Civil Marriage

civil marriage ceremony

By Tizia May Photography

A civil marriage or civil wedding ceremony is a marriage that is performed by a civil marriage celebrant, outside of a religious organisation. Currently over 80% of marriages in Australia are carried out by civil celebrants!

Location

Civil marriages can be performed in Victoria or any other state or territory in Australia. They can be performed literally anywhere: parks, beaches, backyards, wedding venues, restaurants. You get to choose a location that is meaningful to you!

Paperwork

You first need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). You must lodge the NOIM with your chosen celebrant at least one month (and no more than 18 months) before your chosen wedding date.

Ceremony inclusions

The beauty of having a civil ceremony as opposed to a religious ceremony is you can do whatever you like! There are 124 legally required words and three documents that need to be signed during the ceremony. Other than that, the entire thing is up to your imagination. I’m good enough that I can manage any idea you throw at me, from the traditional to the completely whacky. Don’t worry if you don’t have many ideas though. I provide you with lots of resources and suggestions of possible inclusions for your ceremony. Check out my blog series on wedding readings and wedding vows for your inspiration!

Ceremony packages

I offer three different kinds of civil marriage ceremonies depending on what you’re looking for. They are at different price points and have different inclusions. You might want:

You can see my prices for different kinds of ceremonies here.

Contact me today!

I conduct marriage ceremonies all over Melbourne; contact me here for a chat about your big day!

Testimonials

“Everyone complimented us on such a great fun ceremony and all of that was thanks to you, they said you made them feel at ease and welcome and that’s the style we were looking for!”

Nathan & Jennifer

“We loved absolutely every second of our ceremony, and we absolutely adore Sarah!”

Jason & Jayde
“Sarah, you were exactly what we were looking for in a celebrant, vibrant, witty and most of all you had everything under control!”
Kris & Sally
“Sarah is a superstar!”
Tash & Marty
“Sarah you were absolutely perfect! Fun and personal, organised and just bloody brilliant.”
Lorraine & Brett
“Sarah was an absolute delight to work with and I can highly recommend her.”
Tristan & Steph

“Just wanted to say thank you so much for creating a ceremony that was a true reflection of us. Sarah was so organised and patient and we feel so lucky to have stumbled across her! Your warmth and humour truly set the tone for the whole day!”

Mark & Jess