The law in Australia at the moment is that legal marriage you must comply with these five things:
1. your relationship must be between a man and a woman
2. you must be 18 years of age or over *
3. you must not be married to anyone else
4. you cannot marry a person who is your antecedent or descendant by marriage or adoption
5. you must both be capable of and give free consent to marry the other
If you can say yes to all five of those stipulations, then you are clear to start the getting married process with your celebrant.
Your first job, after finding your celebrant, is to complete the Notice of Intended Marriage form, commonly known as the NOIM. Once this is filled in (your celebrant can help you) you lodge it with your celebrant. This must be done no earlier than 18 months and no later than one whole month before your ceremony date.
If you are lucky enough to have found the one you love and they just happen to be the same sex as yourself then we are working hard to ensure that you are able to marry legally here in Australia. However, until that time comes there are avenues in some states where you can register your union. Click here for more information.
Why not speak to your celebrant about a Commitment ceremony or 'Betrothal' ceremony in preparation for full equality in marriage becoming legal in Australia?
* Under rare circumstances, a person between the age of 16 and 18 can marry, provided their prospective marriage partner is 18 years or over, and the couple have been granted permission by a Court as prescribed in the Marriage Act 1961.