F.A.Qs
Frequently asked questions
What you must know for a wedding
Do I need a marriage celebrant?
Yes, if you are looking to have a legally valid marriage in Australia. I have been through both exhaustive training and testing to become a Commonwealth registered marriage celebrant. This is to ensure that there will be no legal issues with the validity of your marriage and there is ongoing personal development for registered marriage celebrants and we must past an examination each year to stay registered.
What are the legal requirements for getting married in Australia?
Refer to the NSW “Marriage and Law” page for full details, in brief:
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You must not be in a prohibited relationship.
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You must not be already married
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You must both be consenting
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You must be over 18 years of age (one of you may be 16 with a court order) .
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You must give at least one month’s notice with a Notice of Intended marriage form. I will handle this for you.
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You need two people, over 18 to witness your marriage.
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You need ID that proves your identity, date and place of birth
How quickly can I get married?
Oh I hope you haven’t watched too many romantic movies where they look at each other and say ‘let’s do it now’ … This isn’t law in Australia. You are required by law to give a minimum of a month’s notice by lodging a NOIM (Notice of intended marriage form) with me. This form will be witnessed by me and after the ceremony lodged with the Department of Births, Deaths and Marriage.
What paperwork is required from beginning to the wedding ceremony itself?
Before the ceremony, but to secure the wedding booking:
Notice of Intended Marriage – must be lodged with a celebrant at least a month before the ceremony. We will complete this together with the correct identification, and you can sign it when we meet.
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Before and at the ceremony:
Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage – signed as close to the ceremony date as possible.
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Directly after 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 – your commemorative certificate that you get to take home on the day (note this is not a legal document) but simply a lovely keepsake from the day.
All these documents require two witnesses over the age of 18. Depending on your circumstances you may also need some other paperwork, but we will work that out when we speak.
Do you (one or both) have to be an Australian citizen to be married in Australia?
No you do not, however you still need to follow all the normal Australian legal requirements as above.
Questions about me and the ceremony
We have decided that we want to get married, where do we start?
Have a think and do your research on what style of wedding you would like to plan. What do you both want? Something intimate, an elopement, something on a cliff top or other spectacular setting?
Once you have decided and settled on a date, time and location, time to make contact.
Do I travel and can I organise a wedding for an overseas couple?
Absolutely! I will travel anywhere for love.
Talk to me about long distance or interstate weddings and the associated reasonable costs.
If you wish to get married in Sydney (or anywhere in Australia) but you are currently not living here, I can still organise you a fabulous wedding, suggest wedding vendors. I can arrange the venue, flowers, photographer - you can rest easy !
Almost everything is the same, except when you fill in the Notice of Intention to Marry (NOIM), you will need to get an Australian Embassy or Consulate in the country you live in - to witness it, then send to me no less than one month prior.
When do I need to book a wedding celebrant and what’s the process to seal the deal
You should book a celebrant no more than 18 months before and no less than 1 month before the wedding.
My process is easy peasy, give me a call (happy to zoom). Then if you are happy, you make the booking. I send you a Terms of Service Agreement which you can sign and return online.
Once this is signed and a non-refundable deposit of $100 is paid, you are in!
What does a celebrant wear?
Great question - because the last thing is you need for your celebrant to turn up in a ball gown while you are having a beach wedding and I do love a good frock, so happy to talk wedding fashion! It’s one of my first questions as to what colour scheme you are thinking and then I select my dress based on something that I believe will suit your ceremony.
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I am totally open to themed weddings and love a good dress up, so please feel free to discuss with me. I can offer lots of recommendations and have a stack of fun idea.
What is the standard length of a ceremony?
This depends on what you want. As a rule, with any rituals or readings, you would be looking at up to 30 minutes. However, this is your wedding if you want something shorter, even 5-10 minutes, you got it. I can deliver to the timing you require.
Do we need a back up plan for our wedding?
This is a huge YES. A solid plan B means less stress and more smiles. If you are planning an outdoor ceremony – let’s come up with a plan for an indoor location. We want all bases covered. Mother nature is one thing we can’t predict on the day (no matter how many weather Gods I pray to the night before your ceremony).
How do you write your wedding vows and how do you come up with a ‘script’ for your ceremony.
Writing your vows can be overwhelming right? I get it. There is a lot of pressure to get them right, not to mention you’re usually pouring your soul out in front of a tribe of people, some of whom may not have seen you so vulnerable.
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I can assist, but here are a few tips:
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Start writing little things down that you love about this person. Add to this whenever you think of something.
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Decide together how long you want your vows to be. You don’t one of you writing a trilogy and the other one coming up with a #iloveyou and nothing more.
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Pick 3 or 4 vow categories to focus on like:
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What you love about them
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What you promise (can be funny as well as heartfelt)
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What you want for your future together
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Remember though, there are NO rules. This is YOUR wedding, your way and remember nerves are natural. The only part of your ceremony that CANNOT be changed or removed are the legal monitum and legal vows. Personal vows can be added at the time of the vows or after the legal vows as a separate section to the ceremony.
As your celebrant, I will send you a questionnaire and from that I will then put together a suitable script for you on the day. I will send this draft script to you for review (and I am happy for you to make changes and add suggestions etc). I don’t even need to write a script, it’s totally up to you the length and type of service you want. The fun bit for me is planning a truly unique service that represents you and you alone and my personal mission is for you to walk away going ‘wow Donna gets us’ and that you couldn’t have picked a better person to deliver the wedding of your dreams.
Let’s not forget there’s also moments during the ceremony where we will have no control over (such as funny unscripted moments, heartfelt moments, tears, laughter etc). These are a natural part of your day.
Can you help us find other weddings vendors?
Yes. When I send out the information pack when you make a booking, I will include a list of favourite wedding superstars. I am also open to discuss other vendors and even review prices for you, to see if you are getting good bang for your buck!
It’s so important that you have vendors who will provide you a killer wedding day!
Can my services be varied to suit your personal needs?
Yes, they can, please email or call to discuss any specific needs.
I can officiate at any occasion or special event in your life e.g. engagements, wedding anniversaries, major birthday milestones etc.
What if I’m sick on the day?
This would be highly unlikely. However, I do have a list of like-minded celebrants who could step in quickly.
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