You're Getting Married: Now What?

So you want to get married? Congratulations on your engagement! And now, what on earth do you have to do?

Obviously you need to choose a date, book a venue, book a band, book a photographer, book a hairdresser and make up artist. All of that stuff is important, but the most important thing is booking a celebrant, because with your celebrant (or priest) you cannot validly marry. And some celebrants are booked up many ,months in advance, so if you have a particular celebrant in mind, get in touch ASAP.

Most importantly, you do need to know that to legally marry in Australia you:

• Must not be still married to another person (you must give your celebrant an original copy of evidence of your divorce or evidence of your previous partners death).
• Cannot marry your parent (inclusive of adoptive parents), grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling (inclusive of adopted siblings)
• Must be at least 18 years old (unless you have a court approved order allowing a marriage where one of the couple is aged between 16 and 18).
• Must clearly show that you understand what marriage means and that you freely consent to the marriage.
• Must use specific wording (as per the Marriage Act 1961) during the marriage ceremony: the celebrant states the Monitum, prior to you both stating the “legal vows”.
• Must give the “Notice of Intention to Marry” (NOIM) to your celebrant at least one month prior to the wedding date, but no more that 18 months prior to the wedding date: your celebrant can assist you in filling out this form.

To complete the NOIM you do need to give your celebrant:

• Evidence of the date and place of your birth: original birth certificate, Australian or overseas passport
• Evidence of your identity: usually your drivers license, proof of age card, or Australian or overseas passport.
• Evidence of the end of any previous marriages for each person if relevant: the death certificate of the previous spouse or your divorce certificate.
• The celebrant may also require you to complete a Statutory Declaration to support your provided evidence, if this is deemed necessary by the celebrant.

Source: http://www.ag.gov.au/FamiliesAndMarriage/Marriage/Pages/GettingmarriedinAustralia.aspx