How to get married in Byron Bay

Here’s all the information you need on how to get legally married in the Byron Shire. The Marriage Act of 1961 determines who can marry in Australia, and how they get married. Marriage in Australia is a national or federal issue, a Commonwealth concern, not a state or local government issue. Here at The Byron Bay Wedding Celebrant website, we can only give basic advice on marriage in Australia, we can not offer you particular law advice.

Who can be married in Byron?

To get legally married in Byron Bay, Australia, you have to:

• not be married
• not be marrying your parent, grandparent, youngster, grandchild, sibling
• must be at the very least, 18 years of ages, unless a court has approved a marriage where one individual is 16-18 years of age
• recognise what a marital relationship implies
• use specific words in the wedding ceremony
• parties to a marriage must provide a notice of intention to marry to an authorised marriage celebrant at least 1 month and also no more than 18 months before your wedding event
• be wed by an authorised marriage celebrant in Byron Bay

You don’t need to be:

• an Australian citizen
• an resident of Byron Bay or Australia

Marriage equality

The right to marry in Australia is no longer determined by sex or gender.

Prior to your wedding or elopement

Before you get married, you are required to:

• complete a notice of intention to marry form
• provide it to an authorised marriage celebrant at least 1 month (however not greater than 18 months) before your wedding

Ask your authorised Byron Bay marriage celebrant if you require help with the form. You can complete it if you are overseas and plan to get married in Australia. If there is much less than 1 month up until your wedding, talk with your authorised marriage celebrant. You may be able to obtain permission to marry from a recommended authority.

Shortening of time

Reasons for obtaining notice to marry in less than one month include:

• employment-related or travel dedications
• wedding or event setups
• medical factors
• lawful proceedings
• mistake in giving notice

Your authorised celebrant will certainly also need:

• proof of your date as well as place of birth (birth certification or passport).
• proof of identity (driver’s licence or passport).
• evidence that a previous marital relationship has actually ended.

Getting married

On your big day at the wedding venue, three marriage certificates need to be authorised by you as well as your partner, and two witnesses, who need to be over 18 years of ages, along with your celebrant in Byron Bay.

Your authorised marriage celebrant will give you a certificate of marriage on the day, it’s called a Form 15. This is a ceremonial certificate of your marital relationship. Your celebrant needs to after that (within 2 week of the wedding) submit your marriage documentation to the registry of births, deaths and marriages in Sydney, New South Wales, because your wedding was in Byron Bay which is in NSW.

You ought to obtain a copy of your official marriage certification from the registry. Your celebrant can do this in your place, generally at a price, within two months of your marriage ceremony. You will require this if you wish to change your name or show that you are married.