Category Archives: Legal Requirements

Wedding Paperwork – Part 1 – The Notice of Intended Marriage

Organising a wedding has many components, but did you know that there is paperwork you need to complete well before your wedding day?

Legally you are required to complete a form titled Notice of Intended Marriage, often referred to as the NOIM, which must be given to your celebrant at least one month before the wedding.  You can give it to your celebrant up to eighteen (18) months before the wedding.

This form is included in the paperwork that is submitted to the office of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the State or Territory where you are married so that the marriage can officially be registered.

Your celebrant can help you complete the form, in fact, I find it easiest to sit down with a marrying couple and talk them through the form so that they understand what is being recorded and what they are signing.

To complete the form, you will need specific forms of identification, including evidence of your date and place of birth.  Your celebrant will advise you what paperwork you need to provide, such as a birth certificate, and if there are any special considerations that apply to your specific circumstances.

It is ideal to have your chosen celebrant witness the signing of the form, however, there are situations where this is not possible and your celebrant can advise who could witness your signatures instead.

Official information is available from the Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department website at:

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

 

Legal Requirements for Your Wedding Vows

shutterstock_119704648 - Jan Vlcek

Legal Requirements for Your Wedding Vows

The wedding vows are a central part of your wedding ceremony – this is where you ‘lawfully’ take someone to be your husband or wife and tell them of your commitment to them personally and to your relationship together.

It is important that you know that there is a legal requirement for you to say certain words at the start of your vows.  You are legally required to say:

“I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, [name], take thee, [name] to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)”.

There are limited ways you can change this wording.  An alternative would be:

“I ask the people here present to witness that I, [name], take you, [name] to be my lawful wedded spouse”.

You do not have to use your full name in this statement, but your full name (including any ‘middle’ names) must be used at some point during the ceremony.  Often your full names are used at the beginning of the ceremony, that way it is very clear who is marrying whom.

Nicknames or abbreviations of your name are not allowed when making the legal statement, but they can be used elsewhere in the ceremony.  For example, if your name is Nicholas but you are known as Nick, then during the legal statement you must use Nicholas, but elsewhere throughout the ceremony you can be referred to as Nick.

After the legal statement, you can then add your own personal touch to the vows (to be covered in a later blog post).

Testimonials

  • Our written ceremony was perfect – it was clear that Rosemary understood what we wanted and delivered. On the day, the ceremony was above and beyond what we expected. We would definitely recommend Rosemary’s services to other couples planning their wedding.

    K and B

  • Rosemary was a friendly, helpful, thoughtful and professional celebrant who helped us create a ceremony that was perfectly suited to us. She was helpful throughout the whole process of planning and went over and above at the rehearsal and ceremony to make sure everything went smoothly.

    Anisa

  • Rosemary is a very calm, personable and professional celebrant. She helped us continuously in the lead-up to our outdoor wedding, ensuring our ceremony was wonderfully smooth. Of the many highlights of our wedding day, the ceremony was definitely one of them!

    Jaime and Nigel

  • For us, the ceremony was the most important aspect of our day and Rosemary helped us to find the right words to express our love and commitment to each other. Many people commented on how moving they found the ceremony and how well it reflected us as both individuals and as a couple. We would highly recommend Rosemary to anyone seeking a celebrant sensitive to and able to respond to the clients requirements.

    Karen and Grant

  • We’ve had great feedback about how lovely our ceremony was. Thank you for making this memorable not only for us but for our families and friends as well.

    Ruby and Mike

  • We really appreciated the work that you put into making the service just right for us – a great way to start our life together as husband and wife.

    Mark and Anna

  • Thanks for making our day so special for us. The ceremony was absolutely what we wanted and meant so much to us.

    Sandra and Terry

  • Rosemary was always very friendly and most helpful in providing suggestions. We were very happy and everyone commented on how wonderful the ceremony was.

    Laura and Tim