Wedding Services, Renewal of Vows, Namings
I provide the following types of ceremonies:
Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich Weddings
A marriage is a celebration of the love of two persons, generally shared with closest family and friends. It is a time of great excitement and joy. Your marriage ceremony is the most important part of the day. It is the words that are exchanged by you that bind you together for life. Considerable thought and reflection should be given when contemplating the words of the ceremony.
I provide samples of ceremonies for you to choose from, together with numerous verses and readings, and I will work with you to construct the ceremony you want. I sometimes prepare several drafts along the way for your approval until the final copy is confirmed by you. I also have a strong delivery which will ensure that all guests will clearly hear and understand all words spoken during the ceremony.
All Commonwealth registered marriage celebrants are appointed by the Attorney-General's Department in Canberra. My conduct as a celebrant is governed by the Code of Practice for Marriage Celebrants, as set out by that department.
Getting Married
The first step in getting married is to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage form with your celebrant. I provide one or you can download a copy of the form (PDF document, 64 KB) to complete and give to me. The form can be lodged up to 18 months prior to the wedding, and no later than one month and one day prior to the wedding.
As from 28th December 2011, there is a new ruling re the Notice Of Intended Marriage. What does giving the notice ‘not later than one month before the date of the marriage’ mean?
The term ‘month’ is defined in section 2G of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 as follows:
(1) In any Act, month means a period:
(a) starting at the start of any day of one of the calendar months; and
(b) ending:
(i) immediately before the start of the corresponding day of the next
calendar month; or
(ii) if there is no such day—at the end of the next calendar month.
Example 1: A month - starting on 15 December in a year ends immediately before 15 January in the next year.
Example 2: A month - starting on 31 August in a year ends at the end of September in that year (because September is the calendar month
coming after August and does not have 31 days).
This new provision commenced on 28 December 2011. It clarifies a previous provision of the Acts Interpretation Act. It means, for example, that: if a NOIM is given to the authorised celebrant on 2 January, the first day the marriage can be solemnised is 2 February ; if a NOIM is given to the authorised celebrant on 31 August, the first day the marriage can be solemnised is 1 October; or if a NOIM is given to the authorised celebrant on 29 January in a non-leap year, the first day the marriage can be solemnised is 1 March.
Your Ceremony
A civil ceremony allows you the freedom to choose the type of ceremony you prefer. However there are certain words that must be said by the celebrant during a wedding ceremony to make it a lawful and valid wedding. These words are contained in Section 45 of the Marriage Act 1961 as follows:
"I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, (full name) take thee (full name) to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)."
In addition, Section 46(1) requires the following words, a paragraph known as the Monitum, to be said by the Celebrant:
"I am duly authorized by law to solemnize marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage, according to the law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."
Some couples have friends or family who are members of a clergy or other establishment and they would like this person to officiate at their wedding. However this person is not authorised to solemnise marriages in Australia. I can liaise with that person to deliver the ceremony that you want. According to law, it is only the Commonwealth registered marriage celebrant who can administer the vows (as contained in Section 45) and the Monitum (as contained in Section 46(1) of the Marriage Act 1961).
After the Ceremony
Following the ceremony, you can apply for a certified copy of your marriage certificate through the Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages in Queensland.
In recent times, government departments such as Transport, Immigration, Medicare and the Passport office have refused to accept the Certificate of Marriage presented to couples on the wedding day. This is because that document does not indicate that following the wedding, the required documents were registered in accordance with the Act. These departments therefore require a certified copy issued under the hand of the Registrar.
As part of my service to you, I can provide you with an application form which you need to submitto the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages following your wedding. Because of privacy laws, only the bride or groom can apply for the certificate. The current fee for a standard certificate is $37.
As a further service to you, I also offer the folder "Everything you need to be newly wed" at a cost of $20 which contains every possible application form you would need to change to your married name including Births, Deaths & Marriages; Driver's license; Passport; Medicare; Banks; Electoral Roll; Insurance Policies, Credit cards and many more.
You can also download a copy of the Application for Marriage Certificate form (PDF document, 37 KB) if you wish to do so.
Overseas Weddings
The thought of organising a wedding from overseas is daunting to most couples however the process is relatively easy. All couples must complete the Notice of Intended Marriage within the required time frames; the form can be downloaded from my website or from the Attorney-General’s website. It is simply a matter of completing the form and having the signatures of both parties witnessed before a Notary Public or other authorised person outlined on the back of the NOIM.
The original form along with certified photocopies of relevant documents such as birth/death/divorce certificates are then mailed to me. The original of these documents must be presented to me upon arrival in Australia.
Both parties must produce copies of their birth certificates. Depending on your country of birth, it may be necessary to have your original birth certificate translated into English by a qualified translator. If you are unable to locate your birth certificate you must apply to your country of birth for a new copy. If that is not possible, you are able to produce your overseas passport as proof of birth. If you are born in Australia or New Zealand, you must produce your birth certificate.
Renewal of Vows in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan or Ipswich
Sometimes couples get married overseas for various reasons. The high cost of travel often means that family and friends are unable to share in the event. Couples then chose to have a second ceremony when they return home. You cannot get married twice to the same person unless you have been legally divorced first. The alternative is to have a renewal of vows ceremony which is very similar to an official wedding ceremony in that the couple exchanges vows and rings.
However during the ceremony it must be made clear that this is a re-affirmation of vows ceremony and therefore reference is made to the date and place of the original marriage. There should be no misunderstanding or misrepresentation that this is a real marriage.
Couples sometimes get married in secret and therefore don't want their relatives and friends to know that they are already married. They want to have a wedding in Australia and purport it to be the real thing. By law, this cannot be allowed.
All those present must clearly understand that the couple is already married and that this is simply a renewal. This does not mean that it can't have all the pomp and ceremony of the real thing. It is just that there are no official documents to be registered.
Other couples chose to renew their marriage vows following particularly difficult times or on an anniversary. They wish to proclaim their continuing love for each other and their commitment to the vows they had previously taken.
Each couple signs a Re-Affirmation of Marriage Vows certificate, along with two witnesses nominated by them.
Baby Naming Ceremonies in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich.
Naming ceremonies are an alternative to the religious christening ceremonies for children. They provide the couple with an opportunity to formally celebrate the birth of a child with family and friends.
I provide a sample ceremony including numerous readings and poems that you may wish to choose. As with a wedding ceremony, I work with the parents to write the ceremony they want for their child. The child receives a Certificate of Namegiving. Any godparent/s or guardian/s appointed by the parent/s also receives a certificate.
There is no legal responsibility for a godparent/guardian to raise the child in the event of the death of the parent/s. This aspect should be catered for in a legal will.
