You want a Wedding Back Home in the UK (but you live in Australia?)
Poms in Perth! Scots in Sydney! Brits in Brisbane! Want a a Wedding Back Home? Are you thinking of getting married soon, but not sure how to proceed? Your families and oldest friends live in the UK, but you live here in Australia. What can you do about this?
Maybe you would like to have your Wedding Back Home in UK – but realise that you would have to go back to the UK at least 5 weeks beforehand? That’s a lot of time off work! But there is a way around this…..
You can keep everyone happy. You can have your “Wedding Back Home” with family and friends. Just save the legal registration for when you meet with me (or any Celebrant of your choice) in Australia on your return. We can then legalise your UK wedding in a simple and discreet 10 minute ceremony – perhaps over a cup of coffee or a glass of champagne? For as little as $300AUD. Contact me here for more information. Or call me on +61 424703399.
The other advantage to this way of having your Wedding Back Home, is that you can have this at a venue of your choice in the UK. You won’t be limited to a Registry Office or a Licensed Venue – you could choose a restaurant or a pub garden or your parents’ home for example. There are wonderful Celebrants in the UK who can write and conduct your own personalised Wedding Ceremony, using your words and your stories woven through the script to create something completely unique to you. Because you will be having ‘the legals’ conducted later in Australia, you can break all the rules with your Wedding Back Home!
Remember, when a baby is born, the registrar doesn’t have to be in the room for that particular occasion! Same with your wedding….. Just as the birth of a baby is registered later, the same can be done for your Wedding!
Elopement or Destination Wedding in Australia? Have a look at Perth first…..
Destination Wedding or Elopement Ceremony anyone? Have a look at this fabulous video and see if there isn’t something you would enjoy for your combined wedding/honeymoon in Western Australia…… Australia also happens to be one of the simplest places in the world to get married. There is no need to spend weeks in the country beforehand – in fact you can get married as soon as you get through Immigration – leaving you free to go off on your travels immediately! There is a document that needs to be completed and legally witnessed at least 4 weeks ahead, but that can all be done in your own country and then emailed to your celebrant. Contact me for a chat or email me if you have some questions about this. PS. You don’t need to be coming from another country to ‘elope’ either, you know…
https://www.facebook.com/ExtraordinaryWesternAustralia/videos/1409908265736838/
Bali Wedding? Think again!
- You should think again – if you are easily upset when things don’t go according to plan. Indonesians and Balinese are generally pretty relaxed when it comes to planning and organisation. Everything will happen. But maybe not exactly the way you envisaged or at exactly the time that you hoped. If you ‘sweat the small stuff’ then a Destination Wedding in Indonesia might not be right for you. I conducted one beautiful wedding on Gili Trawangan, where there were wedding planners and organisers galore. Everybody had worked so hard to plan every last detail – and it was stunning. However, that didn’t stop one hapless waiter from walking across in front of the bride and groom, at that very quiet part of the ceremony, just as they were about to speak their personal vows…. to put the wedding cake on a nearby table! The poor wedding planner was going purple in the face with embarrassment and annoyance, waving frantically at the waiter – but the fabulous Bride and Groom simply laughed good naturedly. We waited for the poor waiter to turn around, still carrying the cake, and go back to the kitchen! The ceremony continued……
- You should think again – if you want to control your guests’ activities. You may think they have come to Indonesia for your wedding and that they should be joining in all the activities that you have planned for them. However, for some of your guests this might be their one annual holiday – and so they might have other plans, that don’t revolve around your wedding. If this is going to bother you, then maybe reconsider that Bali Wedding, preceded by days of well-intentioned Group Activities. Many couples will plan hens and bucks ‘do’s’ in the days before the wedding, but perhaps have these activities available, but not compulsory?
- You should think again – if you are a very private person and don’t want onlookers. Bali, in particular, is not a place where privacy is highly valued or understood. Expect to see locals watching your wedding – in the same way as we watch their ceremonies…. And if you are in a beachfront hotel, or even on the beach itself, then expect to see bikini clad holidaymakers, clutching a beer in one hand and a mobile phone camera in the other, walking around your wedding ceremony – and getting up close and personal, if nobody has been asked to act as ‘security’ for you. I was at a wedding on the beach in Seminyak recently and an overweight, middle-aged man in very tightly fitting Speedos, was standing right in front of the groom, taking photos of the bride as she walked down the aisle. This very rude man, not only spoiled the moment for the groom, but would also have been in all those photos himself. Make sure that you have an ‘assertive’ celebrant, who can help with at least some of this. (Or stick to a more private villa wedding where this won’t happen).
- You should think again – if you are going to be upset if all the family and friends don’t want to travel to Indonesia (or to any wedding venue that involves more than 2 or 3 hours travel, in fact!) Not everyone can afford either the money, or perhaps the time away from work. Or there might be elderly or nervous relatives who simply don’t want to do the trip. Don’t project your disappointment onto them. Perhaps have a second ceremony later that can involve those who can’t or won’t travel. It can be lovely to conduct a Renewal of Vows ceremony over a lunch or a bbq at a local park, where everyone can feel that they are included and valued. In fact, it can be a great idea to actually conduct the Legal Registration of your overseas wedding, at this smaller event. That way, the second ceremony is also important, but in a different way.
- You should think again. And if you have thought again – and you still believe that Indonesia is the perfect romantic destination. If all the above, just made you laugh, or if you completely understood, then you should definitely go ahead and get Married in Bali or Lombok or Flores or Java – or indeed any one of the many stunning locations in Indonesia. How about a beautiful deserted tropical island near Bali, with a dozen of your closest family members? Contact me for ideas about this and other fabulous locations.
Legalising a Bali Wedding
Simple Legal Registration of Your Bali Wedding
BALI WEDDING? REASONS WHY MANY COUPLES CHOOSE TO ‘LEGALISE’ IN AUSTRALIA. (this information is aimed at Australian citizens only: citizens of other countries should enquire separately for their relevant information).
- Planning a Bali Wedding? It is a requirement of the Indonesian Government that for a Marriage to be conducted legally in Indonesia, there must be a religious ceremony too. Both partners should be of the same religion.
- For a legal marriage to take place in Indonesia, the couple will be required to attend the Australian Consulate in Bali, before the marriage takes place, in order to lodge and pay for a Notice of No Impediment to the marriage. (Currently 110AUD for Australian Citizens).
- On return to Australia, if there has been a name change on marriage, this can be formalised by applying to the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages for a Legal Name Change. (An Australian Marriage Certificate will not be issued, as an Australian Marriage has not been conducted.)
- Many couples would prefer to spend their time overseas ‘doing the fun stuff’ rather than being involved in the administration processes of having a full Indonesian Legal Marriage.
- The Marriage itself must involve a Religious Minister of whichever faith has been chosen, often causing the ceremony to be a little disjointed.
- There is a requirement for a government official to attend the ceremony – or for the couple to visit the appropriate office after the wedding in order to register the marriage with the Indonesian Government. Usual practice is for this Official (a Catatan Sipil) to attend the wedding to complete the formalities.
- Record keeping in Australia, through the Offices of Births Deaths and Marriages are excellent. If at some stage in the future, the couple needs copies of certificates, this can often present problems if the Marriage has taken place overseas.
Having a ‘Destination Wedding’ legally registered on returning to Australia, is a simple process. Contact me, so that I can explain how this can be done, from as low as $300.
ADVANTAGES TO HAVING YOUR BALI WEDDING LEGALISED IN AUSTRALIA ON YOUR RETURN HOME
- A couple often feels uncomfortable and/or under false pretences, if they are ‘already married’ when they stand in front of their guests and say their vows. If they wait for their return to Oz, this is no longer an issue.
- If a couple is trying to focus on 2 separate ceremonies they can get a bit stressed – they often aren’t sure whether to say vows twice; exchange rings etc. I guide them to put all their energies into The Wedding in Bali – and then when they meet me afterwards, we can simply ‘complete the process’ with a 10 minute ceremony. This brief ceremony can be held in their home; at a restaurant; a coffee shop; at the beach; in a pub – wherever they like. We can invite 2 passersby to be witnesses if they don’t want any of their family or friends involved. Or it can be a nice way to involve others who might not have been able to attend the Bali Wedding. Inviting a grandparent to be a witness to the Legal Registration part can also make them feel included and loved!
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