Is a wedding conducted by a Civil Celebrant legal?
No it is not currently legally binding. In order for a wedding to be considered legal, it must be registered at a local Registry Office.
You will need to book an appointment and have a ceremony where legal documents are signed. People often opt to keep this part of the wedding small, taking just their witnesses, or a small family group.
Rings do not need to be exchanged at this point.
There is no need for the couple to be legally married in order to undertake a wedding with a Celebrant, in other words you can chose to conduct the legal part of your wedding either before or after your Civil Ceremony. The Celebrant will not use the words ‘Legally Married’ to comply with restrictions.
You may also chose to have the Celebrant come in AFTER the Registrar if you are hiring a private, licensed venue (not possible in a Registry office), and conduct a full ceremony either before or after the registrars have completed the legalities with you.
Do you have to Legalise your marriage at all?
The honest answer is NO, not if you don’t want to. A Civil ceremony is all about celebration.
We celebrate your love, story and your relationship and if you want to do that without legal ties, then a celebrant is what you are looking for!