Posts
about the Legal Aspects of Weddings in Australia
(the getting married bit)
To be married legally in Australia,
you must do everything the Marriage Act requires and
do it of your own free will, both before and during
the ceremony. I make sure everything is done
properly and legally, so as not to create any
problems for you down the track. But I"m also
committed to is also important to read between
the lines, and to carefully examine all the things
that people think are legal requirements, but
aren't.
(For Bite-size how-to posts about
completing the legal paperwork See also
Tutorials
About Getting Married Particularly
useful when completing your Notice of Intended
Marriage)
Worst
Case Scenario
What
if your
celebrant
"forgets" to
register your
marriage?
Categories: | Wedding Legals |
10/10/2023
Your celebrant is required to submit your marriage
details for registration of your marriage within 14 days
of your marriage. If they fail to do that, you arestill
married. But it might take some effort to have
your marriage registered....
More...
General
thoughts about legal weddings
Never
Validly
Married? What
does that
mean?
Categories:
| Wedding Legals |
25/04/2023
In Australia, in order for any previous marriage to be
recognised by the Government, it has to have been a
valid marriage. That means it has to have met all the
legal requirements. But that may not be as simple as it
sounds...
More...
What's
the Deal with
"Solemnise" your
Marriage?
Categories:
| Wedding Legals |
23/03/2023
In Australia we talk about solemnising your marriage,
rather than marrying you. What's the deal with that? Is
there a difference?...
More...
10 Things we "Know" about Getting Married that Ain't
So
Categories:
Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning
(26/07/2016)
As Artemus Ward said 'It ain't so much the things we
don't know that get us in trouble. It's the things we
know that ain't so.' In wedding land there are a lot of
common beliefs that just aren't true ...
More ...
7 Surprising Facts about Getting Married in
Australia
Categories: | Wedding Legals |Wedding Planning
|
(16/09/2019)
Getting married in Australia is easier than many people
imagine - here are some little known facts that confirm
that. ...
More ...
When are you actually legally married?
Categories: Wedding Ceremony |
Wedding
Legals |
(08/02/2019)
There are many incorrect assumptions about when in the
sequence of the ceremony, the signing, and the
registration of their marriage a couple is actually
legally married. ...
More ...
Getting married when you don’t identify with a
gender
Categories: Inclusive Wedding |
Wedding Ceremony |
Wedding Legals |
(23/05/2019)
Gender is now immaterial when getting married in
Australia. When marrying you do not have to use gendered
terminology or adhere to gendered role ...
Read
on...
Getting Married When You Have a Disability
Categories: |
Inclusive Weddings
|
Wedding Legals |
(19/08/2021)
There is no disability or disease that will prevent you
getting married in Australia...
More
How to have a Non-Legal Wedding Ceremony
Categories: |
Wedding Ceremony |
Wedding
Legals |
(14/05/2020)
Getting married and having a wedding can be a two-step
process.. ...
More ...
Can You Have Two (or More) Weddings?
Categories: |
Wedding Ceremony |
Wedding
Legals |
Wedding Planning |
(17/03/2020)
Can you, as a marrying couple, have more than one
wedding? The answer is
Yes, but also,
That
Depends...
Read on...
When Disaster Strikes - Plan D - How to Get Married
Legally When your Venue and your Celebrant are
Unreachable
Categories: |
Wedding Legals
|
Wedding Planning |
(03/01/2020)
The one thing that is required to make any Plan B work
is the capacity to communicate. When disaster strikes,
and communications are cut, even the most detailed and
multi-faceted Plan B is useless. So what can you do if
you've planned your wedding (and a viable Plan B), and
now your venue and your celebrant are within one of the
disaster zones ...
More ...
Your
celebrant - things you need to know
Where does your NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage)
go?
Categories:
Celebrant |
Wedding Legals |
(13/10/2023)
What does "lodged" mean and what happens to your NOIM
(Notice of Intended Marriage) once you have handed it
over to your celebrant?
More ...
Is your celebrant duly authorised?
Categories:
Celebrant |
Wedding Legals |
(06/08/2018)
While scams involving persons who are not authorised
celebrants are extremely rare in Australia, now that a
celebrant can be deregistered forthwith if he or she
fails to pay the annual fee celebrants are now required
to pay, it is particularly important to check whether
your celebrant is still registered
More
...
9 Things Celebrants are NOT Allowed to
Do
Categories: |
Celebrant
|
Wedding Ceremony |
(19/08/2022)
There are nine things which celebrants cannot do
because they are illegal or in breach of the celebrant
Code of Practice ...
More
7 Things your Celebrant does NOT need to know ...
and 3 things they have to be sure about
Categories: |
Celebrant |
Wedding Legals |
(29/07/2021)
There are certain things that the Marriage Act requires
that your celebrant must know in order to make sure your
marriage will be lawful. There are also things that they
don't need to know.
.. More ...
Could a Tandem Wedding be Your Thing?
Categories: |
Wedding Ceremony
|
Wedding Legals |
Wedding
Planning |
(10/10/2021)
A tandem wedding ceremony is one that is officiated by
two people, working in concert, but only one of whom is
authorised to solemnise legal marriages ...
More
Friend or Professional Celebrant?
Categories: Celebrant |
Wedding Ceremony
|
Wedding Legals |
(02/12/2018)
Would choosing a friend instead of a professional
celebrant to conduct your wedding ceremony be a good
option for you? Everything you need to consider -
and how you can have the best of both worlds ...
More ....
Not "Just a Celebrant" (and Not "Just Half an Hour")
Categories: |
Celebrant |
Wedding
Ceremony |
Wedding Legals |
Wedding
Planning |
(28/02/2020)
What does a celebrant do? And why do they charge for
more than the half hour the ceremony takes? The easy
answer is that a celebrant changes your legal status
from not-married to married. which is a pretty big
thing. Life-changing, in fact. And they do that by
creating and performing a ceremony. But it certainly
doesn't stop there. When you hire me as a celebrant,
you're getting a lot more than someone who will make
sure you tick a few legal boxes, stand up in front of
your guests, rabbit on for a bit, and then declare that
you are married. ...
More ...
I Won't Judge You or Your Choices (unless the Law
makes me do so)
Categories: Celebrant |
Wedding Legals |
(12/11/2019)
There are some things which the law, and my obligations
under the law as a Marriage Celebrant, requires me to
make judgements about. But there are many things that
people fear being judged about that I definitely don't
and won't judge you for ...
More
...
The
Marriage Act
What Does The Marriage Act Do?
Categories: |
Wedding Ceremony
|
Wedding Legals |
(26/09/2021)
The Marriage Act applies to all marriages solemnised in
Australia. It lays down the framework, creates offences,
and deals with the recognition of foreign marriages ...
More
It's True - Your Marriage Ceremony can be
Unstructured!
Categories: |
Wedding
Ceremony |
Wedding Legals |
(19/01/2020)
It might surprise you to learn that there is nothing in
the Marriage Act that requires that your marriage
ceremony has to follow a tightly structured script. As
long as you meet the very minimal legal requirements,
everything else is optional! ...
More ...
Witnesses and
Weddings
Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
(05/12/2018)
In Australia, no matter whether you marry in church, the
registry office, or by a civil celebrant, and no matter
whether you have the big white wedding with a large
wedding party, or choose just to elope, the one thing
that every wedding must have is two witnesses...
More ...
Avoid pre-wedding dramas with a Witness Lottery
Categories: |
Wedding Ceremony |
Wedding Legals |
Wedding Planning |
(02/10/2019)
Because being witness is an honour, not choosing someone
who expected to be chosen can cause hurt feelings and a
ongoing drama, including broken friendships and family
rifts. Sidestep problems by having a witness lottery
....
More ...
Marriage
Certificates