Quick
Facts
About
Getting Married in Australia
About
Changing your Name after Marriage
About
Having a Naming Ceremony
About
Having a Commitment Ceremony
About
Renewing your Vows
About Fees
and Payment
Feedback,
Reviews, and Testimonials
About Jennifer
Cram, Your Celebrant at Pride CeremoniesTM
About
Celebrant Dress
Quick
Facts About Getting Married
To be legally married in Australia you must do the
following;
- Give at least a
month's notice
A Notice of Intended
Marriage form must be completed, signed in front
of a qualified witness (of which a celebrant is one)
and lodged with your celebrant at least one
month before your ceremony.
Special circumstances
- There are a limited number of special
circumstances in which a couple can apply to marry
with less than one month's notice, such as
terminal illness. This is called shortening of
time and is granted only after careful
consideration by an official at Births, Deaths,
and Marriages or a courthouse. Pregnancy or an
expiring visa are not regarded as grounds for
shortening of time.
- Show your
celebrant evidence of your Identity
Both of the marrying couple must show your
celebrant your birth certificate (an original as
issued by a relevant government authority NOT a
photocopy or copy certified by a JP) or your
passport.
Special circumstances
- Occasionally because of individual circumstances,
there may be issues with a person's identity
documents (or lack of them). This is where having an
my experience as a celebrant and my in depth
understanding of the legal issues relating to
allowable alternatives and possibilities pays
dividends.
- Prove that you
are Free to Marry
If you have been married before you must show your
Divorce Certificate or the Death Certificate of your
previous husband/wife, or a certificate of Nullity.
This certificate must make it clear that the
divorce is final.
Requirements of the
Marriage Act for your marriage ceremony
These are the three things that must happen during your
marriage ceremony in order for you to be legally
married. And yes, you will see videos of ceremonies
where the correct words aren't said, and you may even
speak to celebrants who airily tell you that you don't
have to say them (because they don't understand the
requirements of the Marriage Act) but if you don't
comply then the legality of your marriage will be in
doubt.
- You must have 2
witnesses present
You may have as many guests as you like, but
2 people, over the age of 18 must be designated as
your legal witnesses
- Your celebrant must make the statement required by
the Act before you make your vows
This includes the
legal definition of marriage as being the union of
a man and a woman
- You must make vows using the legally required
words
"I call upon the
persons here present (OR I ask everyone here) to
witness that I (Full
Name) take you (Full Name) to be my lawful
wedded husband/wife (OR you can say spouse OR
partner in marriage). It is these
declarations that create your marriage, so you can't
change them.
And PS because you are marrying under Australian Law,
the marriage can only take place in Australia, and
will be registered in Australia. Some other countries
require that their citizens have to notify the
authorities in their home country even if they marry
elsewhere. This is not the case in Australia. Overseas
marriages are recognised here, but not registered
here.
Engaging Pride
Ceremonies and Jennifer Cram (me - Jenny) as your
celebrant for your marriage
- Check my availability for your chosen date, time
and venue
- Choose your marriage
ceremony package
- Complete my booking form (supplied when I confirm
my availability) and pay the booking fee (50% of the
fee, payable as a non-refundable deposit)
- Complete the questionnaires which I will supply
and return to me
- Work with me to refine the draft ceremony I will
write for you
- Pay the balance of the fee at least one month
before the ceremony
- Complete and send back my feedback form
Quick
Facts About Changing Your Name After Marriage
Changing your name is a five-step process (NB it is not
compulsory, any change by marriage entirely a personal
choice). Same sex couples can change their names in
exactly the same way as heterosexual married couples
have done for centuries, if they wish. This is not a
legal name change, but one according to tradition. So it
does not retrospectively change your name on your birth
record. Either can change to the other's name, or you
can work out some combination of your names.
- Start using the name as soon as you are married
- Use your chosen new name consistently
- Obtain your official certificate from Births,
Deaths, and Marriages (I'll give you the form and
explain how to do this)
- Make photocopies of it and have them certified by
a JP
- Change your personal records (Driver License/Proof
of Age Card, Medicare Card, Passport, Electoral
Roll, Bank Accounts, Superannuation, etc)
More information about changing your name.
Worth noting: Each of
you must sign in your current legal name. The
certificate will have this name on it. That's not a
mistake and not a cause for concern as entities to which
you will be presenting this certificate understand that,
and will change the surname(s) to your preferred new
name.
Quick
Facts About Having a Naming Ceremony
A naming ceremony is a ceremony that celebrates your
child and the relationships that will be important to
your child.
- You can appoint
Godparents/Mentors/Guideparents/Sponsors/Mentors (or
whatever you choose to call them. The only thing to
be aware of is that, even if you call them
Guardians, the naming ceremony doesn't create the
legal relationship. You'll need to see a solicitor
for that.
- There are no legal requirements for a naming
ceremony.
Engaging Jenny as your
celebrant for your child's naming
- Check my availability for your chosen date, time
and venue
- Choose your naming
ceremony package
- Complete my booking form (supplied when I confirm
my availability) and pay the booking fee (50% of the
fee, payable as a non-refundable deposit)
- Complete the questionnaire which I will supply and
return to me
- Work with me to refine the draft ceremony I will
write for you
- Pay the balance of the fee at least one month
before the ceremony
- Provide a photograph of your child for inclusion
on his/her naming certificate
- Complete and send back my feedback form
Quick
Facts About Having a Commitment Ceremony
A commitment ceremony is a non-legal ceremony that
celebrates the loving relationship between two people,
regardless of gender. Without entering into a
legal marriage you can express and celebrate your love
and commitment in front of family and friends.
- The only legal requirement is that no-one present
must be given the impression that the ceremony is a
legal marriage.
Engaging Jenny as your
celebrant for your commitment ceremony
- Check my availability for your chosen date, time
and venue
- Choose your commitment
ceremony package
- Complete my booking form (supplied when I confirm
my availability) and pay the booking fee (50% of the
fee, payable as a non-refundable deposit)
- Complete the questionnaires which I will supply
and return to me
- Work with me to refine the draft ceremony I will
write for you
- Pay the balance of the fee at least one month
before the ceremony
- Complete and send back my feedback form
Quick
Facts About Renewing Your Vows
A renewal of vows (reaffirmation of vows) ceremony is a
non-legal ceremony that celebrates the success of your
marriage or life partnership, or it can be the full
white wedding experience to allow you to share your
happiness with family and friends where you have been
legally married elsewhere.
- The only legal requirement is that you cannot make
vows that are indistinguishable from legal marriage
vows, and no-one present must be given the
impression that the ceremony creates a legal
marriage.
Engaging Jenny as your
celebrant for your renewal of vows
- Check my availability for your chosen date, time
and venue
- Choose your
reaffirmation of vows package
- Complete my booking form (supplied when I confirm
my availability) and pay the booking fee
(non-refundable deposit)
- Complete the questionnaires which I will supply
and return to me
- Work with me to refine the draft ceremony I will
write for you
- Pay the balance of the fee at least one month
before the ceremony
- Complete and send back the feedback form
Quick Facts About
Fees and Payment
Because there is no industry standard for celebrant fees
it is possible to hire a celebrant for far less than I
charge. But you get what you pay for, and saving a few
dollars worth the angst of not being sure that your
marriage is legal, or of having a boring ceremony that
lacks creativity, or simply of not being able to lean on
your celebrant as a calm and reassuring presence when
you are nervous on the day? On the other hand, a
small proportion of new celebrants have adopted the
strategy of charging top dollar in the belief that
potential clients will assume they are skilled and
experienced. All of this means that it is not
sufficient to rely on price to guide you in your choice.
My fees are more than reasonable for the amount of work,
creativity, knowledge and attention to detail I bring to
the ceremony in addition to (for weddings) the legal
service that being your celebrant includes.
A 50% deposit is payable to lock your ceremony date and
time into my diary. the balance of the fee is payable at
least one month before the ceremony. A payment plan can
be negotiated.
Additional fees may be added for the following
- travel beyond 50 km from my office in Kenmore
- additional certificates for naming ceremonies
- a late start fee if you are not ready to commence
the ceremony on time
- ceremony at unsociable hours
- ceremony on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve
- ceremony on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Anzac
Day
No additional
fees are charged for
- my use of my top-of-the-line PA system (compliant
with the new frequencies)
- inclusion of rituals in the ceremony
Quick
Facts About Feedback, Reviews, and Testimonials
Testimonials
from previous clients will no doubt
have influenced your decision to choose me as your
celebrant. Therefore I ask you to complete a feedback
form. This form does two things - it gives me valuable
information about potential changes/improvements to my
service that should be considered, and it adds to the
body of testimonials that give those reading through my
website an unbiased view of what they can expect from
me. Reviews and Testimonials, likewise, and much
appreciated.
Quick
Facts About Me - Jennifer Cram, Authorised Marriage
Celebrant
- I am a secular humanist civil celebrant
specialising in fun, relaxed, respectful,
non-religious ceremonies (but I respect your
spiritual beliefs and am happy to include content
that reflects them if you wish)
- I am authorised by the Australian Government to
conduct marriage ceremonies
- I approach every ceremony with a huge sense of
responsibility, genuine warmth and empathy, together
with kindness and a grounded life-view.
- My style is warm, friendly, and relaxed - and with
the confidence to ensure that you are the centre of
attention. I don't hog the limelight. I don't need
to.
- I have a creative approach to ceremony
development. Your ceremony will be "so you"
- Highly qualified in celebrancy (Advanced Diplomas
in Marriage, General and Funeral Celebrancy all with
high distinction; Cert IV in Marriage Celebrancy,
along with degrees in English Literature,
Psychology, Information Science and Management)
- I have considerable experience in theatrical
choreography. This ensures that your ceremony
looks good from start to finish (something that
unfortunately is lacking in so many ceremonies), and
that how and where you move around the ceremony
space is well thought out.
- I am ABIA accredited
- Winner, 2013 Queensland ABIA awards (Marriage
Celebrant), Third 2018, and finalist every year
since 2009. The majority of couples who rated my
services for ABIA also nominated me as their best
wedding service provider.
- Finalist every year in National Designer of Dreams
Awards since 2011 (These awards are based on ratings
by couples over the previous 4 years, and signify
that a finalist is in the top 0.1% of celebrants
Australia-wide).
Quick Facts
About What I Wear
How your
celebrant dresses is extremely important. Obviously the
style of dress must be appropriate to the level of
formality of your ceremony, but even more importantly
your celebrant should blend in with your bridal party.
My take on this is that, in order not to stand out in
the photographs it is best if your celebrant blends in
with the men of the party so as to not add an additional
colour. The last thing you need is a celebrant who
'stands out' in the photos because the eye is drawn to
brightly coloured clothing - what a previous lovely
bride referred to as a "bright-petunia celebrant".
This means I generally wear black, dark gray or dark
navy, but if you have cultural or other concerns about
those colours I can wear other colours. All of my
outfits are elegant and understated, and cover my elbows
and ankles. I never turn up with bare arms, in something
strapless or low-cut, bright prints, leggings, or
anything that shouts "look at me". And that includes
jewellery and head wear (no fascinators!)
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