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A "Notice of Intended Marriage" must be completed, signed and witnessed by the Celebrant of your choice at least a calendar month before your marriage. This can be done up to 18 months beforehand.
At the time of signing it is necessary to provide evidence of birth - for people born in Australia this can be in the form of a Birth Certificate or Extract of Birth. For people born overseas this can be a Birth Certificate or Overseas Passport.
For people who have been married previously and divorced their Decree Absolute.
For people who have been married previously and widowed, the full Death Certificate of their spouse which shows that the deceased was their spouse, or if it is an Extract of the Death Certificate, then also the Previous Marriage Certificate.
Once this form has been completed and signed by the couple, and witnessed by your Celebrant, he or she will process all other documents for you. There is a declaration to be signed before the wedding takes place (usually at a rehearsal a week or two beforehand), and on the day of your wedding there are three documents to sign - the Celebrants Marriage Register, and 2 Certificates of Marriage - one is presented to you on the day, the other will be lodged with the Registrar after your marriage.
A commonly asked question by the Bride is "What name do I sign on the day" - the only document that can be signed in your new name (if you are indeed changing your name) is the Marriage Certificate presented to you by the Celebrant.
I am often asked whether it is a requirement to have a blood test - this is not a requirement.
The parties must be over the age of 18 years at the time of lodging the Notice of Intended Marriage.
Two witnesses over the age of 18 are required on the day - these can be members of your wedding party, or perhaps people you may have liked to include in the wedding party and could not for some reason - your witnesses can be anyone you choose.
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