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Legals - Marilyn Verschuure Wedding Celebrants Gold Coast - Member of Professional Celebrants Association Marilyn Verschuure - Wedding Celebrants - Mt Tamborine, Brisbane City, Brisbane Valley Brisbane Bayside, South Stradbroke Island, Brisbane South Brisbane North Brisbane East Brisbane West, Gold Coast North Gold Coast Central Gold Coast South, Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, Currumbin, Pine Rivers, Byron Bay, Springbrook, Logan, Ipswich, Redcliffe, Burleigh Heads, Kingscliff, Northern NSW

The Asking - is NOT legal wording but many couples like to include it to follow tradition. eg below
The Celebrant asks the Bride: [Bride's Full Name] do you take [Groom's Full Name] to be your lawful wedded husband , will you love and cherish him, respect and honour him, as your soul mate? Will you stand by him through good times and bad times for the rest of your lives together?
The Bride Replies: “I do”
The Celebrant asks the Groom: [Groom's Full Name] do you take [Bride's Full Name] to be your lawful wedded wife, will you love and cherish her, respect and honour her, as your soul mate? Will you stand by her through good times and bad times for the rest of your lives together?
The Groom Replies: “I do”.

If either the bride or groom is not fluent in English to the extent that they may not understand the solemn and binding nature of the relationship they are entering into it will be necessary to use an interpreter to translate the wording of the ceremony on the day and assist with completing the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). If the required documents for the NOIM do not have an English translation such as passport or birth, death or divorce certificate these will need to be translated by an accredited translator.

Government Federal & State & Local
Notice of Intended Marriage NOIM
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs - visas.
Download a Notice of Intended Marriage form
Authentications and Apostilles - Smart Traveller site - for couples residing in other countries and wishing to register or authenticate their Australian marriage certificate
Prescribed authorities for shortening time of notice of intended marriage - Queensland
Births Deaths and Marriages - Queensland
Births Deaths and Marriages - New South Wales
Contact Details for Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages Australia Wide
Births Deaths and Marriages - New Zealand
Obtaining a replacement Certificate of Divorce - Family Court of Australia
Embassies and Consulates - Australian and other countries - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
General Register Office for England and Wales online ordering service - order your English birth certificate online
General Register Office for Scotland
General Register Office (Northern Ireland) - online application service available
The General Register Office - Republic of Ireland
Smartraveller: The Australian Government's travel advisory and consular assistance service
Making a complaint about a marriage celebrant

Paul Places the Ring on Elisa's finger at Luke's Bluff O'reilly's Rainforest Retreat in the Gold Coast Hinterland



Call me on 0413 344 134 for information and to see if I have availability on your ceremony date. I offer, at no cost, an obligation-free meeting at my home, your home or a venue of your choice to discuss your vision for your perfect day. You can also email me or use the Contact Me page.
As an experienced full time Marriage Celebrant I will guide you step by step through all the legalities. The following is just for your information.

Remember it is critical to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) with your celebrant at least one month and one day before your wedding. I will help you with this.
Download Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form here or collected one when you come to see me.
A notice of intended marriage must be filled out and lodged with an authorised marriage celebrant at least one month and one day before your wedding date. You can fill it out up to 18 months earlier if you like planning ahead!
If you plan to marry to marry in Australia but live overseas, you still need to lodge the Notice of Intention to Marry with an authorised marriage celebrant.
Documents you need to bring with you when lodging or filling out the form with the celebrant include original certificates of birth, your passport (if an overseas citizen), copy of any fiance visa, any Decree Absolute or Certificate of Divorce or Nullity, or Death (of previous spouse) if you have been previously married.
You may need other documents and should discuss this with your celebrant before the meeting to lodge the form. Other documents you may need include a Statutory Declaration, official translations of overseas documents not written in English, Change of Name Certificate, Citizenship papers and Court Orders for marriage of minors.

You need 2 witnesses over 18 years of age for your marriage to be legally valid. Your witnesses must be and have the capacity to understand the ceremony they can be anyone who attends the wedding and must be in audible range.
Marriage Certificate for Identification Purposes and Name Change
When you are married in Australia, the civil marriage celebrant is required to say certain words, according to section 46 of the Marriage Act 1961, to make the ceremony legal and binding.

Monitum - Legal Wording
Celebrant: "I Marilyn Verschuure a Civil Marriage Celebrant am duly authorized by law to solemnize marriages according to the law. "Before you Mary Jane Brown and you Peter John Smith are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. "Marriage, according to the law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."

Vows - Legal Wording
The following words must be said either at the beginning, middle or end of your personal vows to each other for your marriage to be legally valid. They can also stand alone if you prefer not to make any other vows.
Bride: "I call upon the persons/people here present to witness that I, A.B. take thee, C.D. to be my lawful wedded husband.
e.g I call upon, the persons here present to witness that I, Mary Jane Brown take you, Peter John Smith, to be my lawful wedded husband.
Groom: "I call upon the persons/people here present to witness that I, C.D. take thee, A.B. to be my lawful wedded wife.
e.g I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, Peter John Smith take you, Mary Jane Brown, to be my lawful wedded wife.

The celebrant is not allowed to alter or change these words except in minor ways that do not alter the meaning of the words. For example, the celebrant must say "a man and a woman" specifically and can't substitute the words "two people" instead.

You must use the word "spouse", or "husband" or "wife". You can refer to "partner" or "life partner" in addition to "spouse" or "husband" or "wife" but not instead of them.

