The simple legal marriage ceremony has become more popular over the past year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The simple legal marriage ceremony is attended by the couple, the celebrant and their two witnesses. It covers:
- Statement of celebrant identity
- The Monitum, a statement of authorisation to perform marriage in Australia and the legal definition of marriage
- Legal marriage vows
- Exchange of rings (optional)
- Pronouncemnt of marriage (1)
Advantages
The big advanatage during Covid -19 has been that couples can be fairly certain their marriage won’t have to be cancelled by a lockdown or size restriction (unless of course they are in a hotspot area).
Others advantages include smaller costs than a big wedding. You can spend your money on a celebration at a later time or on other priorities.The simple legal marriage ceremony will need a much less planning. The simple legal marriage ceremony is what people often choose for their elopment or ‘secret marriage’.
The disadvantage is that you will be doing the simple legal marriage ceremony without large numbers of friends and family present.
Even though your ceremony is small and simple, you can still ‘frock up’ as much as you wish. Your celebrant will try to make it meaningful and it’s a good idea to engage a photographer to record those special moments.
(1) Marry Me! A guide for couples planning their marriage ceremony, Susanna Jose, p14
