This entry is part 31 of 31 in the series Marriage Legalities
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Information on relationship education

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This entry is part 31 of 31 in the series Marriage Legalities

In addition to the requirement to give couples a brochure “outlining the obligations and consequences of marriage and indicating the availability of marriage education and counselling,” celebrants are also required to give you information about relationship education.

This comes from the Code of Practice for marriage celebrants, which is in Schedule 2 of the Marriage Regulations 2017. Section 6 of the Code says that…

A marriage celebrant must:

  • maintain an up-to-date knowledge about appropriate family relationships services in the community, and
  • inform the parties to the marriage about the range of information and services available to them to enhance, and sustain them throughout, their relationship.

Note that these are two separate requirements, handing over the brochure and giving you information on relationshp education services.

Why do we have to give you information on relationship education?

As with the Happily Ever Before and After brochure, this requirement was introduced in 1976 in an attempt to slow down the divorce rate (spoiler alert: it didn’t work). The hope was that if couples were better prepared for their marriage by getting relationship education before they married, and if they knew where to go to get help if/when things got rocky, there would be less divorces.

Despite the fact that it hasn’t had the desired impact, and that the vast majority of couples aren’t in the least bit interested in seeking relationship education when they’re in their happy pre-marriage bubble, we’re still required to give you the info. It’s suggested that we update our information every 12 months to ensure it’s accurate and current.

What does it look like?

If you book me, there is a page dedicated to relationship education in the booklet I give you. I always recommend the big providers, Relationship Matters and Relationships Australia, and I often add one or two smaller, local services to my list as well.

I always tell my couples that the purpose of pre-marriage relationship education is threefold:

  • to ensure you’ve had the big, difficult conversations (I married someone once who had gotten divorced previously because she didn’t have the “do you want kids” conversation before they got married)
  • to open the lines of communication, and
  • to make sure you’ve got strategies in place for if and when things get difficult.

Pre-marriage relationship education is NOT counselling. It’s about setting you up for the best possible relationship going forward into your marriage.

It’s also not compulsory, but I definitely encourage you to consider whether it might be useful for you.

More information

Click here for a full overview of the legal requirements of marriage in Australia.

Read all the posts in my series about marriage legalities here.

Find all the posts in my series about Australian wedding ceremonies here.

If you’re a celebrant wanting help with all things celebrancy, come and join us at the Celebrant Institute!

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