Plan Your Magnetic Island Wedding Ceremony

PLANNING YOUR MAGNETIC ISLAND WEDDING CEREMONY

Magnetic Island is a special paradise for your special day.  The success of your Magnetic Island Wedding Ceremony, be it formal or casual, is simply a matter of planning and, planning simply. With a good celebrant it's easier than you think. We hope this Guide will be of assistance. First...

1.    Choose Your Celebrant
Choose your Celebrant. Now that you have decided to have a wedding ceremony with a civil celebrant, if you have not already done so, you should choose one.  Most good celebrants are professionals and are usually booked well in advance for the most popular times. And remember, your marriage is important to you, so to ensure that your chosen celebrant is able to respect your complete freedom of choice you should make personal contact as soon as possible.   See How to Choose your Marriage Celebrant for Your Wedding


2.    Book The Date & Time
Make personal contact with your chosen celebrant to book the date and time for the ceremony. When contacting your celebrant it is advisable to have a number of alternative times available if you can.  (60% of weddings take place on a Saturday at the most requested time 3:30pm) Why not consider a weekday, or a Sunday, try something different. Off peak wedding receptions and accommodation can save you money. Have a luxury wedding on a budget.

3.    Arrange An Interview
Arrange an interview with your celebrant to discuss your requirements for the ceremony. It is not always possible to meet in person so this interview could take place by telephone.

4.    Choose A Ceremony Venue
Carefully choose a venue or location for the ceremony Before your interview, it is advisable for you to carefully choose a venue or location for the ceremony.  Your celebrant will then be able to better assist you at the meeting.

To help you choose see; Magnetic Island Wedding Ceremony Locations and Venues or Contact me


Magnetic Island affords a variety of unique venues to make your marriage memorable, both natural and commercial.  The Island boasts an average of 320 plus days of sunshine a year.

Find out more about, Magnetic Island Weather

For the more adventurous, there are several vessels for charter operating around the Island.  Sunferries and our barge services offer extremely stable venues for a truly unique ceremony, and if desired your reception.  But remember consider yourselves and your guests.

Some of the more exotic venues such as boats & travelling to secluded beaches may require additional considerations for you and your guests, additional time and cost.

The land-based natural venues have special consideration and logistics of their own that are discussed in the section 'Often Overlooked Considerations' for your Magnetic Island Wedding Ceremony.

We would be delighted to assist you in choosing a suitable outdoors natural venue for your ceremony. On Maggie or in Townsville.

5.    The Interview
You both meet with your celebrant as arranged, in person or by telephone, at a mutually convenient time and place.

If your interview is in person, some of the paperwork may be completed at this time otherwise your celebrant shall advise you how to complete some of the essentials by mail.

Your celebrant will have some initial discussions with you to ascertain your beliefs and wishes for your ceremony. This will better assist with drafting your unique wedding ceremony.

This is also the best time to straighten out the little details regarding the arrangements and any concerns you may have.  It will also help you to get to know your celebrant as a person.

NOTE: Your wedding is very personal. The interactions of ‘face to face’ & telephone interviews are very personal and can not be replaced entirely by Email nor text.

6.    The Paperwork
The next step is to complete the 'Notice of Intended Marriage'.  The Notice is a government form, which simply asks all the usual particulars about who you are and where you came from.  This could be done at home if it was emailed to you or in person with your celebrant at an interview. The Notice must be completed and signed by both parties to the marriage and the signatures witnessed by an authorised celebrant or other suitable person as nominated on the form. One person can lodge the Notice but the other party to the marriage must sign the form prior to the marriage.

The Notice must be lodged with the celebrant not less than one month and one day, & not more than eighteen calendar months before the date of the wedding. By law, the celebrant must receive the original Notice form on time, Also for most formal documents, photocopies, faxes or emails are not acceptable in most circumstances. The originals must be sighted sometime before the wedding.

As well as the particulars on the Notice each party the celebrant must sight & record;

(a)    Proof of Birth, eg; Original Birth Certificate, or Extract of Birth Certificate from the Registrar, Or, an Australian or Overseas Passport to be sighted & recorded by the celebrant.

If you do not have a passport you will need to provide:
(b)    Photographic proof of Identity, eg; drivers licence or Proof of Age Card.


Where there has been a previous marriage;

(c)    Evidence of how & when a previous marriage ended, eg; Decree Absolute (Divorce), Death Certificate or Annulment Certificate to be sighted and recorded.

When completing the Notice, the required particulars must be clearly written in neat block letters or typed in full without abbreviation or alteration if possible.


To find out more see; Legal Requirements for an Australian Wedding.

7.    Composing The Ceremony
Your chosen celebrant is required to discuss your ceremony at a mutually agreeable time and place. Further interviews may be required. Your celebrant will then compose and offer you a personalised & legal draft ceremony based on your discussions. You may use it as is, or as a basic outline for your personally composed ceremony. All ceremonies are personalised to suit your needs.

However, if you wish to be really personal and entirely compose your own ceremony, realise that expressing yourself well is no easy task.

Naturally your celebrant will be happy to advise you of the legal and optional requirements in accordance with your desires.

You are encouraged and will be assisted to edit and/or create a ceremony to make your special day uniquely yours.  But remember don't make it too short. Time really flies on your special day.

Well, that takes care of the basics of your ceremony to celebrate your special day.

For more information obligation free?
CONTACT ME