Do I change my name or does my celebrant register a name change

Reading some of the responses, you might be confused and so let me try to clarify.

The Celebrant has nothing to do with your name change.

Once you exchange vows in Australia, you are legally married and either party can then immediately take the other's surname, or you can hyphenate surnames in either order but you still retain the right to use your pre-marriage legal name. 

The Marriage Certificate you receive from your Celebrant at your ceremony is proof of marriage but is NOT proof of identity.

You can start using your married name immediately but to then change your name on passports, banks accounts, licenses etc. the relevant institution will commonly ask for your BDM Certificate as that additional certificate is both proof of marriage and proof of identity. You can apply for that BDM certificate yourself from the BDM but in NSW it is much easier to ask your Celebrant to request the certificate for you when registering your marriage. 

It gets complicated for couple's who marry overseas because whilst the marriage is recognized in Australia, the institutions such as the passports' office don't recognise the name change by overseas marriage to be valid for Australian passports and so they insist those couples go through an official name change which is performed at any BDM (for a fee) however in doing so, you revoke the usage of your pre-married name and so the new name becomes your one and only official name.

The choice is yours. If you wish to change your name, you can immediately the ceremony.
You do not need to seperately register your name change.
For official changes such as Visa or Passport then you will need an official certificate of marriage which your celebrant can assist you by ordering it when the wedding is lodged.

You can ask your celebrant to arrange for an official marriage certificate or arrange that yourself after the wedding with your state Births Deaths and Marriages office. You'll then be able to arrange any name changes through the official channels.  The celebrant themselves wont be able to do that for you.

To legally change your name you will need your Official certificate of Marriage (which your celebrant can order and obtain for you on your behalf when they register your marriage). Once you have received this by Registered Post from BDM, then you need to change your name through Service NSW and once that is done, then you can contact all the other agencies etc that you need to , to also have it changed. (Your celebrant should also be able to provide you with a useful list of these) .Your celebrant can't actually change it for you.. all they can do is arrange the legal certificate for you. Hope this helps! Good luck!

If you wish to change your name you first need to order the Official Registered Marriage Certificate that is issued by your state Births Deaths and Marriages after your wedding day. Your celebrant can order this for you for a limited time after your wedding, but check with them to see if there is an additonal fee to do so.

You do recieve a Marriage Certificate from your celebrant or minister on your wedding day, but if you wish to change your name, your will need to order the Official Registered Marriage Certificate.

Once you receive the certificate you can change your name by approaching every organsiation where you name is recorded, but usually best to start with drivers licence, medicare, etc first, and then go from there.

There are also some great Name Change Kits available online to help with the process. 

The marriage celebrant just registers your marriage certifiacate details after your ceremony. Once you have received your official certificate of marriage from BDM, (different from the ceremonial one your receive at your wedding ceremony) you are then free to either keep your current name or change to your partners. Take the official certificate to banks ect. requirng any name change. Congratulations and best wishes.  Jacqueline

You have to change it manually taking marriage certificate it to different organisations starting with service centre 

You get married using your maiden name and the celebrant registers the marriage through Births, Deaths and marriages. One it is registered you purchase an official marriage certificate that you use it to change your name for banks, licences etc

Good morning, 

You can choose to keep your current surname, or change it to be the same as your partner.

It's a very simple process with banks, licence, passport, etc once you have received your official certificate of marriage from the Births, Death and Marriage registry office in your state. Remember, the certificate you receive at your wedding ceremony is decorative only.

If travelling overseas immediately after your wedding, book everything in your maiden name, so passport matches your tickets and other bookings!

Best wishes for a wonderful future together 

Judy

Once you receive your official certificate of marriage from Births, Deaths and Marriages you will be able to change your name. Your celebrant will upload your marriage documents but they do not register your name change. Your celebrant can provide you with advice on best practice and resources for changing your name.