Frequently asked questions from our happy brides and grooms

What paperwork is required?

  • ♥ Notice of Intended Marriage – must be lodged with a celebrant one month before the ceremony. We can fill this in together when we meet or you can get it done and send it to me! I will need to see your ID at this stage also.

    ♥ Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage – signed as close to the ceremony date as possible. We will probably do this the morning of or the day before the ceremony.

  • ♥ Two Official Certificates of Marriage – I send one copy to the Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages and keep one for my records.

    ♥ Certificate of Marriage - this is the copy to take a photo with! This is not an official marriage certificate. Once I have registered your marriage certificate, you can request an Official Certificate of Marriage - this is what you can use to change your name.

    ♥ At the ceremony, all documents need to be signed by two witnesses who are both over the age of 18.

Are there Legal Requirements to get Married in Australia?

  • ♥ You must not be in a prohibited relationship.

    ♥ You must not be already married to each other or anyone else. 

    ♥ You must both be consenting.

    ♥ You must be over 18 (one of you may be 16 with court consent)

    ♥ You must give at least one month’s notice with a Notice of Intended Marriage form. Your celebrant will handle the form for you.

    ♥ You need two people, over the age of 18, to witness your marriage.

    ♥ You both need ID that proves your identity and date and place of birth - for example, a birth certificate.

  • ♥ The celebrant must say the Monitum – a legal statement

    ♥ You must say a line each – mandatory vows

    ♥ We all sign three marriage certificates (Your two witnesses must sign these as well)

How long is a ceremony?

The ceremony can be as long or short as you like! Mine are usually approximately 20 minutes but I recommend scheduling another 15 minutes on top.

Can I do elopements and surprises?

In Australia, the legal requirement is that you must give your celebrant at least one month’s notice. It’s important to know that your lover can not be the one being surprised - only family and friends!

I’ve done many ceremonies where family and friends thought they were attending an engagement party, when in fact it was the wedding, so fun! 

I love being in on the surprise with the happy couple.  

Do I travel to any destination weddings?

Yes! I am based on the Central Coast, NSW but I would be honoured to come to wherever your ceremony is held: Hunter Valley, Sydney regions, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Illawarra, North Coast, Northern Rivers, South Coast, Interstate. I love a good getaway, even more so when it’s to be a part of a beautiful ceremony!

Please note: I may charge a travel fee for destinations over 50kms from The Entrance, NSW. Get in touch and we can discuss. 

When should I book a Celebrant?

ASAP. Especially if you know the date you’d like your ceremony to be. If I am unfortunately already booked, I am more than happy to recommend some of my amazing celebrant friends. 

What if we don’t know what we want or where to start?

Don’t stress! I will come full of questions, ideas, suggestions and examples for us to create the best, personalised ceremony for you.