is the ceremony the only part that HAS to happen for the marriage to be legal?

The process commences with the Notice of Intended Marriage, continues through another form to be signed before the wedding and then the ceremony has certain parts in it which makes it legal

I am happy to send you a kit which will help you plan your wedding day

Mario - Treasured Ceremonies

No it is not the only part that HAS to happen for the marriage to be legal.  There are legal elements that occur during your ceremony on the day of your marriage. However, there is a lot of legal requirements to be met piror to the ceremonial day - and even after you are married.  You must lodge a NOTICE OF INTENDED MARRIAGE document with your celebrant at least 1 month before your wedding day.  The legal age for marriage in Australia is 18 years - and you cannot be married to anyone else at the time of your marriage.  In Australia you can only be married to one person at a time.  Therefore the celebrant must see your personal identity docments, such as birth certificates, passports, etc. If you have been married before, a divorce certificate, death certificate, or in the case of a previously registered civil partnership your marriage to one another will cancel the registration.  Your celebrant will guide you through this process and provide specific advice on exactly what documents are required.  You will also need to sign a legal declaration, advising that there is no legal reason why you cannot be married to one another.  That means that you are not already married to someone else, and that you are 18 years or older. My couples usually sign this document during the rehearsal or on our last meeting. It must be signed prior to your wedding ceremony.  After the ceremony, your celebrant has two weeks to ensure your documents are lodged for registration with the relevant registry office.  Your celebrant will guide you through the whole process, making it as simple and stress-free as posasible. Sue

Hi Before the ceremony can take place you and your fiancee will need to complete the Notice of Intended Marriage at least 30 days prior to the ceremony. Then on the day the Celebrant has to say a paragraph of legal wording, the bride and groom have to say a couple of legal words, sign the neccessary paperwork and you are married. The Celebrant then lodges the paperwork with the relevant Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Your Celebrant will lead through all this and should make it as easy as possible for you. Cheers Michael

Hello, first and foremost a Notice of Intended Marriage must be lodged with your chosen celebrant no earlier than 18 months before the wedding and no later than one month before the wedding, It is however, advisable to not leave it to the last minute as with venues, celebrants do get booked out, also it is courtesy to allow the chosen celebrant time to create your ceremony to your requirements and wishes.

When meeting with your chosen celebrant, you will require to supply certain documentation to identify yourself, this can be in the form of birth certificates (preferable) and/or passports and drivers licences, or in the event of divorce - then your divorce certificate, if widowed - the death certificate needs to be sighted.

Approximately a week to a few days before the wedding date, a declaration of no legal impediment must be signed by you both, this verifies that you are both legally free to marry, this can be done at the rehearsal prior to the wedding date.

Once your marriage has  been solemnised, your marriage is registered online and the Notice of Intended Marriage and the official certificate/declaration of no legal impediment is either upload to BDM or posted.

Hope this answers your question

Best Wishes

Karen Dearing

No, even before the ceremony, a couple must give written notice of their intention to marry to a Celebrant, who ensures they are validly able to marry.  A Notice of Intended Marriage is a legal requirement and it must be lodged with a Celebrant at least one month before a marriage and it is valid then for a legal marriage to take place any time in the 18 months following lodgement.  

A couple must also show their birth certificate and photo identification (or a passport also provides evidence of place and date of birth) to the Celebrant and, if relevant, they must  provide evidence of divorce, change of name, death of a previous spouse etc too.  

Celebrants are legally required to provide certain information to the couple in accordance with the Marriage Act 1961 before the ceremony can occur.  Closer to the marriage, a couple must sign a Declaration of No Impediment to Marriage and check the accuracy of the three marriage certificates they will sign with their two legal witnesses and the celebrant after their ceremony.  

The ceremony itself only has three compulsory legal components including some words of warning (The 'Monitum' - spoken by the Celebrant), the legally required vows (spoken by the couple before at least 2 witnesses) and the signing of marriage certificates, but of course there are many options that your Celebrant can run you through and help you decide what you want included.  

Following the ceremony, your legal documentation is lodged by your Celebrant with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the State/Territory in which you were married.  All this is legally required for marriage and your chosen Celebrant can assist with explanations plus talk to you about associated matters, like what you need to do if you want to use your spouse's surname after marriage and change it on official documentation including your passport, bank account and driver's license.

 Just ask a Celebrant for help with understanding all legal and non-legal requirements and they should be able to help.  Contact me in Canberra if you have any questions of course.  Gina Callan at Licensed to Wed. 

At least one month before the wedding day there is some more paperwork which has to be done.  Your celebrant will guide you through and make this an easy process but on the day 'YES' the ceremony is the only thing which makes it a legal marriage.  The ceremony reminds everyone that you have decided to spend the rest of your lives together.  The reception is a chance to relax, celebrate and have fun with those family and friends important to you. Just remember to enjoy the moment!

Karen Hamilton