Information & Downloads For Marrying Couples
A useful resource from your celebrant
We like to keep things as easy and practical as possible. Keeping with our goal of being the easiest part of planning your big day. We thought it was a great idea to create this page where you can simply download important celebrant related Documents and view other useful information.
We will be updating it as time goes on to keep couples updated...
Downloadables
Happily Ever Before & After Pamphlet
Your celebrant is required to give you a copy of the Happily Ever Before and After pamphlet before you can go ahead with your marriage ceremony.
It is normally given during the initial meeting or NoIM signing, and serves to inform couples who have just completed their Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM), about available relationship services, education and advice.
With all the stresses of work, children, paying a mortgage or loan, and general day-to-day, it is vitally important that couples are prepared for the road that lies ahead.
The Happily Ever Before and After pamphlet assumes that every couple requires some sort of advice, counselling or education, even though some couples may believe otherwise.
Code of Practice for Marriage Celebrants
Marriage celebrants are governed by a code of practise.
You can view the whole document here, but here are the general responsibilities your marriage celebrant has to you, the couple being married
- act professionally at all times,
- be respectful to cultural, spiritual and family differences.
- observe the legislation and the law in solemnising your marriage
- maintain a professional business including document filing facilities, office facilities and maintain confidentiality of the couples married.
If you have any questions, queries or concerns about our services, please communicate them to us via email or give us a call and we'll have a chat.
If you’ve a problem with your marriage celebrant then contact the Attorney-General here to move forward with any complaints.
Counselling Services
Changing Your Name After Marriage
To change your family name on documents and accounts such as your driver licence, passport and bank accounts, you need to apply directly to the relevant organisations (for example, VicRoads, Australian Passport Office or your bank).
When you do this, you'll need to provide either a marriage certificate or a change of name certificate as evidence of your changed name, depending on whether you were born or married in Australia or overseas.
If you choose to change your family name to your spouse's
Married in Australia
If you were born and married in Australia:
- You can take your spouse's family name
- Both partners can hyphenate their family names.
To change your family name, you need:
- Your Australian marriage certificate.
The commemorative certificate you get on your wedding day isn't the same as the official marriage certificate issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria (BDM). Most organisations will only accept the BDM-issued certificate as evidence. We can now order these for you, but only if you let me know prior to the ceremony.
Complaints
The vast majority of celebrants, our team included, will be able to confirm that they have never had to deal with a complaint or a breakdown in a working relationship with a couple. That is why we are more than happy to put this information right here on our website, because we know you will not need it... We will ALWAYS work to resolve any issue that arrises. If an issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved with the celebrant directly, or with the Wedding Sounds management, the Attorney General’s department has a complaint procedure set out in the Marriage Regulations to enable complaints concerning the conduct of the celebrant to be made to the Registrar. The process is initiated by submitting a complaint form (within 3 months of the issue occurring).
If you require assistance in preparing the complaint, the Marriage Celebrants Section at the Attorney General’s Department can provide this.
This is the sequence in which it all happens:
- Following submission, a preliminary assessment of your complaint will be made and sent to both you and the celebrant.
- Both you and the celebrant will be given the opportunity to comment on the preliminary assessment. Those comments may include any additional information, photographs or signed witness statements.
- Submitted comments are then taken into consideration and you and the celebrant will then be advised of the Registrar’s final determination.
If the Registrar decides the complaint is well-founded, there are a number of steps they may take, including several disciplinary measures against the celebrant. However, the Registrar does not have the power to order the celebrant to repay any money to you, although they can make a recommendation to that effect. If you are seeking a refund, first, speak to us, after that you should visit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) website, where you can use an online tool to identify the state or territory consumer affairs body that may be able to assist you with your consumer complaint.
Again, we are more that confident that you will never need this information, so we are more than happy to give it :) ...
