Civil Marriage Celebrant - Rhonda Livingstone

General Marriage Legalities

Before you marry in Australia, the law requires that you:

• Sign and lodge with me the Notice of Intended Marriage form, a minimum of one month prior to the wedding
• If you are Australian born you must show me your original birth certificate, official extract or passport. If born outside Australia, you are required to show me your birth certificate or passport from your country of birth
• If either of you have previously been married, you will have to produce your Divorce Decree Absolute papers and/or if either of your spouses are deceased, you must produce the Death Certificate
• The earliest age at which a person can marry is 16 years provided that their partner is aged over 18 years, and the underage party has the consent of his/her parents as well as the consent of a magistrate
• Legal proof of any name changes
• On the day of your marriage you must have two witnesses over the age of 18

Marriage Ceremony Legalities

It is a requirement of Australian Law that marriage vows MUST be preceded by the following specific wording:

• "I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, (state full name) take thee, (state full name) to be my lawful wedded wife, husband or partner". You are able to choose anything else to supplement these vows

• The Celebrant must declare their authority to solemnise the marriage before the couple makes their vows. This requirement is referred to as the "Monitum"