Legal documents

                                

         

Firstly congratulations on your engagement and proposed wedding.

This will help explain the legal documents.

Notice of Intended Marriage – the key document! 

Must be signed and witnessed (by me) no later than one month and a day before your wedding. Ideally this NoIM document should be done well in advance to confirm your wedding date. When you sign this document, I will need to see your birth certificates, passport or divorce/death papers if that is relevant.

To reserve your wedding day, I will ask for a deposit. This will assure you that I will be exclusively your Celebrant for the day. 

For the bride  If, on getting married, you plan on changing your surname to your husband’s and you want to use his name on key documents, such as your driving licence and passport, you will need to obtain what is called a Standard Marriage Certificate (all explained in the kit). This is also usually required in marriages involving visa applications.

This certificate which shows the registration number of your marriage, can only be ordered from Births, Deaths & Marriages after your wedding (i.e. after the celebrant has lodged the documents and the marriage has been registered). Births, Deaths and Marriages will then mail them to you about 3-4 weeks after your wedding.

The declaration: There is also another document so sign before the wedding called the ‘declaration” and I usually get folk to sign this at the same time we do the Notice of Intent to Marry form.  I send both of these documents to BD&M after the wedding.

In summary: documents on the day: there are three documents to sign at the wedding: the marriage certificate (the presentation one) that you keep, the marriage certificate and declaration, and the marriage register that all celebrants are required by law to keep.

Happily Ever … Before and After -  I also by law have to give you this leaflet. It outlines counseling for couples in the event they have relationship questions etc.

Lodging your documents.  As required by law, I lodge your legal documents to BD&M within 10 days of your wedding (I usually do this the next working day after your wedding).