A marriage celebrant can do a lot or a little. But all Commonwealth registered marriage celebrants in Perth are authorised to solemnise marriages in Australia. Once you have chosen your celebrant they will meet with you to sign a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) anytime between eighteen months and one month before your ceremony. Your marriage celebrant should then help you plan your ceremony exactly as you would like it to be. They will guide you as to general flow and structure and also for the legally prescribed requirements, but your input will be sought so the ceremony has your personality’s right throughout it.
There is another document to sign before your ceremony. This is called the Declaration of no legal impediment to marriage. Your marriage celebrant usually will have you sign this at your rehearsal.
On the day of your wedding ceremony, your marriage celebrant will be at the venue at least twenty minutes before your ceremony starts. If one partner is already there greeting the guests then the celebrant liaises with them and settles them by the arbour in preparation for their partner to make their grand entrance. (Sometimes couples walk in together, really there is no hard and fast rule).
When the other partner arrives at your wedding venue your celebrant will meet you at the car with big smiles and a reassuring hug to prepare you for your big walk down the aisle.
Once you are both together at the arbour your marriage celebrant will kick off your ceremony in a friendly welcoming and professional tone. You and your guests will have the time of your lives and you and your partner will be hitched in front of your loved ones. After vows and an exchange of rings, you and your witnesses will sign three marriage certificates. Following that you will be presented as a married couple and of course there’s plenty of time for your first kiss – I always suggest you practise this a lot so you can really nail it on your big day!
After hugging you goodbye and presenting you with your beautiful marriage certificate, your marriage celebrant will pack up their things and leave you to celebrate in style with your guests.
Your marriage celebrant completes the paperwork then sends it to Births Deaths and Marriages (BDM), in the state where you were married. Shortly after your big day your marriage celebrant will send you an email with some information on how to obtain a BDM marriage certificate, and how to change your name if either of you are doing that. They will then say congratulations and then reluctantly say goodbye until hopefully your paths cross again.
As your marriage celebrant, I am always available to my couples throughout this process. I answer emails and texts very quickly. I take the time to get to know my couples as I consider your wedding day to be an extremely amazing day in your lives. I am an organised, caring and supportive professional who will take stress out of this whole process and you really will enjoy your ceremony as I will have everything covered and will quite simply nail it!
Here in Australia, the first piece of legal paperwork you need to fill out on your marriage journey is a Notice of Intended Marriage. This is known among celebrants as a NOIM.
Where on earth do I get one from?
There are a few places, but I say, ask your marriage celebrant! My couples are sent a link which takes them to a page to fill this out, and then it comes straight into my software program on my computer. I then print it and we sign it together. This is then considered “lodged”. (The Australian version of having applied for your “marriage license”) So easy!
How long is a piece of string?
Depending on the type of ceremony you are looking for you can can budget upwards of $1,000 for an awesome marriage celebrant.
You want your wedding ceremony to be remembered for all the right reasons - yeah?
I am always there to help you write your vows. Often I will be asked my opinion once they have been sent to me and I reply with an “OMG, they really are just perfect”! You know yourself, you know your partner, you know how you write, and you know what you want to say. Trust yourself. Just sit down and start writing and the words will flow.
You still think you might be a bit stuck. Well have no fear, Mr(s) Google is here. I never ever recommend copying what you read on the internet but by reading what another person has written for their vows, it can trigger in you what you want to write. Honestly, just trust yourself. You’ve got this. And if you really don’t think you have, remember, I’ll be there to help you. One way or another you’ve got this!
“Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life”.
So that’s a big YES!
That sentence is read by your marriage celebrant during your ceremony as part of the legally required Monitum. Any two people can marry each other! Yay!
The modern marriage ceremony is just fantastic! Save a few legal requirements, you really can have pretty much whatever you like in your ceremony.
When I meet with my couples to plan their wedding ceremony, we discuss who they may like to include in their big day. There are so many ways for your loved ones to participate! Bridesmaids, groomsmen, brides tribe, groomal party, ring bearers, flower girls, page boys. Witnesses. Someone to read a poem or reading. Fur babies. I recently saw a pair of alpacas, and some guinea pigs in a few wedding photos. So cute!
I love it when a couple have their children participate in their ceremony. Recently I suggested to a few of my couples that perhaps they could have their own children pronounce them married, and say “you may kiss”! It went down a treat!
If you would like to include anyone in particular in your ceremony, we can discuss it when we plan your ceremony. Really, we can make your big day, just exactly as you would like it!