Australian Wedding Celebrant

Want to get Married in Australia?

A Life Celebrant – Lou Szymkow

Friendly, professional, reliable, helpful, approachable.

  • Civil, Marriage, Commitment, Naming & Funeral Celebrant
  • Commonwealth- Registered Marriage Celebrant
  • St Clair NSW. Australia – covering the mountains to the sea +61 (0) 457 00 1922    lou@alifecelebrant.com.au              

A celebrant for all special occasions in your journey of life.

Your Life Events: Weddings, Unions & Commitments; Naming Ceremonies; Funerals, & More

A celebrant for all special occasions in your journey of life.
Your Life Events:

Weddings, Unions & Commitments; Naming Ceremonies; Funerals, & More

Let your day be one of the most joyous occasion in your entire life. It should be.

You deserve it; Your love deserves it.

A Ceremony created by Lou Szymkow, A Life Celebrant; with over 30 years’ experience in public life, and married for 40 years, will ensure that it is uniquely and authentically your own; an enriching, memorable experience.

I am a Commonwealth- Registered Marriage Celebrant

Feel free to call me or email any time. We can even speak via skype or facetime to discuss and plan.

I’ll offer guidance where I can but more importantly I will listen.

I will ask questions but will also look for words, phrases and stories, images and experiences that will offer me guidance in designing a ceremony that will define the how you want this wonderful occasion celebrated.

I am at your service, and will travel as needed.

Lots of great information below:

Where To Begin?

Did you know you have to give at least one month’s notice to get married in Australia?

You do that by submitting a completed Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) to a Celebrant and fortunately, I am one. 😊

Completing the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) is an easy way to get the legal ball rolling.

  • Step 1 –          Click on the link, Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) and complete the form. When you complete the form online and save it, it will automatically be emailed back to me (no need to sign yet)
  • Step 2 –         email a scanned copy of your ID, passports will be fine as they cover both date of birth and photo ID
    • If either of you have been married before, I will also need evidence that the previous marriage has ended
  • Step 3 –         after I check your form, I will email the checked form back to you so that you can print and sign in front of an appropriate witness. (see below)
  • Step 4 –         once complete with one or both of your witnessed signatures, email the form back to me. It is then officially lodged and your notice period starts that day. I will then invoice you for the lodgement fee.
  • Step 5–           I must receive the completed scanned or original form and sight scanned or original IDs (passports) before the marriage.
  • Step 6 –          we prepare your ceremony
  • Step 7 –          when  you arrive in Australia, we will need to meet so that you can both sign a No Impediment to Marriage Declaration before me.
  • Step 8 –          if all is in order, we proceed with the Ceremony (you must have two witnesses who appear to be over 18 years) and at the end, you receive a Marriage Certificate attesting to your marriage
  • Step 9    –      After your Ceremony, I register the Marriage and you can then obtain a Certificate of Marriage Registration, which the registry refers to as a ‘Standard Certificate’ and which some governments or departments such as immigration may require as additional proof of your marriage.

 Who may witness a NOIM signed in Australia?

A NOIM signed in Australia must be signed in the presence of one of the following:

    • an authorised celebrant
    • a Commissioner for Declarations under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959
    • a justice of the peace
    • a barrister or solicitor
    • a legally qualified medical practitioner, or
    • a member of the Australian Federal Police or the police force of a State or Territory.

If one party to an intended marriage is unable to sign the NOIM for the purpose of complying with the timeframe for giving notice to the celebrant, then the NOIM may be signed by the other party in the presence of a celebrant and notice will be deemed sufficient.

Celebrants should note the following points in relation to signing the NOIM in Australia:

  • The signing of a NOIM in Australia must be in the presence of one of the categories of people listed above.
  • The list is not the same as the list of persons before whom a Commonwealth statutory declaration may be made.
  • A Commissioner for Declarations is not the same as a person before whom a Commonwealth Statutory Declaration may be made – they are specifically appointed people who will have written evidence of their appointment.
  • Commissioners for Declarations are appointed under state and territory laws. Only some states and territories appoint Commissioners for Declarations. If the parties to the marriage wish to use a Commissioner for Declarations, the parties should check whether Commissioners exist in the jurisdiction in which they reside. The best way to do this is by contacting the relevant state or territory government where the NOIM is to be witnessed.

Who may witness a NOIM signed outside Australia?

A NOIM signed outside Australia must be signed in the presence of one of the following:

Please be advised that the witness to each signature add their credentials.

What is a Notary Public?

A notary public is a legal officer with specific authority to witness legal documents, usually with an official seal. Notaries public can be found in every country and as such it is not possible for the department to provide a list of all notaries. They will usually be listed in telephone directories, or may be found through local legal channels.

Australian Embassies & High Commissioner or Consulates

You will find details of address, telephone and fax numbers for Australian embassies, high commissions, consulates and multilateral mission offices around the world at this link: Australian embassies and consulates overseas- external site

Legal Requirements for Marriage in Australia

  • Completion of the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form with your celebrant, no earlier than one month prior to your wedding date, but not more than  18 months before the wedding date.(I like to add an extra day to give time to solve any discrepancies)
  • You can start the legal paperwork by following this link Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM).
  • You must be over 18 years of age.
  • You will need to provide an original Birth Certificate or Passport as proof of date and place of birth
  • You must provide photo ID such as a passport or drivers licence
    • your Passport can serve as both proof of date and place of birth as well as photo ID)
  • If you are a divorced person, you will need to provide documentation of the termination of your previous marriage.
  • If you are widowed, you will need to provide the Death Certificate of your previous spouse.
  • On the day of your marriage you will need two witnesses, preferably who know you, who are over 18 years of age.
  • All documents in a foreign language, must have a certified English translation when to be sighted by a Celebrant.
  • Before the ceremony, couples are required to sign a Commonwealth Statutory Declaration of ‘No Legal Impediment’ to you being married.
    • the Celebrant (Me) has this document.

My Services Include:

  • All meetings, local phone calls and all emails (there may be fees for international but there are lots of free apps to eliminate phone charges).
  • Assistance with completion of all legal paperwork.
  • Lodgement and registration of all legal documentation.
  • My travel costs within 60 kilometres of St Clair NSW Australia.
  • the signing of documents and marriage register
  • Commemorative Marriage Certificate.
  • Commemorative copy of your wedding ceremony.
  • PA. sound system.
  • signing table if needed
  • other benefits that remain a pleasant surprise

I work towards Marriage ceremonies which celebrate your individuality and choices, while carefully including the legal requirements of your wedding.

Before the marriage you will also have to sign a declaration that there is no impediment to marriage meaning that neither of you are married to anyone else and that you are either both over 18, or if one of you is under 18, have a court order granting permission to marry.

Designing your Ceremony

There are ceremony samples and lots of ideas on my webpage but it is up to you how we go forward just as long we satisfy a few legal bits.

You might also find some interesting items on these pages:

International Recognition Of Marriage

Generally, Marriage in Australia is recognised by all 113 countries that are signatories to the Apostille Convention but an Apostille Seal from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), may be required.

The countries (states) are listed here

There may however be a complication in respect to recognition of your Marriages if you are of the same sex as marriage equality is currently (2018) only legal in 26 countries and so you should check with your country of residence as to legal status & recognition.

As of January 2018, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) fee for an Apostille and Authentication $81 but for up-to-date information on DFAT fees for an Apostille Seal, see the external link to DFAT: How much does it cost?

For more information, see:

Apostille Seal

An Apostille is simply the name for a specialised certificate, issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs that recognizes & authenticates documents such as birth, marriages, marital status, deaths certificates and other documents.

The word Apostille (pronounced “ah-po-steel”) derives from the Latin post illa and then French: a marginal note).

When obtained, the Apostille is attached to your original document to verify it is legitimate and authentic so it will be accepted in one of the other countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

It is an international certification under the international Apostille Convention, (Apostille) drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. It is comparable to a notarisation or certification under domestic law. If the convention applies between two countries, an apostille is sufficient to certify a document’s validity, and removes the need for double-certification, by the originating country and then by the receiving country.

There are four types of documents mentioned in the convention:

  • court documents
  • administrative documents (e.g. civil status documents which will include Birth death & Marriage certificates)
  • notarial acts
  • official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity, such as official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentications of signatures.

For more information, see:

Questions?

Uncertain about anything?

You may find the answer here where there are over 300 questions answered.

If you need any clarifications, just email me.

I am here to help.

A Life Celebrant – Lou Szymkow

Friendly, professional, reliable, helpful, approachable.

  • Civil, Marriage, Commitment, Naming & Funeral Celebrant
  • Commonwealth- Registered Marriage Celebrant
  • St Clair NSW. Australia – covering the mountains to the sea +61 (0) 457 00 1922    lou@alifecelebrant.com.au              

A celebrant for all special occasions in your journey of life.

Your Life Events: Weddings, Unions & Commitments; Naming Ceremonies; Funerals, & More

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