So you want to get married . . .
How To Organise a Wedding Ceremony
A Step by Step Guide
First meet someone, date for a while, fall in love and propose!
Then call me and tell me the good news. (I will be excited!)
I will put the kettle on and meet with you. I’ll help you fill in the NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage) form. You need to fill this in at least a month before you get married. You will need lots of ID documents and it may take a while to get it all right, but you will.
I will show you the other paperwork – a brochure you get about marriage, the Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage and how the Official Certificates of Marriage work. You’ll probably be too excited to pay too much attention but I’ll help you.
We’ll chat about the legal requirements that have to be said at your wedding ceremony – the three essential sentences in the monitum (the statement that makes it all official) and the required vows. Don’t panic if you don’t like all the words – there are a few allowable changes you can make. Again I will help you.
And then comes the fun bit!
How do you want the ceremony to reflect your relationship? Be meaningful to both of you? Involve your family and guests?
I will help you think about lots of things - How long do you want it to be? How would you like your story told? Who might speak? What sort of vows you would like? What songs might add something? Where can you find ideas for readings? What sort of rituals could add to your ceremony?
(And at the same time you might be worrying about venues, photographers, guest lists, food, drink, flowers, music, dance floors, accommodation, honeymoons . . . . or you might not!)
But don’t worry - I will help make sure your ceremony is AMAZING!