Tim Kelly - Marriage Celebrant + MC

Tim Kelly - Marriage Celebrant + MC

In this situation I would suggest lodging your NOIM with your Celebrant (who should have been on top of this, by the way) and conducting a commitment ceremony on the date of your wedding. You then meet with your Celebrant one month from the date the NOIM was lodged and you just do the legal parts.

Tim Kelly - Marriage Celebrant + MC

The simple answer and most direct answer is No. The best way to explain it would be 'conflict of interest'. You can't marry yourself.

Tim Kelly - Marriage Celebrant + MC

This almost sounds like a 'surprise' wedding, which are illegal. The most important take-away here is that the Notice of Intended must be signed by at least one party and submitted to their Celebrant no later than 'one month prior to the wedding'. I tell my couples 31 days, just to be on the safe side.

The NOIM can be signed on the wedding day, but only if it already has one partner's signature on it, made on the day that the NOIM was submitted to their Celebrant, no later than one month prior to the wedding. A Celebrant can accept a Notice of Intended Marriage with only one signature on it, as long as that signature is obtained before the oe month cut-off, and that the outstanding signature is obtained prior to the ceremony.

As the Declaration of No Legal Impediment is required to be signed 'as close to the wedding as possible' (the BDM suggests the day before), it is possible to get the outstanding signature at that point. The missing signature MUST be obtained before the ceremony begins.

Also, how recently were they married? The Celebrant should, at some point prior to the ceremony, have spoken to each party, separately, and in private, to ask them if they were:

• 100% consensual to the wedding.
• 100% cognisant of the ramifications of their actions.

This requirement was made law last year.

I hope this helps.