Getting Married in Shortened Time

Australian law says that you can get married a month after lodging a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form with a Marriage Celebrant. Sometimes though, a couple may need to get married sooner than that. Is that possible?

Yes, indeed. There are some circumstances for which an exception may be made. In each of these cases an application for shortening may be filed - with the Prescribed Authority - for consideration. The 5 circumstances are:

• employment related or other travel commitments


• wedding or celebration arrangements, or religious considerations


• medical reasons


• legal proceedings, or


• an error in giving notice

The above are the only situations in which consideration may be given to shortening the one month notice period. There's no guarantee that a shortening will be granted, so couples should never bank on their application receiving automatic approval. You can see the type of situations that may be considered here on the Australian Government ComLaw website.

Click here for the official Application to shorten period of notice of intent to marry.

Celebrants & paperwork

An article by Katie Bice published in the Herald-Sun on 16th April 2013 sounds a warning for all Marriage Celebrants and marrying couples. Bice's article was about a Family Court case in which a woman was seeking to have her marriage annulled. Shortly after marrying her husband she'd learned that he was already married. The woman's application was granted.

The warning for Celebrants is to follow through carefully in checking and re-checking paperwork - confirmation of divorce, passport information and other legal documentation presented as evidence that the people to be wed are who they say they are and that they are legally able to be wed. Verbal assurances from either party are just not enough. Celebrants should aim to physically sight any and all required documentation.

The article gives no indication whether action is to be taken against the Celebrant.