Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM)
The NOIM is the legal document required to give notice to the celebrant that you intend to get married. Under The Marriage Act 1961, the NOIM is required to be completed, witnessed and lodged with your celebrant at least one month prior to your ceremony date and no longer than 18 months prior to your ceremony date. This is the first of the legal documents required.
You will need to produce original documents for proof of your birth and your identity, such as birth certificate and drivers licence or passport.
If you have been previously married, you will need to produce evidence of the end of that marriage or if your previous spouse is deceased, proof of their passing.
If you have changed your name, you will need to produce evidence of that from Births, Deaths & Marriages.
Further information and a copy of the NOIM can be found within the Attorney Generals website.
https://www.ag.gov.au/families-and-marriage/marriage/get-married#notice-of-indended-marriage-form
The Ceremony
Your ceremony is a personal decision and is discussed with you and your chosen celebrant.
It can be a ten (10) minute ceremony or a forty (40) minute ceremony with as much or as little content as you want, however there are certain words that are required to be said for the marriage to be legal and valid. This is called “The Monitum".
For other ceremonies such as Commitment, Renewal of Vows and Naming Ceremonies, the monitum is not required.
You have the choice (with the exception of Legals Only ceremony) to make your ceremony personal, funny, romantic or a combination.
I provide Di's Booklet (except for the Legals Only ceremony) with suggestions of various Readings, Vows and Sample Ceremonies. Again, this is your choice and you might find something else that you would like to be included in your ceremony.
For Elopements and Legals Only ceremonies, the content is shorter but still contains all of the legal requirements, such as The Monitum.
During the ceremony, you will be signing three (3) documents.
My Marriage Registry Book
The Official Certificate of Marriage (to register your marriage)
The presentation Marriage Certificate
A keepsake copy of your ceremony is also provided as a reminder of your special day.
After The Ceremony
As the celebrant, I forward all legal documents to Births, Deaths & Marriages (BDM) to register your marriage.
You can apply to BDM for your official marriage certificate which does incur a fee, and takes some time, or I can put your application through with my paperwork. This is included in my fee.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/births-deaths-marriages/products-and-services