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Under Section 41 of the Marriage Act the marriage must be performed by, or in the
presence of, a celebrant or a minister of religion who has been authorised by the
Attorney-General’s Department.
Under Section 44 the ceremony must be attended by two witnesses over the age of 18
years, who are known to the bride and groom.
Section 112 states that an interpreter must be present to translate the ceremony if
either of the couple being married does not understand English. This interpreter must be
a person other than a party to the marriage and must provide a statutory declaration
confirming their ability to converse in the language in respect of which he or she is acting
as interpreter.
I need to receive a completed Notice of Intended Marriage from you at least one month
and one day prior to your wedding. Under unusual circumstances this period can be
shortened – ask me about it if this is the case. Once your notification has been received
you have 18 months to proceed with the ceremony before another notification is required.
You can download the Notice of Intended Marriage by clicking here.
(This is for your information only – I can provide the form when we see each other)
Please do not sign or date it before our first meeting as I need to witness your
signatures.
At least one of you must be over 18 - under Section 12 of the Marriage Act, if one of you
is over 16 but under 18 you need a special court order before a marriage can proceed.
If either of you has been married before, under Section 23B of the Marriage Act a divorce
absolute decree or a death certificate must be produced as evidence that you are no
longer married.
For further information on government legislation relating to marriage, go to:
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/MarriageGetting_Married
For an obligation-free meeting ring me on 0414 450 460 or email me at
philip@sydneycelebrant.net