A Ceremony By Design

Susan Artup
Civil Marriage Celebrant

Phone: (02) 4739 3618
0408 826 743
e-mail: enquiries@ceremonybydesign.com.au

How to go about organising your ceremony

The Purpose of the Ceremony
The Civil Marriage Ceremony is designed to give you the widest choice of proceedings on your wedding day. It is your ceremony - you choose what is to be said, what poetry to be read, what music to be played. You are limited only by your imagination.

Official role of the Celebrant
The celebrant should not be the centre of attention, but a facilitator. You or your friends can present readings, or the celebrant may guide you through all parts of the ceremony, ensuring that the legal requirements are met and that the ceremony runs smoothly.
Your celebrant bears witness to your ceremony and gives it legality. She makes the proclamation of your status as "Husband & Wife" official.

The Celebrant's Requirements

• Usually two meetings with you to complete papers and discuss your needs (allow a minimum of half an hour for the first meeting, a maximum of half an hour for the second.)

• A completed Notice of Intended Marriage (provided by the Celebrant) which must be lodged (ie. in the celebrants possession) ONE MONTH & ONE DAY before the wedding date, but no more than eighteen months before.

• Your Birth Certificate.

• If you are under 18, the permission of a parent or guardian, as well as court approval. (In some cases Court Approval is sufficient.)

• If you have been married previously, your final divorce order, or a Death Certificate.

• At the second meeting, two weeks before the wedding, a final copy of your chosen ceremony, where possible typed clearly on A4 paper.

• In the event of not meeting personally, confirmation of your wedding arrangements one fortnight before the wedding.

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