“A person who is registered as a marriage celebrant may solemnise marriages at any place in Australia.” — Section 39F of the Marriage Act 1961.
Getting married in Melbourne, Australia
- If you are an Australian citizen or Australian resident, and also if you are not an Australian citizen or Australian resident, you can be married in Melbourne, or anywhere in Victoria, or anywhere in Australia. To clarify, you don’t have to be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia to legally marry here. The venue, the exact day, the time, and the celebrant can be chosen by you, and most of the ceremony details can also be chosen by you. As your marriage celebrant, I am there to compose your marriage ceremony script to the highest standard (or assist you to choose a marriage ceremony script that perfectly meets your needs), ensure that all legal requirements are met, deal with the specific details that are the responsibility of the marriage celebrant, keep you thoroughly informed, and to conduct the ceremony in all aspects with excellence.
- In Melbourne and throughout the state of Victoria, just as is the case anywhere in Australia, a completed Notice of Intended Marriage form must be given to me at least one month before the wedding so that it will be considered “lodged”. You can give this NOIM to me up to eighteen months beforehand. I am able to help you complete the form. The NOIM can also be completed and witnessed outside Australia if required, and then lodged with me electronically (via a scanned copy sent by email or by fax).
(Has something urgent or unexpected cropped up, and you don’t have one month to wait? If your circumstances are exceptional and meet the guidelines, you may be able to obtain an authorisation for solemnising marriage despite late notice.) If you can obtain that authorisation, I can solemnise your marriage sooner as per the authorisation.- Do you need help filling out your Notice of Intended Marriage? Use the NOIM checklist formand I will generate your completed Notice for you after ensuring all the details are correct.
- Have you filled out your Notice of Intended Marriage but need to have it witnessed? Take the NOIM to your nearest Australian Embassy/Consulate, so that you can sign it in the presence of an authorised person and they will sign, stamp and date the Notice. The NOIM will now be ready to lodge.
- Have you filled out your NOIM and signed it in the presence of an authorised person? You are now ready to lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage with me. Contact me (or if you prefer to contact me by phone or text message, you are very welcome to do so) to let me know you will be lodging the Notice with me, and I will check my schedule to make sure I am available to solemnise your marriage (also known as officiating at the wedding ceremony). You can immediately lodge the NOIM with me by email, and you can be married as soon as one month from that time.
REMEMBER to talk to me about your required identity documents; I will advise you on what proof of identity you need in order to be married in Melbourne, Australia, and how best to include the required details.
As per 4.1.3 of the Guidelines to the Marriage Act 1961, it is preferable that proof of identity documents (and proof of end of last marriage, if this is applicable) be sighted at the time of lodging the NOIM. For the purposes of complying with the timeframes required for giving the NOIM it is sufficient for me to see copies of documents, such as those scanned and sent via email or fax, as long as the originals are provided and sighted by me before the marriage is solemnised. - Do not misplace or discard the original Notice of Intended Marriage that you have signed and had witnessed! You must bring that original NOIM with you so that when you meet me in Australia, you can hand the NOIM to me. I must receive the original NOIM before the actual marriage ceremony.
- Do you need help finding a venue in Melbourne for your marriage ceremony? Ask me to recommend possible venues. Some Melbourne venues will be free. (Any venue costs are the responsibility of the parties being married.) For a simple short marriage ceremony for couples on a budget or looking to get married as quickly as possible, the Basic Ceremony marriage option is performed in my office in North Ringwood, one of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
- After the vows have been spoken during the marriage ceremony, the bride, groom, two witnesses and I (as your Marriage Celebrant) will sign three copies of your marriage certificate. The first – the Certificate of Marriage (Form 15) – will be given to you immediately the marriage has been solemnized (on the day). This certificate is also known as the Party Certificate. The second – Official Certificate of Marriage (Form 16) – will be sent by me to the Registrar (for registering your marriage). In Victoria, the processing/registering of marriages performed in Melbourne or anywhere in Victoria is handled by the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. The couple can apply for their Standard Marriage Certificate (if they require it) as soon as they are married, but couples should be aware that it takes at least 42 business days for the Victorian Registry to register the marriage. Priority processing is available but the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages does charge an extra fee for this. I am happy to assist couples who need to apply for the standard marriage certificate in Victoria.
- Are you a non-citizen hoping to live in Australia after your marriage? You can check on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website for marriage visa information. Remember, you can be married in Melbourne no matter what sort of visa you have.
