Civil Marriage

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:
- a super quick and cheap ceremony (Legals Only)
- something with a little bit of content (Short & Sweet)
- or all the bells and whistles (Premium).
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!