Whether you're busting out your second-storey bedroom window and running off to elope or planning your dream wedding with hundreds of guests, there are many legal aspects to any wedding or elopement ceremony. It starts with your Notice of Intended Marriage, which must be lodged at least one month (and no more than 18 months) prior to your wedding or elopement date. As a part of this process, I must sight your official documents to verify your identity and ensure that you are eligible to marry. For example, if you are under the age of 18 or you have been previously married, you must provide additional documentation to prove your eligibility. 

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To verify your date and place of birth, you will need:

💜 Your original birth certificate OR

💜 A valid passport.

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To verify your identity, you will need to present: 

💜 A valid passport OR

💜 A driver's licence OR

💜 A state-issued photo ID card.

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Before your wedding or elopement ceremony, you will also need to complete a Declaration of No Legal Impediment to confirm that you are still both eligible to marry. This can be done just before the ceremony.

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Your ceremony must also include:

💜 Celebrant’s Authority, including a brief explanation of the nature of marriage according to law in Australia

💜 Legal vows

💜 Signing of official marriage certificates, immediately after the ceremony.

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You and your witnesses are required to sign three separate documents to certify your marriage. One is sent to the state Births, Deaths and Marriages register, one is retained by me and the third is yours to keep. This certificate cannot be replaced, so please make sure you have somewhere to keep it safe once the ceremony is over and the party gets started!