What are the legal requirements to be married in Australia?
The following legal requirements must be met for a marriage conducted by a registered marriage celebrant to be considered legal in Australia:
- with the exception of Section 12 from The Marriage Act 1961, both parties must be at least 18 years of age
- you are required to have two witnesses to the ceremony who are at least 18 years of age to sign the certificates and register
- you must sign a declaration to state that there are no legal impediments to the marriage e.g. being married to someone else, the couple being too closely related etc.
- a Notice of Intended Marriage(NOIM) must be lodged with your celebrant no less than one month and no earlier than 18 months before your ceremony
- you must show your original (photocopies are not accepted) birth certificate, extract of birth or passport from your country of birth
- if you have been married previously, you must show your Divorce Decree Absolute or Death Certificate of your previous spouse. The Attorney General's Department website has more information for couples who are about to get married.
Do I need a wedding ceremony rehearsal?
A wedding ceremony rehearsal helps to fine tune the script and clarify the ‘when, where and why’ for all parties invloved. It is preferable that all people participating in the wedding ceremony attend the rehearsal if they are in town at the time – this includes the wedding attendants, readers, those involved in the giving away and the person you have chosen to operate your recorded music (if applicable). The rehearsal ideally takes place 1-2 weeks before the wedding, and preferably not immediately after the buck’s or hen’s night.
What's your celebrant fee?
My service fees are dependant on: the type of ceremony (for example, a commitment ceremony costs less than a marriage ceremony because there are no legal requirements), time of year (peak vs off-peak), location of the wedding (within or outside of the Adelaide metropolitan area) and the complexity of the ceremony (registry style vs full wedding with bridal party, personalised vows, readings, rehearsal etc.). Please email me at contact@ceremoniesbycamille.com.au with your ceremony date, time, venue and any other particulars and I can shoot through a quote.
How long does a civil wedding ceremony usually go for?
Most civil marriage ceremonies last between 10-20 minutes with an extra 5-7 minutes for the signing of the register and certificates. Your wedding ceremony may be shorter or longer depending on the content you would like to include but generally, allowing 30 minutes from start (the processional) to finish (the recessional) is a good guide.
Can we personalise our wedding ceremony content?
Creating and conducting wedding ceremonies that are warm, unique and relevant is my speciality. If you have set plans about what you would like to include and/or say, I am happy to include them but otherwise, if you don't have a clue, I have many resources and lots of experience to help guide you along the way. We'll work it out together.
Are you able to recommend other wedding vendors that I can trust (e.g. a great wedding photographer, musician or florist)?
The Unbridely Suppliers curated directory includes experienced and trusted local wedding vendors to help make your planning quick, easy and as stress-free as possible. You can find bridal makeup artists and hairstylists, acoustic and classical musicians, wedding DJs and MCs, videographers, stylists, event hire specialists and every vendor you’ll need for your wedding day.