Tell Me About Your Ceremony

As a civil celebrant practicing in Queensland and New South Wales, I can help you with all the paperwork.

The first thing to do once you have a date is register it by completing a Notice of Intended Marriage or NOIM. The form can either be completed with your celebrant or by downloading the forms from the Attorney General’s Department Website and having it witnessed by an authorised witness. If you are in Australia and completing the forms yourself, you can have your NOIM witnessed by one of the following authorised witnesses: an authorised Marriage Celebrant a justice of the peace a Commissioner for Declarations under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 a barrister or solicitor a legally qualified medical practitioner a member of the Australian Federal Police or the police force of a Sate or Territory. If you're overseas and unable to be in Australia before the NOIM is due, you will need one of the following authorities to witness: an Australian Diplomatic Officer an Australian Consular Officer a Notary public an employee of the Commonwealth authorised under paragraph 3(c) of the Consular Fees Act 1955 an employee of the Australian Trade Commission authorised under paragraph 3(d) of the Consular Fees Act 1955. Please note, if you are filling the forms without your celebrant, it is best to fill it out BLOCK letters using BLACK pen or by using the dynamic PDF version to ensure everything is legible.

To lodge or register your ceremony date it is simply providing your celebrant with your complete NOIM no later than one calendar month and no earlier than 18 months prior to your ceremony date.  The NOIM must be completed, signed and witnessed.  The easiest way to achieve this is to complete the NOIM with your celebrant. We can meet up in person or do it remotely on a video call.  TIP:  Did you know that your NOIM can be completed and lodged by just one of you? This is helpful to know if one of you has to travel for business or is moving from overseas for example. Your celebrant will finalise the missing details of the NOIM with prior to the ceremony, including checking your identification. This can be done remotely once you are both back in Australia or on the day prior to the ceremony going ahead.

The Best Identification to Present to Your Celebrant or Witness: Your original birth certificate OR your original current or expired (but not cancelled) passport Your current drivers license (or other valid photo identification) And if you’ve been married before, you will need to show: Your original divorce paper from the court OR a death certificate if you are a widow or widower

Simple, the lodgement of your NOIM is when you send the completed forms to your celebrant. If you choose to work with me, we can do this piece of paperwork together at our first official meeting so all you need to organise is your pieces of identification. TIP:  The NOIM can be completed and witnessed online by your celebrant as long as you are both joining the video conference from a location within Australia.

Before you walk down the aisle you will need to sign a Declaration of No Legal Impediment.  This is usually done the day before or just before the ceremony depending on what is most convenient for you both.  It can be together or separately.  If you decide to have me as your celebrant we will do this at the rehearsal or before the ceremony starts. I will speak to each of you separately to finalise this piece of paperwork, it is very simple and quick. It is a priority and legally required for the ceremony to go ahead. The final pieces of paperwork you will sign are during the ceremony.  There are two Legal Certificates of Marriage, and the commemorative Marriage Certificate.  Your celebrant will bring these on the day. You will do the signing of these Certificates at the end of the ceremony, with your two nominated witnesses. This is usually a good photo opportunity for your guests and photographer. ​Note, your witnesses can be anyone, but they must be over 18 years of age.  Also, it is good to be aware that you can't use the commemorative marriage certificate for name changes, you will need your official marriage certificate which we can pre-order when we start your paperwork with the NOIM or you can order it via Birth, Deaths and Marriages - see below for more information. TIP:  If signing the paperwork during the ceremony doesn't fit the day's schedule the witnessed signing can be done later in the day.  Speak to your celebrant about what is required to arrange to sign your marriage documentation after the ceremony, for example before the reception.

If I am your celebrant, once we have finished your ceremony and the legal paperwork is signed, I’ll register your marriage through the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM). This is all done electronically by me - nothing for you to worry about - you’re 100% MARRIED as soon as you have said your legal vows during the ceremony, this is the admin stuff! Note, if you are thinking of changing your name, or if you need proof of marriage for visa, immigration and financial purposes – you’ll need to apply for your Official Marriage Certificate marriage. I can apply for it automatically when we do your NOIM and ID check. Once all the paperwork is completed by the BDM they send you an email invoice (circa $60 in Qld) and once paid the legal marriage certificate will arrive via registered mail. Alternatively, you can apply for it online, via post or in person through the Registry of BDM. ​