Jennifer Kent Marriage celebrant

Great question! Choosing a celebrant is more than just asking about their Fee and Availability. Your celebrant creates your ceremony by listening to you (with their heart and their ears) and translating what they “hear” into your perfect ceremony.

That means, that their ability to ”hear,” your dynamic as a couple, what you value, the style you are looking for, and especially what you’re not saying, are really important considerations in getting your choice of celebrant right. You can find out a lot by checking out their online presence, reading what other couples have said in their reviews, and if you can, by meeting up with them. All of these will help you form a picture of what your celebrant is like and if they are the one for you.

After you have set the date for your wedding, the 3 things you should first look at booking are your Venue, Photographer and Celebrant. These are the services that book well in advance so you want to make sure you get in early to get first pick.

The first document that is lodged with your celebrant is called the NOIM. It advises of your intention to marry as well as verifies the identities of yourself and your partner. To submit this document you are required to present either your Birth Certificate or Passport, as well as Divorce or Death papers if you have been married before.

Closer to your wedding, there is another document to be completed which is similar to signing a Statutory Declaration stating that you are not withholding any information which would render you unable to marry in Australia. An example of such information would be, “if you are currently married to someone else.”

There are final papers to be completed on your wedding day (typically during your ceremony) and they referred to as the Signing of the Register.

Your celebrant will provide you with all the forms you need.

Yes, you can apply for a Shortening of Time, but this will only be granted if the stated reason fits the legislated criteria. For more on this, go the website for Births, Deaths and Marriages.

For your marriage to be registered in Australia, you ceremony must be conducted on Australian soil or in Australian waters. You can marry on land, sea or sky!