Dylan Bond Celebrant MC

I float between my home base on the Gold Coast and my partners house in Newcastle therefore I currently service the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Scenic Rim, Gold Coast/Hinterland, Tweed Coast/Valley, Byron Bay, Hunter Valley, Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney.

With that said, I am more than happy to travel to your preferred location in Australia or Overseas (When the Rona Buggers Off) as I have done in the past to Bali, Italy and Ireland. 

A travel fee will apply for weddings outside of the above mentioned areas dependent on the distance I will need to travel, the availability of transport, accomodation and other financial factors applicable to the location of your wedding. Contact me for more information. 

To secure my services as a celebrant for your chosen date, a deposit of $250 is required upon booking with the full balance due three months prior to your ceremony. 

2020 has been a nightmare for all of us and thats why I give a full guarentee to my couples that if your wedding date has to be postponed due to Covid-19, I will happily transfer your booking to a future available date. 

The decision is entirely yours..... A rehearsal will help to ensure your actual wedding day is as stress free and enjoyable as possible. Moreover, it allows everyone involved in the wedding ceremony to run through the placement and roles of people; to get an idea of how the music and microphone system will sound; and to go through the ceremony to get a feel for how long it will take.  

The rehearsal would be an ideal time for you to sign the Statutory Declaration confirming that there is no legal impediment to your marriage however this can be done at another time if you opt not to have a rehearsal. 

Please note that if it is not possible to do the rehearsal at your intended venue, an ideal alternative would be a place that resembles the characteristics and size of the actual venue. The rehearsal can take place the day before, a week before or a month before your proposed wedding date.... Its entirely upto you! 

Its no secret that the paperwork side of things can stress couples out..... Dont stress, this is what im here for and why I trained for nearly a year to be a celebrant!

In terms of the Legal Requirements, Legal Paperwork & Identification required to make your marriage legit:

1. The first thing we have to do is fill out a Notice of Intended Marriage Form (NOIM) which we can do during or after our first catchup. The NOIM must be officially lodged with me no earlier than 18 months and no later than one month before the date of the marriage. You also need to provide proof of identification, address and eligibility to marry during this time. 

2. Prior to your wedding, both marrying parties must sign a Statutory Declaration confirming that there is no legal impediment to your marriage. This can be done the day of your wedding, during the rehearsal if you opt for one or simply on a date prior (and close to) your proposed wedding date. 

3. In accordance to Australian Law, during the ceremony I must do the following:

a) Introduce myself and make it known that, "I am an authorised Civil Celebrant that is registered to perform marriages in Australia".

b) State the words from Section 46 of the Marriage Act 1961 referred to as The Monitum:“I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence & in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn & binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage, according to law in Australia is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.”

c) Use your full names at least once during the ceremony.

4. In accordance to Australian Law, during the ceremony you and your partner must state the words from Section 45 of the Marriage Act 1961 as your marriage vows  “I call upon the persons here present to witness that I (Bride/Groom/Spouce's Full Name) take you (Bride/Groom/Spouse's Full Name) to be my lawful wedded (Wife/Husband/Spouse)”. This must be done in the presence of your witnesses.

5.  In accordance to Australian Law, during the ceremony there are a series of three forms that must be signed by the two marrying parties, two witnesses that are over the age of 18 and myself as the celebrant. They are: 

a) Form 15, this is the Marriage Certificate that you take home with you. 

b) Combined Declaration of no legal impediment to marriage and Official certificate of marriage which is taken away by me and lodged with the registry office in the state of which you have married. 

c) Official Certificate Of Marriage (2/2) which is to be safely and securly kept by me as a record of your marriage. 

These are the following documents that I will need to see for both you and your partner prior to your wedding date. My preference is to have these documents available when filling the NOIM form, however, as long as they are sighted prior to the day of the marriage then thats ok 

1. An original birth certificate or birth extract that has the date and place of birth plus a current form of photo identification such as your drivers licence OR Your current passport issued by the Australian government or your current passport issued by the government from your overseas country. The passport must that show the date and place of birth OR The Commonwealth statutory declaration states the reasons why it is impracticable for you to obtain your official birth certificate. We can discuss this together should you require more support on where/how to obtain a commonwealth statutory declaration.

2. A change of name certificate if you have changed your name.

3. An original death certificate must be sighted if you or your partner are intending to be married despite being a widow/widower from a previous marriage.

4. A divorce certificate or decree absolute must be sighted if you or your partner have previously been married.  The evidence of the dissolution of that marriage must be produced prior to the date of your marriage. 

5. If you or your partner are under the age of 18, a court order and written consent from the parents or authorised guardian is required.

6. I must site a photographic ID showing the official name of each of your two witnesses prior to the ceremony.  

A reminder that these documents can take time to obtain and to organise these as soon as possible. Many of these documents can be sent digitally. I will be here to help you along with any and all queries or issues you have regarding Identification. 

Yes. Included in all my packages is my state of the art Mipro MA505 Battery Powered PA System which has bluetooth connectivity and an inbuilt wireless microphone system.

This means that regardless of where your ceremony is, you can have total faith that my system will work as it requires no power, is small and versitiile meaning it wont be an ugly eye sore in photos, projects an incredible level of clear audio and means you wont have to spent time and money hiring one as mine will both provide the microphones and allow you to play your music for the processional, signing and recessional at the end. 

I have recently installed a high end digital recorder so for an extra fee, you can take away a USB with the whole ceremonies audio clearly recorded. 

Please note that I encourage my couples to appoint a responsible friend or relative to attend to the music on the day so I can concentrate on my role as the Celebrant.  I also request the assigned person to attend rehearsals so they know their cues on the day.

Yes!  All my marriages are recognised by law in Australia, and in most circumstances recognised by law around the world.  However, there are some countries that require specific religious rituals and authorities to be observed during weddings, which I may not be authorised to deliver.

No. On your wedding day, I supply you with a Commonwealth Certificate of Marriage (Form 15), however this is not a document that many institutions recognise for legal changes of names.  You will need to apply for an Official Marriage Certificate from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriage in your state of marriage or for an additional fee (included in the Platinum package) I can organise this for you.  

Most ceremonies last between 20 and 40 minutes in duration but this is entirely up to you. I have prepared an "Expert Ceremony Planning Guide" which will help you select what you want included in your ceremony and based on that I will be able to assist you in estimating the total ceremony duration. I encourage couples to take into account the average age of attendees, average temperature, time of day and a number of other factors when planning their ceremony in order to ensure the comfort of you, your partner, your bridal party and guests in attendance. 

There is something you need to know about me….. I love suits….. I may or may not have more than 30 different suit combinations and a minor addition to RM Williams Boots…. I let you pick from my endless array of clothing or should you want a more laidback option for a beach wedding then I can do that too…. 

Yes Absolutly.... Having worked in weddings and events for more than a decade, I have a wealth of knowledge and I am more than happy to provide contacts and recommendations! Moreover, I also have my own Wedding Planning and Services Company called When Two Become One Weddings (Check us out on Insta) which I am more than happy to use for your benefit.

My services include: 

Wedding Design, Planning & Coordination 

Ceremony & Reception Venue Sourcing / Management

Photography & Videography (Inc Drone/Aerial Shots) 

Marquees, Tepee’s & Various Other Structures

Theming, Décor & Unique Styling 

Florals (Bouquets, Centrepieces, Bridal Tables, Wedding Arches & Arbour Arrangements) 

Vehicle Hire (Vintage, Modern, Luxury, Minibuses & Coaches) 

Furniture (Ceremonies, Pre-Function, Reception & After Parties) 

Catering & Beverage Supply & Staffing 

Dessert Feature Tables

Food Trucks, Coffee Vans & Pop Up Bars

Audio, Lighting, Visual and Special FX Solutions

Entertainment (MCs, DJs, Acoustic Artists & Bands)