What is the next step?

Check my availability

Check my availability to officiate at your ceremony on and at the date and time you have chosen.

Make a time to meet me – if this is practical

This is an informal meeting at maybe, my house, your house or your favourite café. There is no obligation attached to this meeting – I just want you to meet me so that you can make an informed decision about the celebrant whom you wish to work with you and have officiating at your marriage ceremony.

At this meeting we can talk generally about the next steps for you to take, what the legal requirements are at this stage but mostly we can share our stories and get to know each other a little. It is your choice now as to whether you would like to contact me later or proceed with a booking.

You would like to proceed

We will discuss the important information relating to the legal requirements that need to be addressed before you can be married, this includes:

• The Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) document
  The NOIM document must be filled out, signed, witnessed and lodged with your celebrant at least one month and one day prior to the marriage ceremony, and no longer than eighteen months prior to the date. The 'Notice of Intended Marriage' document is also available as a four-page document download from the Attorney General’s Department website. 

• Proof of Identity
  As part of the NOIM requirements, your celebrant must sight your official birth certificates and record the registered numbers before your marriage. In the case of a person born overseas, a valid passport may be produced as proof of identity.

• Declaration of marital status
  Also as part of the NOIM requirements, your celebrant will need to sight evidence of the dissolution of that marriage if one or both of you have been previously married – in the case of divorce a 'Certificate of Divorce' must be provided. In the case of becoming a widow or widower, a 'Death Certificate' must be provided.

The “Happily Ever After ... before and after” pamphlet

Celebrants are also required to give couples this pamphlet. It tells you something of what it means to be married, the laws that you need to know about when you marry and where to go for marriage education, counselling or family mediation.

The need for two witnesses

The official witnesses to your marriage can be anyone you choose as long as they are of legal age – that is, over eighteen years of age.

Once the legal aspects are explained, we can begin discussing ‘your special ceremony’. I will provide you with a small 'package' of information, ideas and suggestions for you – we will go through this information in detail together.