Friends with Benefits Wedding Ceremony
This Friends with Benefits package enables a friend or friends of yours to write and conduct the wedding ceremony, apart from the legal components, which I will conduct.
- Completion and lodgement of all legal paperwork
- Two pre-wedding meetings (Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp or face-to-face).
- As many emails and phone calls as we need
- Access to me, for advice
- Inclusion of your brief love story, if you wish, written by you or your friend(s)
- My wedding planning checklist, month by month, to help you plan your wedding
- Delivery of the legal components of your ceremony on the day*
- Use of my professional quality sound system, if required
- Printed marriage certificate presented to you
- Notification when your marriage has been registered
- My fee AUD$1399.
Optional extras:
- Rehearsal in the week leading up to your wedding – $400.
- Copy of registered (legal) marriage certificate ordered by me on your behalf and sent from the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages to your home address – within Australia an extra $100; outside Australia, an extra $140.
- Letter of support for migration application or visa application – $175.
*Note: Each round trip by me in excess of 100km from my home office in Pascoe Vale for meetings, for a rehearsal or for the ceremony will incur an additional fee of $330.
Friends with Benefits Wedding Plan Journey
Our First Meeting – If You’re In Victoria
I’ll meet with you, either by Zoom, FaceTime, Skype or WhatsApp or face-to-face, so I can explain the legal requirements for getting married in Australia. In that meeting, which will include the friends who are conducting the non-legal parts of your marriage ceremony, I’ll get an idea of what you’re planning for your wedding and you can ask me as many questions as you like. We can make sure we’re a good fit for each other and I’ll give you some ideas of things to consider for your ceremony. And, as part of my service, you’ll have free access to my e-book on LGBTIQ+ Wedding Rituals and Traditions.
NOIM Witnessing and Lodgement - If You’re In Victoria
If you wish, I’ll help you fill out the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM), and then you’ll need to sign the NOIM in front of me – this can be done via Zoom, FaceTime, Skype or WhatsApp. Alternatively, you can sign it face-to-face in front of a JP, GP, police officer, or solicitor or barrister as your authorised witness. Then I’ll ask you to lodge the NOIM with me – you can scan and email it or you can take a photo of it and send it to me. One month from the date I receive it, I can marry you. I’ll confirm your wedding day in my diary and send you the first of two invoices. The second invoice is due one month before your wedding.
Our First Meeting – If You’re Not In Victoria
Our first meeting will be held via FaceTime or Zoom, Skype or WhatsApp and will include the friends who are conducting the non-legal parts of your marriage ceremony. I’ll get an idea of what you’re planning for your wedding and you can ask me as many questions as you like. We can make sure we’re a good fit for each other and I’ll give you some ideas of things to consider for your ceremony. In that meeting, I’ll also explain the legal requirements for getting married in Australia. And, as part of my service, you’ll have free access to my e-book on LGBTIQ+ Wedding Rituals and Traditions.
NOIM Witnessing and Lodgement - If You’re Not In Australia
If you wish, I can help you fill out the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM), and then you’ll need to sign the NOIM in front of a notary public or an official from the Australian Embassy or Consulate as your authorised witness. Then I’ll ask you to lodge it with me – you can scan and email it or you can take a photo of it and send it to me, along with evidence of your ID and any death certificates or divorce certificates, if relevant. Any day one month from the date I receive the NOIM, I can marry you. I’ll confirm your wedding day in my diary and send you the first of two invoices. The second one is due one month before your wedding.
Wedding Planning Checklist
I’ll send you a copy of my wedding planning checklist – it’s got a month-by-month list of the things I suggest you get done, bit by bit so that, on your special day, your wedding is just how you want it to be. And each month, you’ll get, delivered straight to your inbox, a list of tasks to do that month, in order to be fully planned and prepared by the day of your wedding.
Your Love Story
I’ll also send you a brief questionnaire that asks some questions about your love story. You can answer as many questions as you feel like and send your responses to your friends for them to write up into your love story - full of funny and not-so-funny bits – and, of course, full of love!
Ceremony Drafts For Review & Changes
Using some of my advice, your friends will then create a ceremony that reflects both of you - and then they’ll send you their first draft.
Re-drafting The First Draft
Your friends and you will typically go back and forth with new drafts a few times, making changes to your ceremony until you’re all really happy with it. When you have a final draft, I’ll ask you to forward it to me for a look-over and to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Wedding Rehearsal
Also, during the week before your wedding, if you wish, we’ll have a run-through your wedding ceremony, to make sure we all know what’s going to happen on your wedding day, to help calm the nerves and avoid any surprises on your special day. We’ll also check to make sure the legal paperwork has no errors in it, and you and I will sign / witness the Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage.
Wedding Ceremony
On your wedding day, you’ll arrive as two single people. I’ll arrive about 45 minutes before your ceremony, with plenty of time to set up and do a sound check of my professional sound system to make sure it’s working perfectly. I’ll make sure the spotlight is on both of you – not on me, as your celebrant, as your friends deliver your marriage ceremony. You’ll arrive single and excited – and you’ll leave as a married couple!
Registration of Your Marriage
Within 24 hours of your marriage, I’ll submit all the legally required documents to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. And I’ll notify
you when your marriage has been registered. As well, for an optional extra fee, I’ll apply for a copy of your registered (legal) marriage certificate to be sent to your home address by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, no matter where you live in the world.
Let’s plan your wedding your way.
Apart from the legal words we each have to say during your marriage ceremony, there are no rules about what needs to go into a wedding ceremony. We can be as traditional or as playful as you like! Let’s work together to create a ceremony that’s authentic for you – one that reflects your beliefs, values and personalities. I’ll provide suggestions and samples – but the final decisions are yours to make.
Get the latest wedding ceremony news, advice & tips
Sent straight to your email each month
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions asked by couples about superior wedding ceremony
Is a celebrant wedding legal?
Of course. I am a registered wedding celebrant and have the legal license to marry you anywhere in Australia. I’ll even help you customise the ceremony and make it a memorable affair!
Where can you marry us?
I love bringing people together. So, don’t worry, no matter where you are, I am ready to marry you. I currently reside at Pascoe Vale, but I travel all across Melbourne and regional Victoria to deliver ceremonies
What makes you different from the other wedding celebrants?
I am among Melbourne’s best marriage celebrants. You can check out the events I’ve organised or the testimonials on my page for proof. I have worked with a wide range of couples over the course of my career.
You can be rest assured that your ceremony will be an authentic and professionally executed affair. I’ll be there every step of the way. From the dress rehearsal to the drafting of the vows-it will be day you cherish for life.
What kind of couples do you cater to?
Everyone has the right to love and unite their lives in the sacred bonds of marriage. I help all couples, irrespective of their ethnic background or sexual orientation.
Would you help us write our love story?
Yes! That’s what I am here for! As a wedding celebrant, I ensure that your wedding day is one of the happiest, most cherished occasions of your life. I have helped my clients plan all sorts of ceremonies.
I do about one to two weddings a week on average. So, I have ample time to sit with the couple and hear your story. I don’t do generic ceremonies though (unless that’s what you want!)
When are you available?
I work as a full-time celebrant. If you want to reach out, drop in a message, fill out the contact form or just give me a call. I will get back to you as soon as possible and we can take it from there.
Let’s meet up over a cup of coffee to discuss the intricate details of the ceremony. I can spend as much time as you’d need for drafting, re-drafting the ceremony, helping you with the paperwork and other miscellaneous details.