application_forms.aspx

I’ve been married more than once and divorced more than once. Do I have to get all those papers?

No. We only need to see the original of your most recent divorce papers.

What if I am going overseas to work and travel and I want to do my marriage forms before I go away?

That’s ok as long as you are getting married within 18 months. If you stay away longer than 18 months the forms go out of date. Then you have to reapply.

Can you shorten the time for doing the marriage forms to less than a month and one day?

You can only do this in special circumstances under the

Marriage Regulations 1963

. You need special approval from a prescribed authority (your Local Court or officials from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages). There are five categories in the Regulations:

Employment–related, or other travel commitments

Wedding or celebration arrangements, or religious considerations

Medical reasons

Legal proceedings, and

Error in giving notice.

When making a decision, the prescribed authority weighs up the information you provide and may seek additional information as outlined in the Regulations. You should have documentation that supports your request before approaching a prescribed authority.

What if we’ve booked our honeymoon overseas and are just under the one month and one day deadline can we still do the forms to get married? Can we shorten the time?

Unfortunately no. You can only shorten the time in exceptional circumstances. This is not usually something that would qualify. You can contact your Local Court or the Registry for further advice. That’s why you should book your celebrant and do your paperwork as early as possible.

What if my grandfather is seriously ill and we want to get married urgently? And it’s less than the time deadline for the forms?

You have to seek formal approval to shorten the time. You will need medical evidence to support your application. You may get permission as this is a medical request.

What about if we are both from overseas? Or my husband is from overseas but we want to marry in Australia?

That is ok. As you are overseas citizens from another country we can use your passport. Or we could accept your husband’s passport.

What if we have lost our passports, can we still get married?

You should apply for new passports. If this is too difficult, such as records being destroyed in a war torn country then you can do a Statutory Declaration. But you can be prosecuted if anything false is declared.

What if my passport is not in English?

As well as providing your passport you have to provide an official translation certificate in English with a declaration by the Interpreter that is a true and accurate.

What if my divorce papers are overseas and the records are lost?

This is complicated legally. You have to prove you are not married so you can marry again. You need to seek advice from the Attorney General’s Department and the Family Court.

If I’m born overseas where do I go to get my birth certificate, proof of permanent residency or my overseas passport?

You can go to your solicitor, Department of Foreign Affairs, Family Court, your Embassy or Consulate.

Can you accept a photocopy of my divorce papers and Decree Absolute?

No. Only the original can be used.

What if we have delays, can I give you documents on the day of the Wedding?

No. Remember we have to do the Notice of Intended Marriage form at least one month and one day prior to the marriage. I need to see all the originals when we do that form. Also I can’t legally marry you without them! Imagine how stressed we will all be if we find out we have to cancel the wedding on the day because we don’t have the correct document.

If I have to do a statutory declaration who can witness it?

I can witness it for you as long as you sign it in front of me.

Can celebrants give my details to other people? Like other wedding services?

Absolutely not. You should report anything like this to the Attorney General’s Department it is a breach of your privacy and of the code of conduct for celebrants.

Can I just use a celebrant for the paperwork and get a relative or friend to do the ceremony?

No. Only a celebrant can perform some parts of the ceremony. There are legal phrases which must be said by a registered celebrant for the marriage to be legal. If your friend did it you would not be legally married. However your friend could do a reading or perform some of the non-legal parts. I am happy to show you how we can do it!

Can you get married overseas?

You have to contact the Embassy or other diplomatic mission of the country concerned. If that country requires you to get a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage, contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on (02) 6261 3015.

For more information, please visit the

Smart Traveller

website.

Are commitment ceremonies legal?

The Marriage Act 1961 defines marriage as ‘...the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.’ Under Australian law same-sex couples cannot marry. Same-sex marriages entered into under the laws of another country are also not recognised in Australia. it is not illegal to conduct a commitment ceremony for same-sex couples as long as the ceremony does not purport to be a legal marriage

What do we get on the day?

As your celebrant I issue a prescribed Form 15 marriage certificate to you after your wedding as evidence of your marriage. I also prepare three certificates of marriage with your details and you and your witnesses sign all three.

The three certificates are used as follows:

I have to keep one as your celebrant for my records

One has to forwarded to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages for the registration of your marriage; and

You keep one as the record of your marriage.

How old do the witnesses have to be?

They have to be 18 years. You have to provide me prior to the wedding with their full name, including their middle name! They don’t have to be a male and a female, it’s just often people choose a best man and matron of honour.

What if my witness cancels at the last minute?

Don’t panic! We can ask anyone 18 years or over to stand in.

Do I have to change my name after I’m married?

When you are married in Australia a formal Change of Name is not required if you want to take your spouse’s name. After your wedding day you apply to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages for a certified copy of your Marriage Certificate. This is just like when you applied for your certified Birth Certificate. You can then use this to change documents such as your driver's licence and passport to your married surname.

Fees

A fee of $1000 will cover lodgement of Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM), initial interview, creation of a personal ceremony, further interviews to refine service order, unlimited contact including phone calls and e-mails, research if required, administration and documentation of all marriage certificates, use of personal PA system, one rehearsal and travel to and from ceremony site (within 30km of celebrant's home in Madora Bay).

Travel exceeding 30km : $1.10 per additional km

Public Holidays: Additional $100

Breakdown of Standard Fees:

A non-refundable deposit to secure booking $100 First Meeting/date confirmation.

A non-refundable payment of $400 is requested on lodgement of the NOIM (day celebrant witness form).

Rehearsal $100 No later than 14 days prior to the ceremony.

Solemnisation of Marriage,including $400 No later than 14 days prior to date of ceremony.

TOTAL FEES $1,000

Refund Policy

In the event of cancellation of the ceremony more than 14 days prior to the ceremony the balance of the account will be refunded in FULL*. In the event of cancellation of the ceremony more than 7 days prior to the ceremony, 75% of the balance of the account will be refunded*. Any refund payable for cancellation within 7 days prior to the ceremony will be at my discretion*.

*Fee for lodgement of NOIM form and any extra costs spent on providing additional services/goods prior to ceremony are NON-REFUNDABLE.