elope newcastle wedding registry office

How do we elope?

‘Let’s Elope!’

Sounds like a very romantic thing to do, and if we believe the movies then we can do it in a heartbeat and live happily ever after.  But is it that easy? Well, it is easy to elope, but it can’t be done in a heartbeat. There are processes to follow to make the occasion legal and as celebrants, it is our responsibility to help you to ensure that you are legally married.

Why elope?

Many people choose this type of ceremony for many different reasons –  the major one being they want a no-fuss ceremony with limited guests. At our Just I Do Registry Room at the Hunter Wetlands Centre, we can provide this for you. Our room:

  • is an intimate room with enough space to hold a maximum of 10 people including the celebrant and the couple being married.
  • is tastefully decorated which creates a lovely backdrop for photos.
  • next to a deck with views of a pond and the wildlife there. Great location for Wedding Photos!

When can we elope?

The answer is simple – any time!    Once you have provided your celebrant with your Notice of Intended Marriage and waited the one month waiting period after your celebrant has received this.

How do we elope?

This is the nitty-gritty.

  •  Book your preferred date, at JustIDo.com.au (Make sure it will be 1 month after you email your NOIM to the celebrant)
  • Complete the Notice of Intended Marriage and send to your celebrant, along with a copy of your Birth Certificate and photo ID
  • Pay your fee to your celebrant.
  • Choose your ceremony: we have 4 options on our Just I Do website.
  • Turn up on the day with all your originals (Birth Certificate, Photo ID and completed NOIM) Bring at least two witnesses over 18: we can provide witnesses for you if you are having difficulty(just let us know)

How do we complete the Notice of Intended Marriage?

You will need:

  • evidence of your date and place of birth (Birth certificate, passport).
  • photographic evidence (eg driver’s licence).
  • Evidence of divorce or death of a spouse.
  • When you have these the form is easy to complete but you can have assistance from your celebrant if you so desire.

FYI

1. When you go to the Just I Do website you are able to:

  • Choose your celebrant from 3 celebrants.
  • Complete your booking online and email to your celebrant with copies of the above evidence.
  • Pay your fee online.
  • Choose your ceremony online.

No need for meetings until your wedding day. This keeps the process very simple.

2. On the day of your ceremony, you need to allow time for the celebrant to view the original of all of the

documents mentioned above ie

  • Evidence of your date and place of birth.
  • photographic evidence.
  • Evidence of divorce or death of a spouse.

PLEASE NOTE: IF THESE DOCUMENTS ARE FORGOTTEN THE CEREMONY CANNOT BE CARRIED OUT.

So, there you go. You can have a small, intimate, heartfelt ceremony which meets all of the legal requirements in a beautiful setting for very little cost and with very little fuss. At Just I Do we love to do this and really enjoy these intimate occasions.

Special moments in time create long-lasting, beautiful memories for us, and we would love to be part of your story and add this to our memories.

Thinking about a surprise wedding? Watch this space ☺.

Cheers,

Jack, Ronda and Anna

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