“A marriage celebrant must maintain a high standard of service in his or her professional conduct and practice [and] must respect the importance of the marriage ceremony to the parties and the other persons organising the ceremony. This includes [...] giving the parties information and guidance to enable them to choose or compose a marriage ceremony ...” — Schedule 2, Code of Practice for marriage celebrants – Marriage Regulations 2017.
You have more options when booking with me
- If your fiancé/fiancée cannot sign the Notice of Intended Marriage when you both intend to give Notice of your forthcoming marriage, the Notice can be lodged incomplete with me (with only one party having signed before me). The second party can then sign later in my presence, as long as this is before the actual ceremony.¹
- You can lodge your NOIM on any day and at any time with me – especially useful if you’ve only just realised that you need to lodge the NOIM one month in advance. I offer same-day 24-hour emergency NOIM lodgement if you need to lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage urgently to meet the lodgement deadline, and you can book the ceremony with me on the spot. (Don’t hesitate to call me or text me to make the booking and organize same-day lodgement. I always make every effort to assist couples with an urgent deadline.)
(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.) - I am authorized to solemnize marriages anywhere in Australia. I’m located in Melbourne, but please don’t hesitate to ask about booking me for your wedding anywhere in Australia, country or interstate. (Travel costs apply.)
- For overseas couples: you scan your signed and witnessed Notice of Intended Marriage, and send it to me as an email attachment (as a PDF or as an image). This constitutes lodgement; payment can be taken over the phone on the spot, or by completing a payment slip. I will actually receive the NOIM in most cases within minutes (including during the night by arrangement only).² You can send me an SMS to alert me if this is an urgent lodgement to meet the one-month deadline. This offers the couple peace of mind in knowing that their NOIM has been lodged and they can definitely be married one month from that time (unlike the Registry where the couple must submit their NOIM, booking form and identity documents by mail, and the date of lodgement is the date on which the Registry receives those documents rather than the date when the couple sends them). – Further details
Please note that a marriage according to Australian law (under the Marriage Act 1961) can only be solemnised by a Marriage Celebrant within Australia. It cannot be solemnised overseas; the only exception applies to members of the Australian Defence Force stationed overseas. - Did you know... that if you are still married but are waiting for your divorce to come through, you can lodge your NOIM with me? Your conjugal status will be listed as married, pending divorce. You can then be married to your intended fiancé/fiancée one month from the date on which the NOIM is lodged with me³, as long as your divorce is granted before the date of the intended marriage.⁴ (This option does not apply to Registry weddings, as the Registry must sight your proof of end of marriage before your booking can be accepted.)
- If you would like to be married in a place remote from power or amenities, such as near the beach or in a forest, there’s no problem. My portable PA system requires no power lead and provides the music plus amplification to help your vows and everything that is said be audible, even against the sound of the waves. I can also provide the Signing of the Register table and chairs.
- If you’d like any part of your marriage ceremony in another language, I am happy to oblige. (I speak several languages, and will learn enough of additional languages to perform your wedding as needed.) – Further information
Of course, if either of the parties to the marriage or one of the witnesses don’t understand the language in which the ceremony is conducted, a qualified interpreter may be necessary (if I consider it desirable, as per Section 112 of the Marriage Act). - If you want a small marriage ceremony at a low cost, the Basic ceremony option is a bargain at AUD $290.00. This ceremony is short and sweet, will be performed in my office (so no need to look for a venue), and provides a completely valid and legal marriage ceremony.
- For a wonderful ceremony of the highest quality designed and tailored for you, the Standard ceremony option provides you with every option and possibility. Make your ceremony stand out as something unique to both of you, completely customised so that you’ll remember it as a day of perfect happiness. From small-scale ceremonies to dramatic large-scale weddings conducted with superb professionalism, it’s covered by this one fee.
- I’ve been conducting marriage ceremonies since 2008, and consistently provide best industry standard service. Every attention to detail is important. My priority is to compose a ceremony script to the highest standard (or assist you to choose a ceremony script that perfectly meets your needs), prepare for it thoroughly, and to conduct the ceremony with excellence. Let me take the stress out of your marriage ceremony so that you can focus on the day, and on the commitment between you. As per Section 39G of the Marriage Act, I “conduct [myself] in accordance with the Code of Practice for marriage celebrants prescribed by regulations made for the purposes of this paragraph”.
¹ This form of lodgement only applies where both parties are aware at the time of lodgement that they are giving notice of their intended marriage, but one party cannot conveniently sign the NOIM at that time due to their being interstate, out of the country, engaged in shift work affecting their present availability, and so on. It does not negate the need for both parties to give informed consent at the time of lodging the Notice of Intended Marriage. One party cannot lodge an NOIM without the second party’ knowledge and consent, hence a “surprise wedding” (where there is undue pressure on the “surprised” person to agree to the ceremony; even if there is evidence that the person would previously have agreed to a marriage proposal, their consent must not be assumed) or a “forced marriage” would not be valid under under section 23B of the Marriage Act 1961. ➥
² This form of lodgement is conditional upon my receiving the original NOIM before the ceremony. It can be as late as the actual day of the ceremony, as long as it is before the actual ceremony. ➥
³ The one-month waiting period begins from the time of lodgement of the NOIM, not from the time when the divorce was granted. For instance, it would be possible for a couple to marry one day after the divorce of one of the parties becomes final – as long as the newly divorced person can show the celebrant the proof of divorce (certificate of divorce, decree absolute, divorce order, or overseas equivalent). Current divorce orders issued by the Federal Circuit Court and by the Family Court in electronic format including an electronic seal and signature are acceptable proofs of divorce. ➥
⁴ This does not negate the need for your conjugal status to be never validly married, widower, widow, or divorced at the time of the actual marriage. Before the marriage can be solemnized, the two parties (i.e., the bride and the groom / spouses) must both sign the DECLARATION OF NO LEGAL IMPEDIMENT TO MARRIAGE (for the purposes of subparagraph 42(1)(c)(iii) of the Marriage Act 1963, and pursuant to regulations 71 and 79 of the Marriage Regulations 2017 (Cth)) in which their conjugal status must be that of a ‘person who has never been validly married’, ‘widower’, ‘widow’, or ‘divorced person’. Under section 50(3) of the Marriage Act 1961, this form shall be on the reverse of one of the official certificates of marriage. ➥
