Planning a wedding ceremony can feel like there are a hundred little things to think about. The good news is that you don’t need to have everything worked out at once.

There are a few important things to organise, a few decisions you’ll make along the way, and quite a lot that your celebrant can help you with.

I’ve put together this wedding ceremony checklist for couples planning a wedding in Australia, including the practical and legal things you’ll need to think about before the day. It will help you understand what needs to happen before the wedding, what you actually need for the ceremony, and what you can leave in the hands of your celebrant.

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Here’s the short version. You can come back to the more detailed sections below as you work through each stage.

• Choose and book your celebrant
• Complete your legal paperwork
• Choose your ceremony location and timing
• Decide what you want your ceremony to feel like
• Plan the ceremony structure
• Choose your vows, readings and music
• Decide who you’d like involved
• Finalise the ceremony details with your celebrant
• Confirm your two witnesses
• Have your rings and any personal ceremony items ready

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This is one of the first decisions I’d recommend making. Your celebrant isn’t simply the person who stands at the front and conducts the ceremony. They’ll help you navigate the legal requirements, shape the ceremony, keep everyone on track and be one of the people you’ll spend quite a bit of time with in the lead-up to your wedding.

When you’re choosing someone, think about more than how their ceremonies look online. Ask yourself:

• Do you feel comfortable talking to them?
• Do you like the way they communicate?
• Does their ceremony style feel like you?
• Will they guide you, rather than leave you to work everything out yourself?
• Do you trust them to handle the ceremony if something unexpected happens?

If you’d like to understand more about what a wedding celebrant does and how I work with couples, you can explore my wedding celebrant service.

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This is the part of wedding planning where having a celebrant you trust can make things much easier.

In Australia, you need to give your authorised celebrant a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) at least one month before your wedding and no more than 18 months before it. You’ll also need to provide the required supporting documents, including evidence of your identity and date and place of birth, and evidence that any previous marriage has ended if that applies to you.

There are also specific legal requirements for the ceremony itself, including required wording, declarations and documents. Your authorised celebrant will guide you through what applies to your circumstances.

If you’re unsure about any part of the legal process, your celebrant should be able to explain what you need to do and when.

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Your ceremony location will influence quite a few practical decisions, so it’s worth thinking beyond how beautiful a venue looks in photographs.

Think about:

• Where you’ll stand and where your guests will sit
• Whether everyone will be able to hear you
• Sun, wind, shade and weather
• Access for older guests or anyone with mobility requirements
• Where your wedding party will wait before the ceremony
• How you’ll enter and leave the ceremony
• Whether there is a suitable wet-weather option
• How the ceremony timing fits with your photographs and reception

If you’re getting married somewhere around Sydney’s Northern Beaches or North Shore, the surroundings can be a huge part of the experience. A beautiful outdoor ceremony can also bring wind, glare, uneven ground or unpredictable weather into the equation. Planning for those things doesn’t make the ceremony less romantic. It simply means you’re less likely to be worrying about them when you should be enjoying yourselves.

If you’re choosing a location in NSW, I’ve also covered some of the practical things to think about when deciding where you can get married in NSW.

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Before worrying about the exact wording, think about the feeling you want your ceremony to have.

Do you want it to be relaxed? Funny? Emotional? Simple and intimate? Full of stories? Short and sweet? A little more traditional?

There isn’t a right answer. Your ceremony should sound like the two of you, not like a template you’ve copied from another wedding.

This is also where your celebrant can help. You don’t need to arrive with a fully formed ceremony plan. Sometimes the most useful thing you can give your celebrant is simply a sense of what you don’t want.

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One of the questions couples often have is: what actually happens during a wedding ceremony?

There isn’t one compulsory format for a personalised ceremony. However, a ceremony might include some combination of:

1. The entrance
2. Welcome and introduction
3. Your relationship story
4. Readings, rituals or other personal elements
5. The legal wording and declarations
6. Your vows
7. Exchange of rings
8. The pronouncement of marriage
9. Signing the marriage documents
10. Congratulations and your exit

Some couples want all of this. Others want something much simpler. The important thing is that the structure works for you and gives the ceremony a natural flow.

If you’re wondering what a celebrant actually says during a wedding ceremony, I’ve covered the legal wording and the other parts of a ceremony in more detail.

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Your vows

You don’t need to be a writer to write good wedding vows. In fact, the best vows are usually the ones that sound like the person saying them.

• Think about what you genuinely love and admire about your partner.
• Include a few specific memories or details from your relationship.
• Think about the promises you actually want to make.
• Don’t worry about making them overly poetic.
• Keep them manageable enough to say comfortably on the day.

If you’re staring at a blank page wondering where to start, don’t worry about making your vows perfect. Your celebrant can help you work out what you want to say and how to make it sound like you.

Readings

A reading can be a lovely way to involve someone important to you, but you don’t need one simply because other weddings have them. Choose something that has meaning to you, whether that’s a poem, an extract from a book, a piece of prose or something written specifically for the two of you.

Music

Think about the moments where music will be used rather than trying to choose every song at once. Entrance music, signing music and your exit are usually the main moments to consider, although your ceremony can include more if you’d like.

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Your ceremony doesn’t have to involve a long list of people. Choose the people who genuinely matter to you.

Depending on the ceremony, you might include:

• Parents or other family members
• Your wedding party
• Friends giving a reading
• Children
• Someone performing or providing music
• Someone holding the rings

If you’re working out who walks down the aisle and where everyone stands, there are plenty of ways to arrange this. It doesn’t have to follow a traditional format unless that’s what you want.

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As the wedding gets closer, you’ll move from the bigger decisions to the practical details.

This is the time to confirm:

• The ceremony start time
• Where everyone will enter and stand
• Music and who is responsible for playing it
• Readings and who will deliver them
• Your final vows
• Your witnesses
• Any cultural, religious or family traditions you’d like included
• Wet-weather arrangements if you’re getting married outdoors
• Any final changes to the ceremony

Your celebrant should be helping you bring all of these pieces together. You shouldn’t feel as though you’re coordinating the ceremony on your own.

You can also see how I guide couples through the wedding ceremony process, from the first conversation through to the day itself.

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This list is much shorter than you might expect.

• Your rings – make sure someone reliable knows where they are.
• Your two witnesses – they need to be present and ready to sign the marriage documents.
• Your vows – if you’ve written your own, have a copy somewhere accessible.
• Any special ceremony items – such as readings, cultural items or family keepsakes.
• Yourself – preferably as relaxed as possible.

Your celebrant will take care of the legal ceremony and guide everyone through what happens. The couple, celebrant and witnesses sign the required marriage documents as part of the ceremony, and the celebrant then registers the marriage.

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Wedding Ceremony Checklist FAQs

How far in advance should we book a wedding celebrant?

As early as you can, particularly if you have a specific date in mind. Popular dates can book well in advance, but your celebrant can also help you understand what needs to happen once you’ve secured your date.

What paperwork do we need to get married in Australia?

For a wedding in Australia, you’ll need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) and provide the required supporting documents to your authorised celebrant. Your celebrant will explain exactly what you need based on your circumstances.

How many witnesses do we need at our wedding?

You need two witnesses to witness the marriage ceremony and sign the marriage documents. In NSW, witnesses must be at least 18 years old and able to speak and understand English.

Do we have to write our own wedding vows?

No. You can choose how you’d like to express your promises to each other. Your celebrant can help you decide what feels natural and appropriate for your ceremony.

How long should a wedding ceremony be?

There’s no single ideal length. The right ceremony is long enough to tell your story and include the important moments without adding things simply to make it longer. If you’re wondering how long a wedding ceremony should take, your celebrant can help you find the right balance for the ceremony you’re planning.