Notice of Intended Marriage

The completed Notice of Intended Marriage must be lodged with your celebrant a minimum of one month and one day before your wedding date, and a maximum of 18 months before your wedding.

I can give you a Notice of Intended Marriage form, or you can download it from the Attorney General’s website

Lodgement of the Notice of Intended Marriage with your celebrant is the first step in the legal marriage process. When you bring your completed Notice of Intended Marriage to me, you should also bring the essential pre-wedding documents listed below.

Essential Pre-Wedding Documents

Before you can be married you must bring to your celebrant the following original documents so he or she can confirm they have been provided as evidence:

• Original birth certificate or original extract of birth certificate as proof of your date and place of birth.
• If not in English, you must provide a certified translation as well as the original document.
• If you were born outside Australia, your passport will be acceptable as evidence of your date and place of birth.
• If you have been divorced or your former spouse has passed away, a decree absolute or death certificate is required to prove that any previous marriage has ended.

Other Documents

In addition to the Notice of Intended Marriage, other documents to be prepared by your celebrant and signed include your Certificate of Marriage and the Marriage Register.

Both the bride and groom, two witnesses over the age of 18, and your celebrant must all sign the Certificate of Marriage and Marriage Register after the ceremony.

Your celebrant will lodge your Certificate of Marriage with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Changing Your Name

In Australia, it is not legally required for a wife to take her husband’s name after marriage.

If a bride would like to change her name to her husband’s surname, she can purchase a copy of the Certificate of Marriage from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. This is a legal document and is not the same as the Marriage Certificate provided by your celebrant on your wedding day. The Certificate of Marriage must be taken personally and shown to a person in authority wherever your married name is to be used. For example, you would need to show the Certificate to your employer, bank, credit companies, Department of Transport (for your driver’s licence) and so on.

If a bride and groom wish to change their names to hyphenated names, you will both need to apply for a Registered Change of Name Certificate from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.