WELCOME to
WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS
with
JANET in CANBERRA
As a marriage celebrant my wish is to assist you when making one of the most important commitments of your lives. Let me help you ensure that your individuality creates a truely memorable, once-in-a-life-time, ceremony which represents who you are as individuals and your wish to commit to each other as a couple. Let me help you create the most memorable ceremony of your life.
What is a Wedding Celebrant?
Wedding Celebrants are authorised and registered by the Registrar of Celebrants in the Australian Attorney General's Department. They are also called marriage celebrants. A professional wedding celebrant conducts wedding ceremonies and attends to all the necessary legal paperwork .
There was a time when marriages could only be solemnised by religious officials. Nowadays, thanks to Australia's cultural and religious diversity over 55% of marriages are solemnised by wedding celebrants.
Why do I need a Wedding Celebrant?
You’ll need the presence of a wedding celebrant (or religious official) when you recite your wedding vows for your marriage to be legal.
When should I begin finding a Wedding Celebrant?
Wedding celebrants are generally booked up months in advance. I recommend that you start looking as soon as you have decided on the date, time and place of your wedding ceremony. You must find your wedding celebrant at least one full month before your wedding date because you must have lodged a Notice of Intended Marriage with the Australian Attorney General's Department by then.
Who is the best Wedding Celebrant for my ceremony?
That depends on you.
You should feel comfortable with your chosen wedding celebrant and have a great rapport with them. The celebrant should be articulate, eloquent and confident yet gentle and sensitive enough to calm any pre-wedding nerves.
The ideal wedding celebrant should be flexible enough to conduct both traditional and contemporary weddings and to accommodate any cultural, religious or personal practices you may wish. This might be for example a candle-lighting ceremony, the Celtic hand holding ritual or the writing and reciting of your own vows (provided the necessary legal wording from the Marriage Act is also be included in order for the marriage to be legal).
WEDDINGS - CIVIL CEREMONIES may be conducted at any time, day and venue. Civil Ceremonies can personalise the occasion by combining elements of religious ceremony and tradition according to your individual preferences. Civil Celebrants are authorised and registered by the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants in the Attorney General’s Department.
The completion of the official ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ requires the processing of a number of documents. Couples intending marriage are required to provide a range of personal documentation to verify their identity and eligibility to marry. This is completed when you have your first visit with your Marriage Celebrant.
Legal
Requirements -
Your marriage will be solemnised according to the Marriage Act 1961,
which requires the following:
Your Notice of Intended Marriage form must be completed and lodged with
me at least one month before the ceremony and usually no more than
eighteen months before (advance diary bookings may be made).
You must provide for sighting by me your birth certificates, or
passport (if born overseas) and documentary proof of termination of any
previous marriage (death certificate or final divorce decree). Translations may
be required. Consent forms are required of you if you are under 18 years of
age.
You must each sign a declaration before your marriage stating that you
are free to marry and are not aware of any legal impediment to your marriage.
You must provide two witnesses to your marriage at the ceremony, each
to be over the age of 18 years.
To make a booking please refer to the Contact Us/Links' page.
Email - info@janetincanberra.com.au or phone 02 6287 4000 or mobile 0410 439 031