Fees & Services

How much will my ceremony cost?

For a wedding ceremony within greater Hobart I charge $700 ($100 of which is a non-refundable deposit to be paid upon booking) the remainder to be paid at least 2 weeks before the ceremony (any travel outside of greater Hobart will incur a travel fee – please contact me for a quote). This quote covers:

  • unlimited face to face meetings to fill out paperwork and discuss and design your ceremony
  • unlimited phone and email consultations
  • preparation of ceremony fully tailored to your requirements
  • rehearsal in my office or at local venue if required
  • lodgement of all necessary legal documents
  • your own copy of the marriage certificate and a souvenir copy of your ceremony in print
  • portable wireless outdoor sound system (for celebrant use) so that the ceremony is heard clearly by all.

For those who would like a simpler, no-fuss ‘registry style’ wedding for just themselves and 2 witnesses, I also offer a short and sweet ceremony that can be held in my office in North Hobart, your home or any Hobart location for only $380. Conditions apply – please contact me for more details.

What are the legal requirements for getting married in Australia?

To be legally married under current Australian law, any two people may marry each other and they must:

  • not be married to someone else
  • not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister
  • be at least eighteen years old, unless a court has approved a marriage where one party is aged between sixteen and eighteen years old
  • understand what marriage means and freely consent to becoming each other’s husband, wife or partner
  • use specific words during the ceremony (Monitum and vows – see below)
  • give written notice of their intention to marry to their authorised celebrant (NOIM – see below)
  • you will also need two witnesses to the marriage and they must also be over 18 years old.

What paperwork do we need to complete?

  • It sounds a bit daunting but I will walk you through all of this during our meetings. The first step in this process is to fill out a NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage). This is a legal document that we will complete in one of our first meetings. If you are coming from interstate, you will need to complete the NOIM, sign and have it witnessed either by another celebrant, a justice of the peace, a barrister or solicitor, a legally qualified medical practitioner or a member of the Australian Federal Police. Either way, I must have received this form at least ONE MONTH prior to your wedding date.
  • Usually at the same time as completing the NOIM, (or at least some time before the wedding) I will need to sight documents that prove your identities. This can be either your birth certificates and photo ID, or passports. If either of you have been married before, I will need to sight your official Divorce document (or official copy) or the original Certificate of Death (or official copy) to show how the marriage ended.
  • At our final meeting before the wedding you will need to sign a statutory declaration (Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage) before me as your celebrant as to your conjugal status and your belief that there is no legal impediment to you both being married.
  • On the wedding day there are three marriage certificates to sign. One is for you to keep, one is for me to keep in my marriage register and one goes to Births Deaths and Marriages (BDM) to legally register the marriage. All three of the legal marriage certificates must be signed by all five of us (you and your partner, your two witnesses and myself) for the ceremony to be legal.

Do we really need to say that bit about marriage only being between a man and a woman?

No! Thankfully the current Australian law has now changed and I now must say the words:
“Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life” for your ceremony to be legal.

How long will my ceremony take?

The legal parts of the ceremony will only take about 5 minutes to complete. These are the Monitum (the celebrant’s authority), the vows (with some legal wording that must be said) and the signing of the certificates. Everything else is up to you! As a rough guide, many ceremonies tend to be about 15-20 minutes long. Trust me – this feels like 2 minutes when the adrenalin of your wedding day hits!

Does there need to be any mention of God or religion in my ceremony?

Absolutely not! The beauty of choosing a Civil Celebrant is that your ceremony can truly reflect your situation and beliefs. That being said, if you would like to have any prayers or religious blessings incorporated into your ceremony – go ahead! The day is yours to make your own.