top of page

We are getting married, where do we start?

When it comes to choosing your Celebrant, you need to have a good rapport and feel comfortable with your Celebrant from the beginning. Your Celebrant should listen to exactly what you envisage and create a ceremony around you both and inform you of all the legal requirements in order to proceed and conclude.

Firstly, please contact me on 0433 212 315 or email me info@modernisecivilcelebrant.com and i will contact you. We will discuss some initial questions first over the phone including the following;


* Your name and your partners name

* When do you propose to get married (date)

(Please note: You must give at least 1 clear month and 1 day notice prior to your proposed

marriage ceremony and documentation must be completed and signed by this deadline.

* Where do you propose to get married (location / venue)

* Are you both 18 years and over?

* Have you been married before or currently married?

Please note if you are currently married and awaiting a divorce to finalise, you can complete

the NOIM but will not be able to engage in Marriage until this is finalised and in writing

* Your nationalities

Please note: Australian citizens require an original birth certificate and if you were born

outside Australia, an original birth certificate or passport is required)

* Type of Ceremony ( Registry style, Intimate, Lavish etc)


Should you wish to continue, we can then arrange a private meeting to discuss the marriage ceremony and legalities.

What documents do we need to have?

Your Celebrant will discuss on the telephone what documents you are required to have before your initial meeting. These documents include;


* Original Birth Certificate or certified copy or

* Passport (for non-Australian citizens and Australian citizens

* Drivers License or Proof of age card is desired but not compulsory

* Divorce certificate or your previous marriage (if applicable)

* Death certificate of your previous spouse in your previous marriage (if applicable)

* Evidence of a court Nullity or dissolution of previous marriage (if applicable)

* Photo Identification (Drivers License, Passport, Proof of Age card)

* Statutory Declaration (should you not have access of a birth certificate or passport)

* Court Approval and written parental consent if under the age of 18 years

At the Initial Meeting.

Once you have decided that you would like me as your Celebrant, we can then commence the legal documentation known as a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM - Form 13) (see attachment below - please do not complete, we will complete this together.

Please note, a NOIM must be completed 1 clear month and 1 day prior to your proposed marriage ceremony. * For example, should you wish to get married on the 25th June, you would need to fully complete and sign the NOIM at least by the 24th May.

Once we have completed the NOIM (Form 13) and all the required documents have been presented, we can then start planning the Ceremony. There are more documents requiring signing prior to the ceremony and these include;


* Declarations (Declaration of no impediment to Marriage - Formally Form 14)

* Happily Ever Before and After leaflet - just for your information

* 2 x Certificate of Marriage (Form 16) completed prior but signed at Ceremony

* Official Marriage Certificate (Form 15) completed at the Ceremony

Planning the Ceremony

Now that all legal documentations are arranged, we can then focus on your Ceremony and what you would like included. You may wish to include a cultural tradition or symbolic ceremony like a Sand Ceremony or Dove releasing. What ever ritual it may be, we welcome and encourage it and will incorporate it into the ceremony. (See Rituals and Symbolic Ceremonies page for some ideas)


How long should the ceremony go for?

This is really up to you. It can go from as little as 10 minutes to 30 minutes, it depends on the length of the symbolic or rituals you would like to include.


As long as all the legal formalities and monitum is verbalised, the rest of the ceremony is up to you, but we will develop a ceremony that you are 100% happy with and it doesnt matter how many drafts we come up with, as long as you are happy.


Keep in mind, a short ceremony is a good ceremony, consider your guests in the audience, elderly, children and of course the weather conditions (if outside) You want to maintain your guests attention for the length of the ceremony and if you want to include humour, laughter, tears etc then please do, there is no set standard of how a wedding ceremony should be i.e. Serious or formal, but remember your ceremony should reflect the both of you, so just be yourselves.


PLEASE NOTE: We can travel anywhere in Perth, however a small fuel surcharge may apply outside the Metro area like Margaret River and other remote areas. Please enquire within for an amount to be applied.

bottom of page