A. Yes, I am very happy to officiate for same sex couples!
Q. What form do we need to fill out to get married?
A. Before you may marry, Australian Marriage law requires that you sign and lodge with me the Notice of Intended Marriage form and must be submitted to me a minimum of one month prior to the wedding and must not exceed 18 months. You can submit your Notice in person, via fax or mail, but you must bring the original Notice with you when you meet with me. The NOIM will remain active for 18 months from the date of submission. Please see Links Page.
Q. Can a person under 16 marry.
A. No - You must be over 18 years of age to legally marry in Australia. (A person under the age of 16 cannot marry.)
Q. Do you have to have witnesses to a marriage?
A. Yes - On the day of your marriage you must have two witnesses over the age of 18. The witnesses do not need to be known to you. but they will need to comply with Australian Marriage Law, requirements as a witness to a marriage.
Q. What documents do I need to marry if born in Australian?
A. If one or both of you are Australian born you must show your, Australian Passport or Original Birth Certificate to prove date and place of birth and other photographic identification documents, ie. Drivers Licence. You must also notbe married to anyone else even in another country. You will need to provide your Divorce or Death Certificate of your previous Spouse to prove this.
Q. What documents do I need to marry, if I was born outside of Australia.
A person born overseas who does not have a birth certificate or extract, should make every effort to obtain one from his or her country of birth. In the event that this is not possible the Celebrant may sight a Passport issued by the government of an overseas country, provided it shows both date and place of birth. It doesn’t have to be current, but it must not be cancelled or revoked. The Celebrant may also request additional proof of identity. If the documents are not in English, you will require an interpreter. NAATI are the Australian Governments preferred organisation. Please see Links page.
Q. What documents do I need to bring if I have been married before, or my previous spouse has died?
A. If either of you have previously been married you will have to produce your Divorce Decree Absolute papers and/or if either of your spouses are deceased, you must produce the Death Certificate, before you can marry.
If coming from Overseas, an official at the Australian Embassy or Australian Consulate can certify these outside Australia. If you have been married more than once before, evidence of how the last marriage ended is the evidence I need to see, for you to marry in Australia.
Q. If we marry outside of Australia first, can we marry again in Australia when we return?
A. If you marry outside of Australia and then wish to hold a wedding in Australia. this second event, will be classed as a Celebration of a Marriage, NOT an official legal binding Wedding Ceremony.
Q. What document do I need to bring if I have officially changed my name in the past?
A. If you have ever had your name changed, you will require a Original Name Change Certificate, for my sighting.
These documents need to be sighted by me prior to the wedding, it is preferred if you can have them at our first meeting. If any of the above documents are in a language other than English.
Australian Law, requires that the documents must be translated by a accredited Australian NATI translator. Please see Links Page.
Q. What if I don’t have all the documents in the required time?
A. The Wedding Ceremony CAN NOT occur! The Celebrant must have sighted, all the required documentation, prior to the wedding day.
Q. My fiancé works away/or is overseas, can I lodge the NOIM just myself?
A. If it is not possible for you both to sign the NOIM together, before it is required to be legally lodged. One of you may submit the form to me! The party who has not signed the NOIM at that time, must be signed in the Celebrant’s presence, before the marriage can be legally solemnised.
Q. What if we need to be married before one month?
A. There are 5 categories which have circumstances set out, in the regulations for shortening of time for notice.
1. Employment related or other travel commitments
2. Wedding celebration arrangements or religious considerations
3. Medical reasons
4. Legal proceedings
5. Error in giving notice
Only a prescribed authority may, if satisfied that the circumstances prescribed by Regulation have been met, can then authorise, a registered and authorised celebrant, eg. myself, to solemnise a marriage, before the required one month period. A Shortening of time is not commonly or lightly granted, and must be supported by appropriate evidence or reason!
A example of this criteria, is that one of the parties to the marriage of someone involved with the proposed wedding is seriously or terminally ill. In this case a doctors letter may be sufficient to request the reduction in time.
Q. Where can I have my Wedding Ceremony?
A. In Australia, you can hold a Wedding Ceremony …
- on a beach,
- at a park
- in a Council run garden, there are many beautiful gardens here on the Sunshine Coast. The Maroochy Botanic Gardens - Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanical Gardens, has quite a selection of ceremonial sites, in gorgeous natural environments, as does the Noosa Botanic Gardens, Native Plants and Botanic Gardens, Yandina-in a private garden, Maleny Botanic Gardens, and Ben Bennett Botanic Park, Caloundra- by a lake,
- at a wedding venue,
- in a hospital,
- on a boat,
- in a hot air balloon,
- at your home,
- in a restaurant,
- on top of a mountain.
It really is up to your own creativity, depending on your wishes, and needs, we will work together, to make it happen!
To hold a Wedding or Ceremony on a beach or park, you will need to apply to the Council. Please see Links page.
For Forests and National Parks, you will need to apply for a Organised events in national parks, conservation parks, marine parks, State forests or recreation areas permit. Please see Links page.
