Getting married in Australia is super simple . No Licence is needed!

You don't need a Marriage Licence

Australia is rare in that no marriage licence is needed in order to be married. You don't have to go to some sort of government office and apply (and pay) for permission to be married. All you have to do is fill in the Notice of Intended Marriage, and lodge it, duly signed and witnessed, with your Marriage Celebrant, no less than a full calendar month before your wedding.  Your celebrant can witness your signatures, as can a very short list of other people,

No Licensed Venue is Required

unlike some other countries, the place you choose for your wedding does not have to be licensed for the purpose. You can get married anywhere, public or private, indoors or out.

What this means is that, if you are having a very small wedding, you don't have to book or pay for a venue. One option is to meet with your celebrant and your witnesses at a coffee shop, order a coffee, and quietly do the deed. I've done this numerous times with couples and, because "meetings" where people might sign a bit of paperwork are quite common in a cafe or coffee shop, no-one turns a hair.

I rather like when a couple picks a coffee shop for its very relevant name (like the Forget Me Not Cafe on Honour Avenue) or because it is oh, so instagrammable. But you can be married in your own home, a local park, or at work in the lunch room, if you so choose. For larger, more formal weddings you'll want a longer, more personalised ceremony, and a venue that can accommodate that. There are many venues around Brisbane that make a business of hosting weddings. I'm happy to talk you through some options. And I'm always thrilled when a couple comes up with a venue that's quirky and new to me!

Thanks for reading