Chris Stedman Marriage Celebrant

Yes. We can arrange to meet online. You can fill in the paperwork from overseas.
Note: your signatures must be witnessed by an Australian Consulate official who will stamp the form. I must receive this form at least one month and one day prior to your wedding date. You can email it to me and then bring the original with you to hand to me when you arrive in Australia. You will be given a marriage certificate on your wedding day. In some cases you will need to obtain an Apostille Stamp from the Australian Office of Births Deaths Marriages on your certificate making your marriage legal in your country. Please check if this is necessary with your own Consulate before leaving the country.

On the day of your marriage you must have two witnesses over the age of 18

I am there approximately 1/2 hour before the ceremony and I allow 1 hour for the wedding. If you need to extend this time, just let me know at our first meeting.

I will tailor my wardrobe to whatever you wish in keeping with your theme and colours. This could mean a suit and tie or smart casual, and depends on the season and the temperature.

No more than 2 weddings on 1 day. I make it a practice to never rush my weddings.

If I am in the hospital or suffering from something serious, I will get a replacement for you from a network group of other Sydney Celebrants that I can call upon. For anything else, I will be there for you. I haven't missed a wedding yet!

I am more than happy to assist in putting you in contact with people who will look after this for you.

If your wedding will be an outside event, my advice is visit that location beforehand at the exact time of your ceremony. Take note of where the sun is shining, how flat the ground will be for the seating, where you want the guests, where you will make your entrance and which area the ceremony will take place.

Please take into consideration direct sunlight, especially if your wedding is in the high end of summer: late November, December, January and February. It may be best to find a location that has shade for both you and your guests, especially if the temperature is in the high 30 to 40 degrees.

We all hope that your day is shiny and bright blue a sky – but you never know. It is worth spending a little extra, or making arrangements with your reception venue just in case. You don't want you or your guests to get wet on your special day.

No. Nobody does. Just relax and enjoy the ceremony without having to worry about what you have to say, I will take care of everything. Just repeat after me!

Of course you can. If you need help getting them right, you can always ask me for advice.

No. Writing the perfect vows for you is part of my service.

As long as you want. The average ceremony is usually 15-30 minutes from the time we first see you walk down the aisle, until the time I pronounce you husband and wife.

No. Think about your schedule for the day. You'll probably run out of time for your photos if you are late. If you are worried about guests arriving late, time it so that you invite them 15 minutes before the ceremony starts.

You can give me any downloaded music and it can be played through my PA System by someone that you nominate to play it.

I would suggest a song to walk down the aisle, a song for the signing of the documents and possibly one for walking up the aisle. Choose songs that are meaningful and personal, and fit the tone of your ceremony.

If it makes you feel more comfortable to have a rehearsal, I am available for you. If you don’t have time or don't feel the need, no need to worry as I will be there in plenty of time on the day to run through everything.

Please ask your wedding planner or reception venue to set up 1 table and 1 chair for the signing of the documents. Or, if you need me to provide a table and chair, please let me know on our first meeting.

If you have parents, family and friends who don't speak much English it is important they feel included in your ceremony. I can phonetically practise some phrases in any language you give me, and I would be more than happy for you to coach me. I do speak Japanese fluently and I am happy to perform the ceremony in Japanese.

Big or small, it’s your wedding day, so let’s make it as beautiful as we possibly can. Some of the most wonderful weddings I have done have been 10 people or less.

Opting for my services provides a more personalized approach to the marriage process as opposed to the traditional experience of waiting in line at a marriage registry office. I offer two distinct packages to suit your needs: a streamlined signing appointment to fulfill the essential legal requirements or a comprehensive full-service ceremony for a more customized and meaningful wedding experience.

Firstly you need to wait for me to file your paperwork with the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages. This will be done on the next working day after your wedding ceremony. After this you can contact the same office and complete a Change Name Form. After this is processed you can contact all the other offices such as Medicare, Passport, ATO, Service NSW, your Bank and so on. Don't use your new married surname until you have done this. Also, ensure your honeymoon airline and hotel reservations are not done in your married surname. Otherwise they may not be able to check you in.