Mark Simpson - Celebrant, MC & DJ

There are 4 forms that need to be completed through the process of your marriage. They are -

1 Notice Of Intent To Marry

2 Declaration Of No Legal Impediment

3 Official Marriage Certificate (x2)

4 Form 15

The Notice Of Intent To Marry is the first. It needs to be completed, signed and in the posession of your marriage celebrant at least one month before your wedding day. It also only lasts for 18 months so if your wedding is delayed you may need to complete a new Notice closer to the wedding day.

Next is the Declaration Of No Legal Impediment. This needs to be completed as close to the ceremony as possible and can be signed on the day of the wedding, but must be signed before the ceremony. This form is a declaration by both parties to the marriage that they are legally allowed to marry. By signing you are confirming that you are not already married to each other, that you're not married to anyone else, that you are not underage and that you are not related to each other.

The remaining pieces of paperwork are to be completed during the ceremony.

The Official Marriage Certificate actually needs to be completed twice. This is so that one form can be sent to Births Deaths & Marriages, and the other can be kept by the celebrant. Most celebrants send the paperwork to BDM via an online portal, so having two certificates doesn't seem necessary, however signing both is part of the legislation so it still needs to be done this way.

The last is the Form 15. Despite this formal sounding name, this is the 'pretty certificate' that you might like to have framed. It may be printed with nice caligraphy. It has no legal bearing, but does have a registration number, is what you are given on the day, and can't be reprinted or replaced.

And that's it. Your Celebrant will be able to ensure all of these happen at the right time so you don't have to worry too much about the timings. It is our job to make sure you sign when necessary and know what is happening.

I do! The vast majority of my ceremonies take place outdoors where there is no power, so I have a top of the line, battery operated speaker and microphone set up. It is a Bose S1 speaker, with a Sennheiser wireless microphone. The speaker is also equipped with Blue Tooth connection so if you don't have live musicians, I can play music for your ceremony through my speaker which I opperate through my iPad. I also play selected background music before your ceremony as your guests are gathering.

My ceremonies generally go for about half an hour. This is usually a good length to get the required stuff done, tell your story, and keep your guests entertained without dragging on and exhausting everyone's attention span.

My Elopement ceremonies are a little shorter at around 20 minutes and my Legals Only ceremonies are even shorter at 5-10 minutes.