Weddings with Elizabeth McCarthy - Authorised Marriage Celebrant Brisbane

Your wedding is your very special day filled with dreams, hopes and plans, therefore it should be as perfect as it can be. Each ceremony is different; each couple has their own ideas and dreams.

We can include your rituals, your traditions and your hopes for the future. I will work with you to create your ceremony that will have your own personal touch which will create beautiful memories. We will meet and spend time sharing ideas on how to make YOUR wedding unforgettable. Together, we will plan the ceremony with your own personal touches and ideas.

Wedding Vows

Vows are the public expression of your feelings for one another. You can write your own or I can write them for you. They can remain a secret from each other until the Wedding day.

Click here for a selection of sample vows

Wedding Readings

This is an opportunity to include family or friends in the ceremony. The readings can be poetry or prose, or if you and the families prefer we can include a religious base verse. The decision is yours. If there are readings you would like to include but do not have anyone who will read them I am happy to include them in the ceremony and I will read them for you.

Music for the wedding ceremony

You can have any music you like included in your ceremony. Music can be played both before and after the formalities. Carefully chosen music adds to the atmosphere and ambience.

I recommended that you appoint a responsible person to coordinate the music as this usually ensures all runs smoothly.

Renewal of Marriage Vows

A Renewal Ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to renew your love for each other with very special words. It allows you to share with your special family and friends the relationship you both have shared. If you want to keep the ceremony a romantic occasion for the two of you, then I can do that as well.

This is an opportunity for a couple to celebrate their years together. It is a special ceremony as each express their love for each other, their memories and their dreams of the future. It can be celebrated on the date and time of the original wedding.

Special people can be involved e.g. from the original wedding party or children and friends of this relationship.

This is a great opportunity to make a list of all the wonderful things that have kept the two of you together. You may wish to write special promises to each other, recall all the wonderful things you love about each other and create new memories for the many wonderful years ahead.

The can be performed in a private home, by candlelight, function room, or wherever you wish.

Order of Marriage Service

The order and inclusions can change from wedding to wedding, however, the following can be used as a guide:

   Bridal Procession
  Welcome
   Monotorium
   Reading
   Declaration of Intent
   Reading
   Vows
   The exchange of rings
  Proclamation of Marriage
   Signing of the Marriage Register
   Presentation

Wedding Locations

The location for your wedding can be anywhere in Australia - chapel, park or garden, beach or bay-side.

I do recommend that if you have chosen an outdoor ceremony that you have an alternative location in case of bad weather. Always inspect the place you have in mind for shade, sun, other environmental issues and choose the time that best suits the conditions.

Also consider access for friends and family, especially the very young and older people who may need to park their car close by.

Legalities

Your commitment through a wedding ceremony is bound in law and requires that you give a minimum of 1 month and 1 days notice by your lodgment of your "Notice of Intended Marriage" (NOIM).  This notice is valid for a period of 18 months.   As an authorised Marriage Celebrant, I am required to sight supporting documents to support your lodgment of NOIM. These documents may include the following (and depends on your circumstances):

An original certificate of birth, an original extract of an entry of birth in an official register

A statutory declaration or a "No Record of Birth" letter and/or a current overseas passport

A court order permitting marriage of a person under 18 years

A Certificate of Divorce or a "Decree Absolute "

A Death Certificate of a spouse

A Certificate of Nullity

Official translation of relevant documents into English

Appropriate statutory declarations

Certificate of Change of Name (if applicable)

There are other documents to be signed including Signing the Register and Certificates as part of your ceremony.