Sam Johns Celebrant & MC

Once you’ve decided you want to spend forever with that one person, you need to lodge your Notice of Intent to Marry with a Celebrant one month prior to the wedding date, so if your date is 8th August, the NOIM needs to be accepted by 8th July, unless a Shortening of Time has been applied for. The NOIM needs to be witnessed by an authorised party, a Celebrant is an authorised party but if you’re sending the NOIM via email then the NOIM needs to be witnessed by a JP, or other authorised party.

The best Celebrants book up early. Once you know your date and venue, it’s best to look into Celebrants as early as you possibly can. Remember; the Celebrant is the one who creates the vibe for your entire wedding event and holds space for both of you in a really vulnerable moment, so choose a Celebrant who you both like. Meet with them and ask them loads of questions, there’s a Celebrant out there for everyone .

The Notice of Intent to Marry (NOIM) needs to be accepted by the Celebrant one month prior to the wedding date, so if your date is 8th August, the NOIM needs to be accepted by 8th July, unless a Shortening of Time has been applied for.

Once received the NOIM is entered into the BDM (Births, Deaths and Marriages) of the state in which you’ll be married The Declaration of Marriage needs to be signed before you’re married, this is to ensure you aren’t married to anyone else, marrying while already married to someone else is a federal offence called Bigamy and can land you and the Celebrant in gaol – don’t do that!

At the wedding, the legal requirements are – the Celebrant must say the Monitum, and you both need to say the legal vows, eg. I call upon all here present to witness that I (your full name) take you (their full name) to be my lawful wife/husband/partner. Then both of you, your two witnesses and the Celebrant sign the Official Marriage Certificate and the Commemorative Certificate (this is the pretty keepsake one you take home but can’t be used for anything official).

The Celebrant then registers your marriage within 14 days of the ceremony. It’s not up to the Celebrant to order your Official Marriage Certificate, but it’s so much easier for you if they do it at time of registration – this is an additional charge usually around $50 – $60.

A celebrant can cost anything from $400 to $1800 in the Byron Bay shire, but it all depends on the quality of the experience you’re wanting. If you just want someone to turn up on the day with a script that’s been read before and the name’s changed respectively, then definitely go for one of the cheaper options. But if you’re wanting to create a truly memorable experience, that will entertain both of you and all of your guests then choose a celebrant who gets to know you both, asks questions about your love story, and writes a unique ceremony just for you. If you’re not skimping on the photographer, the dress or suit or the venue, then definitely don’t skimp on the Celebrant.  

Please visit my website for pricing packages www.samjohnscelebrant.com.au

1) Its always best to have a chat over the phone or meet in person to get a feel if we are the right fit for each other.

2) In order to secure your wedding date a booking fee must be made.  Once this is paid, I would send you an “information pack”.

This information pack includes a “booklet”, which is full of ideas and suggestions of things that you may like to include in your ceremony.    

Given the first official in person meeting wouldn’t be until about 3 months before your actual ceremony date, this booklet gives you something to read over, make any notes, write down any questions you may have… (this is handy for both of us as it gives us a place to start when we build your ceremony together).

NOTE -  Once you pay that booking fee, guess what?! -  I’m available to you 24/7.

3) In this meeting, we chat about your ceremony. I bottle up what we discussed, run it through my creative lab, and then send the ceremony back to you for review.

4) Once your happy we would run through a rehearsal before the big day.

5) On your wedding day I will arrive nice and early to set the vibe.  We then say the words, sign the papers and then I go home to complete the rest of your legal documents to register your marriage.