advertise | supplier hub membership | contact | couples planning club

Weddings Abroad Guide

Weddings Abroad Guide - How to Get Married Abroad

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Home
    • Latest News
    • About Weddings Abroad Guide
    • Join our Directory
  • Planning Tools
  • Find a Supplier
    • Easy Supplier Finder
    • Venues
    • Photographers / Videographers
    • Wedding Planners
    • Elopement & Same-Sex Planners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Special Offers
    • Luxury Wedding Collection
    • Join our Directory
  • Planning
    • Free Planning Checklist
    • Digital Planning Tool Kit
    • Online Consultation
    • Getting Started
      • Top 10 Planning Tips
      • Step by Step Planning Guide
      • Planning Checklist
    • How to Plan
      • Planning Club
      • Wedding Planners
      • Wedding Packages
      • Do it Yourself
    • The Essentials
      • Choosing the Right Suppliers
      • Selecting Your Venues
      • Photography – Key Points
      • Wedding Insurance
    • Guests & Etiquette
    • Expert Tips
  • Destinations
    • All Destinations
      • Europe A – G
        • Austria
        • Croatia
        • Cyprus
        • Czech Republic
        • Denmark
        • France
        • Gibraltar
        • Greece
      • Europe H – O
        • Iceland
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • Lapland
        • Malta
        • Monaco
        • Netherlands
      • Europe P – Z
        • Portugal
        • Slovakia
        • Slovenia
        • Spain
        • Switzerland
        • Turkey
        • United Kingdom
      • Middle East / Dubai
      • India
      • Asia / Pacific
      • Africa / Indian Ocean
      • Caribbean
      • Canada
      • Americas
      • Australasia
    • Choosing Your Destination
    • Month by Month Destination Guide
  • Costs
    • What will it Cost Us?
    • Free Cost Estimator
    • Real Budget Breakdowns
    • Popular Destinations
    • Cost & Budget Tips
    • Weddings on a Budget
    • Costs for Guests
    • Currency Exchange Tips
  • Legal Guidelines
    • Legal Requirements
    • Documentation
    • Civil Weddings
    • Gay Marriage Countries
    • Wedding Blessings
    • Registering Your Marriage
  • Details
    • Destination Wedding Details
    • Wedding Dresses
    • Wedding Stationery
    • Wedding Websites
    • Gift Lists & Honeymoon Registries
    • Photography Contracts
    • The Groom
  • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Abroad Inspiration
    • Latest Real Weddings
    • Real Weddings by Destination
    • Film Gallery
    • Styled Shoots
    • Photo Gallery

Australia Wedding Ceremony

You can choose to have either a civil or religious Australia wedding ceremony.

Australia has very relaxed rules on where a marriage may take place and permits marriages to be held in private at any location. This differs, for example from many countries in Europe, such as England where a civil ceremony must be conducted in a place specially sanctioned by law, such as a church or Registry Office. Below are the facts you need to know about having an Australia wedding ceremony.

Australia Wedding Ceremony | Jess &Caylans Melbourne Garden Wedding | weddingsabroadguide.com

Civil Ceremony

In Australia civil ceremonies are performed by Marriage Celebrants. The Attorney-General’s Department in Australia established a Marriage Celebrants Program in 1973 to enable the appointment of suitably qualified people to perform marriages. The aim of this program was to give couples a meaningful alternative to Registry Office and Church weddings.

With a civil ceremony you have the option to choose:

  • Your Marriage Celebrant
  • The date of your wedding
  • The time of your wedding
  • The words of your wedding ceremony – including any poems and readings
  • The music for your wedding ceremony
  • The location of your wedding ceremony – this is limited only by your imagination
  • Who participates in your wedding ceremony – friends and family

If you choose to have a civil ceremony you will usually work very closely with your chosen Marriage Celebrant to create exactly the type of ceremony you would like – your ceremony will be unique to you as a couple.

The only words that must be included into your ceremony are the following:

The celebrant must say:

I am duly authorized by law to solemnize marriages according to law. “Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. “Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.

The bride and groom must say words to the effect of:

I call upon the persons here present to witness that I (full name), take thee, (full name), to be my lawful wedded wife or husband or partner or spouse.

Religious Ceremonies

Religious ceremonies are legally binding in Australia.

If you choose to have a religious Australia wedding ceremony, I would advise you to contact your local religious official and the religious official who will perform your Australia wedding ceremony in Australia at least six months prior to your wedding to ensure you can fulfill all the necessary requirements.

In Australia, some religious officials are willing to conduct your wedding ceremony in a location of your choice, such as parks and gardens, reception centres or other chosen venues.

Symbolic Ceremony

My husband and I “secretly” got married in the United Kingdom prior to our wedding abroad and had a Humanist wedding ceremony on our wedding day. Our civil ceremony in the United Kingdom was purely to take care of the legalities and our wedding day is when we considered ourselves married. Our guests were not aware that our civil ceremony had taken place and our very personalised wedding ceremony  is when we and our guests felt that we became husband and wife.

Additional information

For information on the legal requirements for getting married in Australia click here.

Find wedding suppliers in Australia.

Getting Married in Australia – First Steps

Destination Wedding in Australia Guide // South Pacific Bridal

Browse the Australia Wedding Guide which contains guidelines on the legal requirements and wedding ceremony options, Australian wedding suppliers, real wedding reviews, related inspiration and hot tips.

Australia Wedding Guide

step by step guide to planning a wedding abroad

My step by step guide will guide you through the all different stages of planning a wedding abroad.

Step by Step Planning Guide

Wedding Planning Checklist

My Wedding Planning Checklist has been designed specifically for getting married abroad. It will help bring some order and structure to your planning.

Wedding Planning Checklist

What’s Next?

Are you ready to take your wedding planning to the next level? Check out my FREE

PLANNING TOOLS

Welcome to Weddings Abroad Guide a website dedicated to those planning a destination wedding providing independent information & advice for those planning a wedding abroad.

Digital Wedding Planning Tool Kit - The Essential must have Easy to Follow Checklists, Spreadsheets & Workbooks Guide for a Destination Wedding Abroad by Weddings Abroad Guide

Planning a Wedding Abroad - Easy to follow steps www.weddingsabroadguide.com Learn how you can plan a Destination Wedding www.weddingsabroadguide.com Downloadable Destination Wedding Planning Tools & Checklists www.weddingsabroadguide.com Weddings Abroad Destination Guides & Country Overviews www.weddingsabroadguide.com Top Destination Wedding Tips & Advice www.weddingsabroadguide.comDestination Wedding Etiquette Tips & Advice www.weddingsabroadguide.com Destination Wedding Inspiration, Real Wedding Stories, Films, Styled Shoots www.weddingsabroadguide.comTop 4 Destination Wedding Planning Essentials www.weddingsabroadguide.comDestination Wedding Details all you need to know www.weddingsabroadguide.comFind Destination Wedding Suppliers worldwide www.weddingabroadguide.com Find your perfect Destination Wedding Venue www.weddingsabroadguide.comWant to know more about getting married abroad? Ask a question here. www.weddingsabroadguide.com

Mix & Match Bridesmaid Dresses from Dessy Group

Honeymoon & Wedding Gift List by Holidaysplease member of the Destination Wedding Directory by Weddings Abroad Guide

We can connect you with Destination Wedding Couples - Let us help you Grow your Wedding Business.- Find out more about how to be become a member our Destination Wedding Directory.

The Ultimate Destination Wedding Planning Checklist - Download your FREE Planning Tools Today!  // weddingsabroadguide.com

Planning!

Digital Wedding Planning Tool Kit - The Essential must have Easy to Follow Checklists, Spreadsheets & Workbooks Guide for a Destination Wedding Abroad by Weddings Abroad Guide

Been featured? Grab a badge

featured-on-weddings-abroad-guide

Browse by topic

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join in!

Find me on

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Real Weddings
  • How to Guide
  • Planning Tools
  • Latest News
  • Directory

© 2023 · weddingsabroadguide.com. All rights reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject

Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT