Australia was once the destination for Japanese couples wishing to marry. Today many Chinese couples choose to marry in Australia. Many people think you need to be a citizen or have had a connection to Australia but this is a fallacy. All a couple have to do is contact a registered celebrant, complete the Notice of Intended Marriage and have it witnessed in their country by either an Australian Consular Officer, an Australian Diplomatic Officer, a notary public, an authorised Commonwealth employee or an employee of the Australian Trade commission and post the witnessed form to the celebrant. Negotiations regarding the ceremony and can be done via email, Skype or the telephone. Alternately they may like to engage the services of a wedding planner.
People living overseas often wish to marry in Australia as it’s even more economical to celebrate with friends and close family rather than have an expensive wedding at home. In the pre COVID times I had done weddings and commitment ceremonies for Chinese and Hong Kong nationals including a Hong Kong based action movie star, and a Beijing based television actor, plus a wedding for an environmental engineer working in Newfoundland, Canada as she had once lived in Melbourne. On one occasion I did a double Commitment ceremony for Chinese nationals in a bush setting near Doncaster.
Australia and particularly Victoria has a variety of breath-taking settings and beautiful chapels where couples can marry and plan their dream wedding. These include the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong Ranges, the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas and Victoria’s beautiful high country. A dream wedding is easy to plan as I can introduce you to several wedding planners who will take the worry out of organizing your big day. They can recommend several venues, entertainers, accommodation (if required), photographers and videographers, hair stylists and makeup artists, props and flowers. Yes, the list is endless, and they will organize everything with quiet professionalism.
A ‘Destination Victoria’ wedding will be recognized in your own country as Australia recognizes marriages that have taken place in many countries around the world. For weddings, all couples must complete the Notice of Intended marriage or NOIM which must be signed and witnessed in their country by an approved person and couriered to the chosen celebrant who must receive it at least a month prior to the wedding.
You may like a wedding planner to organize the wedding, so when you arrive in Australia it’s arranged, and you can enjoy your time in Victoria. I work closely with several planners who I could recommend. You will only need to advise me who your two witnesses will be, who can sign the Certificates of Marriage on your special day, as long as they are 18 years or over. Don’t worry if you can’t find witnesses as we will organize them as it’s all part of the service.
I can meet with you via Zoom, FaceTime or WhatsApp and will help you to create the ceremony of your dreams and just to make sure that everything goes smoothly on your wedding day will hold an onsite rehearsal. I will also assist you in selecting the songs that will be played before, during and after the ceremony.
After the ceremony I will give you a personalized copy of your ceremony and apply for an official Certificate of Marriage from the Victorian Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to be posted to you after the ceremony.
A ‘Destination Victoria’ wedding will be recognized in your own country as Australia recognizes marriages that have taken place in many countries around the world. For weddings, all couples must complete the Notice of Intended marriage or NOIM which must be signed and witnessed in their country by an approved person and couriered to the chosen celebrant who must receive it at least a month prior to the wedding.
Organizing an Australian wedding is easy if you follow these basic steps:
1. Obtain a Notice of Intended Marriage from the Australian Attorney General’s at: check here
or from an Australian celebrant or planner
2. Complete the form with your personal information
3. Sign the Notice of Intended Marriage in the presence of, and have your passport and/or Birth Certificate Certified by:
a. a notary public,
b. an Australian Consular Officer, including:
i. Consul-General
ii. Consul
iii. Vice-Consul
iv. Trade Representative
v. Consular Agent
c. an Australian Diplomatic Officer including:
i. Ambassador
ii. High Commissioner
iii. Minister
iv. Head of a Mission
v. Commissioner
vi. Chargé d’Affaires; and Counsellor, Secretary or Attaché at an Embassy, High Commissioner’s office, Legation or other post.
viii. a registered employee of the Commonwealth, or a registered employee of the Australian Trade Commission.
d. an employee of the Commonwealth authorized, in writing, by the Secretary of the Department
e. an employee of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission authorized, in writing, by the Secretary of the Department.
4. These officers can and will witness the form
5. Post the form to your chosen Australian celebrant complete with certified copies of your birth certificate and passport
6. Once the form has been received by the celebrant you may marry one calendar month later, at the earliest and the form will be current for a period of 18 months.
You may like a wedding planner to organize the wedding, so when you arrive in Australia it’s arranged, and you can enjoy your time in Victoria. I work closely with several planners who I could recommend. You will only need to advise me who your two witnesses will be, who can sign the Certificates of Marriage on your special day, as long as they are 18 years or over. Don’t worry if you can’t find witnesses as we will organize them as it’s all part of the service.
I can meet with you via Zoom, FaceTime or WhatsApp and will help you to create the ceremony of your dreams and just to make sure that everything goes smoothly on your wedding day will hold an onsite rehearsal. I will also assist you in selecting the songs that will be played before, during and after the ceremony.
After the ceremony I will give you a personalized copy of your ceremony and apply for an official Certificate of Marriage from the Victorian Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to be posted to you after the ceremony.
If you live in a foreign country, you may require a Visitor Visa (visit and tourism) which can be issued by the Department of Home Affairs https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-finder
Wedding planners can organise every aspect of your wedding from choosing the location, celebrant and other providers to ensure that your wedding day runs smoothly. Also, if you are from China I work with a number of translators who can translate the ceremony from English to Mandarin or Cantonese.
Victoria has many marvelous regions and areas to celebrate your wedding. Possible regions and destinations for your ceremony and reception can include:
● Melbourne city and metropolitan
● Yarra Valley
● Dandenong Ranges
● Mornington Peninsula
● Bellarine Peninsula
● Other regional areas (https://www.visitvictoria.com)