Image courtesy of William Washburn Photography
Image courtesy of Christl Photography
Image courtesy of Nicole Anderson Photography
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Your marriage ceremony is probably the most precious and important part of your wedding day so take the time to plan and consider your options. You may decide to have your ceremony in a church, a garden, a park, at home, at your chosen reception venue or in a registry office.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics tell us that 47% of couples are currently choosing to have a religious ceremony in a church and 53% are opting for civil ceremonies. Even the most formal church wedding provides couples with some freedom to choose the elements of the ceremony - the vows, hymns and order of service. Couples can select vows and sentiments that they have either found or written themselves, such as poems and passages that have special meaning for them. Discuss all the possibilities with your minister, priest or celebrant.
civil wedding ceremony
Since 1973, when the Civil Marriage Celebrant Program was introduced, there has been an ever increasing demand for Civil Ceremonies as an alternative to Church weddings or a registry office. One of the reasons for the increased popularity is the flexibility of the venue... your back garden, a local park, special gardens, a boat on the harbour or a beach...
The solemnisation of a marriage is obviously a very serious matter and even though you are able to choose your marriage celebrant, your venue and clothing, the legal requirements are very uniform... A 'Notice of Intended Marriage' must be lodged at least one month and one day before the ceremony and proof of age and identity and evidence of dissolution of any previous marriages must be presented to the celebrant. Celebrants' fees used to be set by the Attorney General's Office. However, this is no longer the case so you will need to determine the individual Celebrants' fees, including travelling expenses.
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