Margaret Celenza
Civil Celebrant
Legal Requirements

Planning/booking stage
On our first meeting together we will begin the legalities of your wedding as well as talk
about your requirements for your ceremony.
The Australian Law requires that a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form is filled
out and lodged with your celebrant no less than one calendar month plus one day before
the ceremony date.

E.g. If you plan to marry on the 15/02/2011 the NOIM form must be received and
lodged with me no later than14/01/2011. This form is supplied by me when we have our
first meeting to begin organising your ceremony.

Special allowance may be granted for a shortening of time if the couple can prove to a
Magistrate, Judge or prescribed authority that they meet special requirements and
circumstances - however a shortening of time is not always granted. Ask me for more
information.

Both the Bride and Groom should be 18 years old or over. Ask me about what is required
if one of the parties is under 18 but over 16.
(Only one of the parties to the marriage is allowed to be under 18.)  

You will need to bring to this appointment your birth certificates, and, if either party has
been married before, a divorce certificate or death certificate, whichever is applicable.
If one of the parties was born overseas, and is unable to produce their birth certificate,
their foreign passport is allowable as proof of I.D.
I will also have to see your driving licences.

(Australian citizens must show a birth certificate – an Australian passport is not an
allowable form of I.D. for these purposes.)

I will lodge this N.O.I.M. (together with your signed certificates from the ceremony)
with the department of births deaths and marriages after the ceremony.

On your wedding day I will give you a presentation copy of your wedding certificate. To
obtain an official, legal copy, you can apply to the department  after I have lodged your
documentation. The department charges approximately $44 for this. For your
convenience I will enclose a copy of the application form with your presentation
certificate. If required, I can organise this application on your behalf.

...................................................................
Legal components of the ceremony.

To make the ceremony legally binding, certain wording has to be included at various
points in the ceremony. I will create your personal ceremony around these.
Also, there are other legal concerns to consider when planning a wedding.

Q - Who can Legally Marry in Australia?
A. Parties must be of opposite gender and 18 years of age or over. Exceptions may be
made if one person is between the ages of 16 and 18 years old and the other person is 18
years old or above, and they must obtain a Court Order.

Q - Can people from overseas countries marry in Australia?
A. YES -   identification documentation must be provided and time restrictions can apply
in some cases. Each case is unique so please call or email me and I'll outline the
requirements for you. it is very easy to organise your wedding with me before you arrive
in Australia. Just ask me and I will talk you through the requirements.


Q - What is considered a 'legal' Australian Civil Marriage Ceremony?
A. A Legal Civil Wedding Ceremony in Australia must contain the following elements:

1. The Introduction
Your celebrant must clearly identify themselves as a Celebrant authorised to solemnize
marriages under Australia Law with the words - "I am duly authorized by law to
solemnize marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence
and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding
nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter."

2. A Legal Statement about Marriage
This statement is required under Australian Law and it is - “Marriage, according to law in
Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily
entered into for life.”

3. Legally worded vows;-

These are - “I call upon the persons here present to witness that I,( bride or groom )
take you, (bride or groom)  to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)”
As long as these words are spoken, you can then have your own personal vow wording
added to this.

5. A Declaration
A Statement that you are Husband and Wife.
Additionally the ceremony needs to be witnessed by two Adults over the age of 18 years
and all paperwork signed by the couple, the witnesses and the celebrant.
To the world you
may be one
person,
but to one
person you may
be the world.
~Bill Wilson