How to Get Married in Victoria

Getting married is exciting. The legal part is much easier than you might think.

You've decided to get married.

Excellent start.

Now come the questions.

What paperwork do we need? How much notice do we have to give? Do we need witnesses? Can we get married at home? Can we just sign the paperwork? What exactly does the celebrant do?

I'm Cheryl Warry, a full-time authorised marriage celebrant based in Wangaratta, North East Victoria.

One of the most important parts of my job is making sure couples understand the legal process without making getting married sound like they're applying for a home loan.

So here's how it works.

How do you legally get married in Victoria?

The legal requirements for marriage are governed by Australian law, so the basic requirements are the same whether you're getting married in Wangaratta, Melbourne, the King Valley, on top of a mountain or somewhere else in Australia.

Generally, you must:

Your authorised celebrant guides you through this process and makes sure the legal requirements are met.

Which means you don't have to memorise any of it.

That's my job.

Step 1: Choose your authorised marriage celebrant

Before you can legally marry, you need someone who is authorised to solemnise marriages in Australia.

That's where I come in.

As your marriage celebrant, I'll guide you through the legal process, check the required documents, prepare your marriage paperwork and conduct your ceremony.

I'll also make sure you know what needs to happen and when.

For couples choosing my full ceremony service, the legal part is only one piece of what we create together.

We'll also work on your ceremony, story, vows and all the details that make the occasion feel like yours.

Wedding & MC Services

Step 2: Complete your Notice of Intended Marriage

One of the first pieces of paperwork you'll hear about is the Notice of Intended Marriage, usually shortened to NOIM.

This is the formal notice that you intend to marry.

Your celebrant must generally receive your NOIM:

at least one month before your wedding

and

no more than 18 months before your wedding.

So you can get the legal process underway well before the big day.

Your NOIM may be witnessed in person or, where the legal requirements are satisfied, remotely using audio-visual communication.

I'll guide you through how to complete it correctly.

What if our wedding is less than one month away?

Don't assume it's impossible.

There are limited circumstances where a prescribed authority may approve a shortening of the usual one-month notice period.

These circumstances are set by law and approval isn't automatic.

If you've suddenly decided you want to get married and your proposed date is less than a month away, speak to an authorised celebrant first.

We can look at your circumstances and I can explain the next step.

Step 3: Provide your identification and documents

Your celebrant needs to confirm your identity and your date and place of birth.

Depending on your circumstances, documents may include things such as:

• a passport
• birth certificate
• driver's licence or other acceptable identification
• evidence that a previous marriage has legally ended, where applicable
  

The exact documents required will depend on your circumstances.

I'll let you know what I need from you so you aren't left trying to work it out yourself.

Do we need to be Australian citizens to marry in Australia?

No.

You don't have to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident to get married in Australia.

Couples who live overseas can also complete a Notice of Intended Marriage before coming to Australia, provided the legal requirements are followed.

Marriage and immigration are separate matters, though, so marrying an Australian doesn't automatically give someone the right to live in Australia.

If immigration or visa matters are relevant to you, obtain appropriate immigration advice.

Step 4: Meet with your celebrant before the wedding

Before the marriage takes place, I need to meet separately and in person with each of you.

This forms part of the legal process and helps ensure that each person is entering the marriage freely and understands the nature and effect of marriage.

We'll organise this as part of your planning.

Step 5: Choose your two witnesses

You need two witnesses aged 18 or over present at your wedding ceremony.

They'll witness the ceremony and sign the marriage certificates.

Your witnesses don't need to be Australian citizens.

They could be your parents, grandparents, siblings, best friends or another two important people in your lives.

I've seen couples have great fun with this.

Sometimes the witnesses know months beforehand.

Sometimes they have absolutely no idea until I announce their names during the ceremony.

I've even had couples surprise both mums by choosing them.

It's a simple legal requirement that can become a very special part of the day.

Relevant real wedding / witness article

Step 6: Decide where you want to get married

Here's where you have plenty of freedom.

You don't have to marry in a church, Registry Office or traditional wedding venue.

Your ceremony might take place:

If you're considering a public space, national park or other managed location, you may need permission or a permit from the relevant authority.

As far as the marriage itself is concerned, your celebrant makes sure the legal ceremony requirements are met wherever we happen to be standing.

Wedding Venues in North East Victoria

Can we get married at home?

Yes.

Provided all the legal requirements are met, your own home or another private property can be a perfectly good place to get married.

You can have 100 people there.

You can have a handful.

You can keep the ceremony incredibly simple.

The legal requirements remain the same.

Simple Weddings

Can we just sign the marriage papers?

This is one of the questions I hear regularly.

You can have a very simple legal marriage ceremony, but there still needs to be a marriage ceremony that meets Australia's legal requirements.

You can't simply meet your celebrant privately, sign a form and skip the required ceremony altogether.

The good news is that a legal ceremony can be short and straightforward.

If your priority is simply getting legally married without having a large traditional ceremony, that's exactly what a simple wedding is designed for.

Simple Weddings

Registry Office Wedding or Celebrant? What's the Difference in Victoria?

Step 7: Get married!

This is the bit everyone came for.

Australian marriage law requires certain words to be spoken during the ceremony.

Outside those legal requirements, there's considerable freedom in how your ceremony looks and feels.

It might include:

Or you might want to keep everything beautifully simple.

There isn't one correct way to have a wedding ceremony.

There is a correct way to meet the legal requirements.

I'll take care of that part while we create everything else around you.

No.

There are legal words each person must say as part of an Australian marriage ceremony, but you don't have to write additional personal vows if you don't want to.

If you do want to write your own vows, I'll help.

I'll give you guidance and resources so you're not sitting in front of a blank screen the night before your wedding wondering how you're supposed to fit your entire relationship into six sentences.

Do we need wedding rings?

No.

Rings are a tradition rather than a legal requirement.

You can exchange rings, exchange something else or have no ring exchange at all.

Your marriage is still just as legal.

What do we sign on the wedding day?

During the marriage process, there are several legal documents involved.

On the day, you and your two witnesses will sign the required marriage certificates.

I'll prepare the paperwork and guide everyone through where to sign.

Nobody needs to practise their signature beforehand.

Although apparently wedding-day handwriting has a personality all of its own.

What happens to our paperwork after the wedding?

Once the celebrations are over, I still have some work to do.

As your celebrant, I submit the required marriage documents to Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.

For a Victorian marriage, celebrants are required to provide the relevant documents to BDM within 14 days of the ceremony.

That's how your marriage is registered with the State of Victoria.

You can continue enjoying being newly married while I take care of the paperwork.

Is the certificate we receive on our wedding day our official marriage certificate?

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Do I have to change my surname after getting married?

No.

Marriage doesn't require either person to change their surname.

What you choose to do with your name after marriage is a personal decision.

If you do decide to use your spouse's family name, your registered marriage certificate may be needed when updating identification and records with different organisations.

Both can legally marry you.

The difference usually comes down to the type of experience you want and where you'd like to get married.

A Registry Office ceremony takes place within the Registry's available ceremony options.

Choosing your own authorised celebrant gives you the flexibility to hold your ceremony at your chosen location and, depending on the service you book, create something much more personal around the legal requirements.

For some couples, a Registry Office is exactly what they want.

Others want to get married at home, at a winery, on the family farm, in the mountains or surrounded by everyone they love.

Choose the option that suits the way you want to get married.

Registry Office Wedding or Celebrant? What's the Difference in Victoria?

Can our friend conduct our wedding ceremony?

There's a fun way to do this.

Your friend can't legally solemnise your marriage unless they're an authorised marriage celebrant.

But if you'd love a particular friend or family member to play a big part in the ceremony, talk to me.

There are ways we can involve them while I remain responsible for the legal requirements and solemnisation of the marriage.

That gives you the personal involvement you want while making sure you're properly married at the end of it.

Can we legally marry in Australia and celebrate overseas later?

Yes.

Some couples choose to complete their legal marriage in Australia and hold another celebration or symbolic ceremony overseas.

If you're planning a destination celebration and want the Australian legal side completed beforehand, a simple legal ceremony may be exactly what you need.

Simple Weddings

Ready to make it legal?

If you're planning to get married in Wangaratta, North East Victoria, the King Valley, Beechworth, Rutherglen, the Victorian High Country or somewhere else in Victoria, I can guide you through the legal process from the first form to the final signature.

You bring the person you want to marry.

I'll help with the rest.