Frequently Asked Questions

The minimum notification is one calendar month prior to the ceremony. This is what is legally called lodging a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). A NOIM cannot be lodged sooner than 18 months. Generally, both parties sign the NOIM together with the celebrant witnessing each party’s signature. If for some reason one party is not able to sign at least one month prior to the proposed date of the ceremony, one of the parties can sign with the other party signing in the presence of the authorised celebrant, before the marriage is solemnised.

Even though the NOIM only needs to be lodged one calendar month prior to the date of the ceremony, ultimately, making contact with the celebrant as early as possible gives everyone plenty of time to ensure lodgement is on time.

To fill in a NOIM, a celebrant needs to have evidence of each party’s date and place of birth. This can be an original Birth Certificate or Passport (Australian or overseas). The celebrant also needs photo identification as evidence to verify your identity. This can be a driver’s license, proof of age/photo card or Passport. If either party has been previously married, the celebrant will need to sight the actual Certificate of Divorce, Divorce Order or Decree Absolute or the original Death Certificate of the former spouse.

If an original Birth Certificate or Original Death Certificate needs to be obtained, these can be acquired by contacting the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or Territory of the birth or death. In Victoria you can apply online at www.bdm.vic.gov.au. If a party does not have their actual Certificate of Divorce, Divorce Order or Decree Absolute, they should request another copy from the court of issue.

Two people are required who are over the age of 18 years to witness the marriage ceremony and the signing of the Marriage Register and the Marriage Certificates. Witnesses can be family members, friends or anybody who is over 18 and understands English, otherwise an interpreter can be utilised.

You can most definitely write your own vows. Apart from certain legal wording that a celebrant has to include, you can include your own wording for your vows.

There is no set order to your ceremony. Together we can create a ceremony that best reflects your relationship, desires and ideas.

At the ceremony you will sign three certificates: the official standard marriage certificate which is sent to the Births, Deaths and Marriages for registration of your marriage, the authorised celebrant’s register kept by the celebrant, and the ‘party marriage certificate’ which is the certificate you get to keep on the day of the ceremony. This certificate is not proof of marriage for official purposes. Couples can request for an official Marriage Certificate to be ordered for them by the Celebrant at the time the marriage is registered at Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM), that is sent to their desired address.

You do not need to register a change of name but need to apply for your official standard marriage certificate from Births, Deaths and Marriages. Click the Paperwork button for more details. If you get married overseas, you will need to apply to Births, Deaths and Marriages to register a change of name.