Frequently Asked Questions

♥ 'Voulez-Vous' from french, means; do you want?, will you?, would you like?, would you have?, do you want to? (and the title of my favorite ABBA song!).

♥ What is a NOIM?

A NOIM, or a Notice of Intent to Marry is the document that you must lodge in order to marry. It must be lodged with a Celebrant or with a BDM (Births, Deaths and Marriages office) no later than one month from your chosen date of marriage, but no earlier than 18 months before your date. The lodgment date is the date that it is received by your Celebrant. You can, in exceptional circumstances, apply for a shortening of time and get married within a month. Please email me for details or visit the Attorney General's website here.

♥ When and where can we get married?

You can get married anywhere at any time you wish.

♥ Who can be our witnesses?

Anyone over the age of 18 years old can be your legal witnesses. You need two (2) witnesses who will sign your marriage documents on the day of your wedding. They do not need to know you personally, but they are often chosen from among friends and family.

♥ What documents to we need to show our celebrant before the wedding?

• A Birth certificate, extract of birth certificate or Passport needs to be provided to your celebrant.

• A current or expired, but not cancelled passport may be shown. If these documents cannot be produced, you should advise your celebrant, who will organise and witness a Statutory Declaration regarding your birth details.

• If one partner is unable to attend the celebrant's office for the lodgement, the other can lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) alone, but both partners must sign in front of the celebrant before the wedding takes place.

♥ What should we do if one of the partners cannot speak or understand English

An interpreter must be appointed to translate from English to the Mother tongue of the partner and in the reverse. Two statutory declarations must be signed by the Interpreter - one before the wedding to declare they are able to translate as required and the other to say they have completed their translation duty. The interpreter may also be required to explain the Declarations that the non-English speaker has to sign before the wedding can take place.

♥ Can we have a surprise wedding?

You can surprise your guests, but you CANNOT surprise your intended spouse. Both parties must agree to marry and the decision shoud not be made under duress, but with due thought and consideration.

♥ What name does the bride sign the marriage certificates with?

With her maiden name.

♥ Can the celebrant refuse to conduct the ceremony if the parties are intoxicated?

Yes. All parties including the two witnesses must be sober at the time of the ceremony. If there is any doubt, the celebrant will refuse to conduct the ceremony.