Frequently Asked Questions
Where do we get the Marriage License? and how much does it cost?
In
Australia we do not
have a "marriage License'! Nor will you be required to take a blood test.
But you will be asked to complete a "Notice of Intended Marriage"
with the Celebrant of your choice, upon lodging this form you will also
be
asked to
pay a non-refundable fee to secure your booking with that Celebrant.
(click
here to download)
When do we pay?
I
request the
non-refundable deposit fee of $160.00 when you see me to complete the
Notice of Intended Marriage. (this is the legal form you are required to
complete) The balance of the fee is paid before the ceremony at the next
appointment, when you drop in the words to your service and sign the Wedding
documents.
Note If payment is not completed and the celebrant is required to resort in utilising a debt collection agency, the client/s agree to accept all associated costs to recover the outstanding debt.
Is
the Bride expected to be late?
Yes!
By a few moments only! Not ten or fifteen minutes!
I ask that you are punctual -
"late" for the bride means 3-4 minutes -
If the Bride does not arrive
within 3-4 minutes of the booked time, I have no option but to leave for the next
ceremony after 10 minutes has elapsed in order to be fair on the next
appointment. Please do not listen to others that advise you to be ' Fashionably late' if you
are late - you may be disappointed.
The
Bride has indicated she will arrive late for the ceremony!
You
have booked a date, Time and the venue for your Marriage Ceremony and I am
particularly anxious that this should be a happy and
momentous occasion for all concerned. It is usual for the Celebrant to have
other commitments before and after your ceremony and is on a strict timetable to
keep faith with your own and other commitments. Hence punctuality is of
paramount importance.
You have
agreed to and signed
a written contract with the Celebrant
to commence the service at the time specified. This includes the acknowledging
and signing of the "Punctuality Clause" making you aware of the reasons should
the Celebrant decide to leave, if you are Late.
Remember: The
Celebrant allocates up to 1/2 hour at the venue or chosen place of
your wedding, in connection with solemnising marriage, whether the bridal party
turns up or not!
Late arrival of the Bride or any part of the Bridal Party including guests and
family, can cause numerous problems in the form of undue stress for the groom, the attendants, the Celebrant, your guests, especially the elderly and young
children. These people have already been standing around for some time and tend
to become tired and unsettled. Some may decide to leave for the "bar", while
others who become weary return to their cars.
Also the site maybe booked for
another wedding. As well as, your Celebrant will most likely have another engagement
and does not wish to arrive late for that ceremony.
If this looks likely, he
has the right to leave and return to your wedding at a later time.
Remember if the bridal party is late arriving at the wedding venue your contract
is broken by you by being late
and not the celebrant.
Should
the Celebrant be prevented from starting within exactly -
Ten
Minutes (10) minutes of the appointed time due to lack of punctuality of
the Bridal party, family, guests, I will either:
(a) Leave for the next appointment.
(b) Arrange to perform the ceremony at a later time at a venue to be agreed upon
by myself and the Groom.
(c) At the celebrant’s discretion choose to stay if convenient.
(d) If the Celebrant decides to stay the Bride and Groom agrees to pay in
advance a *late
fee for the extra time.
*The
late
fee will be dependent on how late the bride is. At present the
'late
fee'
is $65.00 per quarter hour or part thereof.
When
does the celebrant arrive?
I
usually arrive
20 minutes before the starting time you have booked with me
to commence your ceremony.
What
time do I put on the Invitations?
Have
your invitations printed with a starting time 15 minutes before the time you
have booked with me!
When
should the groom arrive?
At
least 20 minutes before the starting time. He can then welcome the guests on
arrival.
Who
has the rings?
Whilst there
is no legal requirement about wedding rings. It is quite common for there to be
only one ring.
The ring or rings are usually held by the best man or pageboy on a cushion, be
careful not to tie them on. Sometimes the knot can’t be undone. Hook them on
with a pipe cleaner or loosely tie them with a bow, or as a last resort use a
safety pin to secure them to the cushion.
Which
way do we face?
This
is the only aspect of weddings, which I am firm about. I have couples face
their guests. I do this for several reasons,
Firstly, the guests want to see your
face, not your back.
Secondly, some people want to have their back to the guests because they are
nervous. Nerves don’t disappear when you turn around. When you actually say
anything, (your vows) you stand side-on to the guests (facing each other) no
matter which way you face in the beginning. Finally, it is very difficult for
the guests to hear the ceremony unless I am speaking to them directly and most
words are directed to everybody, not just the bride and groom.
I stand side-on of the wedding party, so that I can speak to the guests and to
you.
Who
stands where?
The
bride stands on the groom’s left
The bride’s father or the person
doing the giving away stands on the bride's left and the
bridesmaids next to him
The best man stands on the groom’s right
Does
there have to be a giving away?
No!
There is nothing legal about the giving away - it is personal choice. Anyone can
be the person doing the “giving away”.
“Giving Away” of the bride is optional, as are some other parts of the
ceremony.
Do
we have a rehearsal?
There
is no need for me to be involved in a rehearsal at the venue.
It is well worth your while having your own rehearsal however, go to the venue
and decide where the cars will pull up and how long your walk will take. Make
sure of course, that you both agree exactly where the ceremony will take place
Where
should we have the Ceremony?
Be
aware of the weather. If it is likely to be hot or warm, have the ceremony in
the shade. Remember to have shade for your guests as well.
You as a Bridal couple have a duty of
care to see that your guests are also looked after and that means providing them
with shade or shelter if the weather is too hot or if it rains.
Photographs work out
better in the shade, and professional photographers will “fill” with flash
and won't have to contend with glare
or squinting eyes.
Check the time of sunset if you are planning a late afternoon wedding. Sunset
times throughout the year are on our links page. Also,
should you have your service when the weather is inclement, please have on
standby an alternate undercover site, should it be needed.
Does
the celebrant come to the reception?
No!
Can
we make changes to our wedding day?
Yes!
But each change incurs $15.00 fee,
to reflect administrative
charges.
How
much does it cost? and what do we get?
(i)
Authorised
Civil
celebrants charge what they consider appropriate costs in solemnising a
marriage. In 1995 Celebrants were deregulated. This has made weddings more
personalised and affordable to the individual.
Early November
2002 the Attorney decreed, all Marriage Celebrants attend Professional Development
and this cost is factored in the overall fee.
In early 2005, an un-factored cost increased the overall ceremony fee. Perth's
Petrol price skyrocketed car running costs. Like most celebrants
I
have an inbuilt 40KM from the house to the wedding site and back home in the
fees, many celebrants now charge for excess
mileage over 40KM at $1.00/KM, (especially with escalating World Oil Parity
Prices). So don't be offended if I ask you to take that in mind.
Also be aware the supply of
items such as
signing table with tablecloth and chairs
etc., are charged separately.
Note: Table and and or chairs will not be supplied for places such as Kings Park or any Beach Wedding
location.
(i) You will be required to attend two visits at my home for the preparation of
Your Wedding documents and
for your
Service
selection
layout.
You will get:
(ii) As from 1st September 2005 all couples marrying will receive the Australian
Government
issue 'Marriage
Certificate'.
It features special inks (called fugitive inks) and a unique serial number on the reverse that enables each
certificate to be traced and will significantly increase its security as an
official document
to prevent fraud and terrorism,
your certificate will be
printed with a nice font on a Laser Jet printer
(iii) The attendance of the Celebrant
for up to 1/2 hour at the venue or chosen place of your wedding in connection
with solemnising marriage, whether the bridal party turns up or not. The
Celebrant may leave to perform other commitments and charge extra fees on return
to perform your wedding SO don't be late.
(iv) All documentation lodged with the appropriate authority for registering
the marriage.
(v) The
supply and free use
of a PA system (to handle up to 500 people) if required at no added cost, a boom microphone
on stand for
persons doing readings.
For a personalised fee, please contact me direct either by email or telephone.
email
or send me a
form
To ask me for a quote or further questions
(NO SPAM)
What
do we need to provide?
A
table and cloth for the signing of the register. It is also wise to bring two
backless chairs so that the photographs look better. It is best to allocate the
task of bringing a table and chairs to one of the guests, a reliable guest. Ask
them to be there 15 minutes before and not to be late. The table can be a small
patio table, card table, anything small.
If supplied by the Celebrant a $10.00 charge will be made for upkeep.
How
many witnesses do we need?
The
law requires you to have two witnesses. The only requirement is that they appear
to
be over the age of 18. They can be relatives,
friends - in fact any
one over 18.
Can
I recommend a good Video person or Photographer
No! As a celebrant, I am impartial and have no role in
recommending other services to you.
But it is worthy to check my links page for those who supply excellent service
to the Wedding Industry and ones I have worked with.
There are though a few thoughts to keep in
mind. Choose people whose work you have seen and are happy with. Ask for names
of people who would be happy to recommend them and then contact them for an
opinion.
Ask for their attitude towards things like the guests, timing, etc.
Choose people who work around the wedding and avoid the people who expect the
wedding to happen around them. There are many excellent photographers, the good
ones will know exactly what my comments here mean and will appreciate them.
Photographs may be taken during the ceremony, but please ask your photographer
to co-operate with the schedule of the ceremony i.e. that it starts on time, so
that your family and friends don’t suffer excessive waiting and discomfort.
Can we write Our Own Vows?
Yes!
By all means
do so, but please remember to
check with the Celebrant
in order that the legalities of the
vows are correct the celebrant will give you a copy,
(these
are included) in
the
personalised wedding service book.
Do
we have to remember any words?
No! Any words, which you have to say, (the vows) I will say phrase by phrase for
you to repeat them after me.
How
many attendants should we have?
This
is really your choice, but there are a few comments for you to consider. The wedding is yours, and you
should be the centre of attention. When
you have more than two attendants each, the bridal party begins to look
enormous, consider even with two attendants, there are 8 people standing
together.
When there are four attendants each, you have 12 people standing,
often looking uncomfortable. (Bride, groom, 4 bridesmaids, 4 groomsmen,
bride’s father, and celebrant - 12 people)
There are two things to bear in mind.
The first is that in some locations there is simply not enough room for more
than 4 or 6 people to stand together.
The second, is that in my experience, the third and fourth attendants feel very
uncomfortable and this tends to make them look uncomfortable and feel a little
“out of it.”
Also bear in mind that the larger the bridal party, the further
back the photographer needs to be to include everyone.
My
experience is that
smaller wedding parties contribute more meaningful and enjoyable ceremonies for
everyone.
Drinks/Mobile
Phones
Generally
speaking, it is best not to serve drinks until after the ceremony. If drinks are
served, the
Celebrant may ask that all drinks be put aside. He will also ask
that all mobile phones be turned off until the ceremony is over.
Can music be played at our Wedding?
Yes!
I am a great believer in music at weddings; it soothes
the nerves and helps
focus on the task ahead.
Music should be played as guests arrive and definitely ‘Herald’ the arrival
of the Bride. It should also be played in the background whilst the register is
signed. The selections are up to the bride and groom.
Please assign the task of the music to a reliable person and ensure that the
person is there at least 15 min before and not to be late. The supply of these
items are up to the Bride and Groom.
PLEASE NOTE:
The Celebrant takes no part in supplying or performing of music. Also
remember only original discs must be used in any ' player' you supply. Or
it may contravene the Copyright Act and APRA (Association Performing Rights
Association) and or licensing fees will be required for any music deemed to be
played.
For the latest Top 10 or
what is hot in choices of Wedding Music visit our
Links
Page
Will the
celebrant be able to be heard by everyone at the Wedding?
Believe me when I say this! You will!
as will your invited guests!
Besides my loud inviting voice, I also have the support of my Mipro 707, 50 Watt Portable PA
System with remote mike and boom microphone, should it be needed or required.
The supply of the P.A. unit to handle up to 200 people is also included in the fee, should the number attending be larger than the 200 and a separate unit is required to be hired the client accepts hiring costs.