Do we need a marriage celebrant?

There are several ways to get married in Australia
At a church with a priest, at a registry office with an official from BDM or anywhere you choose with a civil celebrant.
A civil celebrant will give you a tailored wedding, suited to your needs and will also complete your legal paperwork and lodge it.

In Victoria, the cost of a registry office wedding is sometimes more than some celebrants would charge for a "legals only" wedding. There are a few legal lines that must be said in front of a celebrant and two witnesses but that is the same in the office. 

You cannot be legally married without a Celebrant. Even the Registry Office marry you using their own Celebrant.

You can have a Commitment Ceremony instead, but this is NOT a Legal Marriage.

The basic rules are:

i   You MUST fill out a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) no closer than one month prior and no further out than 18 months prior to your ceremony;

ii  You MUST fill out a further Declaration of No Legal Impediment (DONLI) BEFORE you get married (can be just prior to the Ceremony, but must be before said ceremony; and

iii Be legally married by an Authorised Civil Celebrant - Authorised by the Attorney General's Department, Marriage Section in Canberra.

You can exchange vows on your wedding day, however you need to have a registered celebrant to make it a legal marriage. You could get married at a registry office first, then have a commitment ceremony in front of guests, who would not necessarily know you were already married. You could also have a "legals only" wedding with just yourselves, a celebrant and two witnesses, in your home, garden, beach, my home etc rather than the impersonal registry office and for less cost. But if you're going to have a simple celebration wedding day with guests, it's likely more cost effective to just do it once, with the celebrant there. 

Thanks for your question...  What you are referring to is a Commitment Ceremony only.  Why take up two days in separate locations to say your Vow to each other?  You can exchange your personal vow's during a  'registry office' style ceremony.

 A registry office style ceremony would mean your celebrant doing all the legal paper work and documents - this includes the Notice of Intention to Marry.

 Depending what your celebrant charges for this I would strongly suggest that it would work out much the same.  However, you have the enjoyment of being married when and where you want with a few niceities thrown in.  Much more romantic !  Best of Luck   Jan 

Sure you can exchange your vows on your wedding day but , as everyone else has mentioned, this doesn't mean you're married. All you're really having is a commitment ceremony. You can go on a separate day to the Registry office to complete the legalities but it may not be as cost-effective as you wish. First, the Registry charges $180 to lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage, and second, I believe they charge $225 to perform your ceremony. It's not much more to find a Celebrant to actually marry you on your wedding day and it's more personalized as your Celebrant will do everything to make your day special.

Yes, you absolutely can!.... however there's a couple of things to keep in mind. 

You can exchange vows on your wedding day, and have a friend or family member 'officiate' the ceremony if you wish, however you will not be legally married. This type of ceremony is commonly called a 'commitment ceremony' and does not require a celebrant.

You would not be legally married until you exchange your vows with an Authorised Marriage Celebrant, infront of 2 witnesses and complete all the necessary paperwork, including the NOIM at least 1 month prior. This legal ceremony could either be in a registry office or with a marriage celebrant. 

Whether or not this is more cost effective depends on where you intend to marry and also the celebrants available to you. Many offer a 'legal's only' service which can be very reasonable and perhaps, a little more personal too.

More often than not, a registry wedding is more expensive than a Celebrant.  You can do your vows first but cannot call it a marriage/wedding, just a commitment ceremony and the congregation - your family and friends need to be told so!!!  It's illegal if it's not stated!  Without a Celebrant, it's only a party, not a wedding!  

If you want to be married legally according to the Australian Marriage Act of 1961 then the answer is YES'. The ceremony must be Officiated by an Authetised and registered Marriage Celebrant.  The Marriage ACT 1961, specifies clearly that the Max  weight time is no more than 18 months and no less  than ONE month prior to your wedding date. 

Yes this is possible. There are different costs for the middle of the week for a registry ceremony in Victoria then to the weekends. 

If you decide to choose that path you can and then exchange your vows in a private setting with your friends and family and not need a celebrant at all, as all the legal document will be signed and witnessed in the registery office. There are a few ways you can choose from,regarding a celebrant attending a civil ceremony for you, yet we will not be able to 'legally' solemnise the wedding.

I hope this helps. www.amandacelebrant.com.au. xx

Amanda Morgn