YOUR STRESS FREE WEDDING AWAITS.......

Yes, bookings with the Ballarat Marriage Registry for 'Cocktail Micro Weddings' or 'Complete Wedding' packages are essential. All bookings are secured upon payment of non-refundable booking fees. We operate in collaboration with a number of high quality professional local suppliers for our Events and all inquiries and bookings are made via Elopement & Wedding Package specialist Kate, at the Ballarat Marriage Registry.

YES! Our wonderful Cocktail Micro Wedding & 'Complete Wedding' venue partner loves to show off their venue to Couples, however all visitation to the properties for tours are by appointment only. Please contact Ballarat Marriage Registry to express your interest to do so.

The Ballarat Marriage Registry is run by wedding specialist and Marriage Celebrant Kate Ritchie with over 25 years in the wedding industry. Our Cocktail Micro Weddings & 'Complete Wedding' packages are expertly curated taking all elements of your special event into consideration, and are run as a package. Our supply partners are all experts in their field and local wedding industry professionals.  The suppliers who will contribute to your event will depend on your planned Wedding date and availability. The Ballarat Marriage Registry have a strong network of excellent quality professionals to call on. Once a booking is secured, each couple will be provided with full details of the suppliers who will assist with their Micro Wedding.

The short answer is no, our packages do not offer an option to bring external Photographers, Videographers, Entertainment, Content Creators, Professional MC's, Food/Drink Vendors or Marriage Celebrants! 🥰

We have done all the hard work for you! Our Cocktail Micro Weddings & 'Complete Wedding' packages are expertly curated taking all elements of your special event into consideration to ensure seemless delivery on your wedding day, whilst also maintaining the high quality of service integral to our brand values. 

All Cocktail Micro Weddings & 'Complete Wedding' packages are run as an entire package. Our CORE supply partners are all experts in their field and wedding industry professionals.  The suppliers who will contribute to your event will depend on your planned Micro Wedding date and availability. The Ballarat Marriage Registry have partnered with a strong network of excellent quality local professionals, our packages hence do not offer an option to bring external Photographers, Videographers, Entertainment, Content Creators, Professional MC's, Food/Drink Vendors or Marriage Celebrants. 

Couples will be provided with full information regarding arrival times for themselves & their guests, depending on their specific package.   Throughout the planning process our couples are provided with a timeline of their Micro Wedding and the flexbility to alter package start times to meet their needs.

Ballarat Marriage Registry Cocktail Micro Weddings include Professional Photography, with 2hr, 3hr, 5hr or Delux 8hr Photography avaiable. 

Hi-Res images from your day supplied via a secure online gallery. All you need to do is choose the Photography package that suits your needs and budget!

Ballarat Marriage Registry Wedding packages have Videography upgrades available with all our packages from just 2hrs through to a 6hr service depending on your needs & budget.

Ballarat Marriage Registry Wedding packages have a Content Creator upgrade available with all our packages, from just 1hrs through to a 7hr service depending on your needs & budget.

Ballarat Marriage Registry Micro Weddings are proud to offer Professional Live Music Entertainment with all our packages.  Live music entertainment is the 'unsung' hero which is key to the success in elevating weddings & events to be the memorable, special celebrations they should be.   As with our Photography & Videography, you can choose to extend Live Music Entertainment services and upgrade from our base package inclusion depending on your needs and budget!

Ballarat Marriage Registry Wedding packages have a Professional Master of Ceremonies (MC) upgrade available with all our packages if requested.

YES! The Ballarat Marriage Registry offer the option to upgrade to one or two nights accommodation for the marrying couple at your choice of historic Llanfyllin House, Ballarat OR Emerald Hill Cottage, South Melbourne just 200m from the South Melbourne Market & Tram. Both accommodations are Pet Friendly too!

The Ballarat Marriage Registry is run by wedding specialist Marriage Celebrant and industry expert, Kate Ritchie. Kate has over 25 years experience in the wedding industry, the first nine of those years as a Professional Vocalist & Entertainer throughout Australia & overseas. Kate is ranked in the Top 8 Celebrants in Victoria for 2023 & Australian Top 15 Celebrant for 2024, she is an energetic, fun & engaging Marriage Celebrant.  With a background as a Vocalist & Performer for many years, as well as extensive public speaking experience  allows diversity in the way Kate presents weddings. This means each ceremony is not only written for the couple, but presented in a manner which also reflects them. An Authorised Marriage Celebrant since 2008 & 13 year consecutive ABIA Awarded Finalist as voted by past couples, over the last 16 years Kate's strengths lie in the ease of communication, being highly organised & her attention to detail.  Most importantly, through listening to what it is her Clients really want & providing them with options on how to best make it happen.  

Ballarat Marriage Registry will provide you with a costing based on Adult & Children guest numbers. Our standard Cocktail Micro Wedding packages are for a minimum of 20 adults, and can cater to over 120+ people.  Our 'Complete Wedding' Packages are for a minimum of 40 adults up to 120 for a sit down dinner or greater for a Cocktail event.  Children are of course very welcome in to attend both our Cocktail Micro Weddings & 'Complete Wedding' packages and we offer a special price for Under 12yrs. 

Note: You can request a quote based on how many adults and children are attending.

Strictly no food or drink is permitted to be brought into the Ballarat Marriage Registry partner venue. Your Micro Wedding package will be inclusive of Beverages & Food depending on your selection from the multiple packages available. 

Note: Wedding Cakes / Wedding Cup Cakes are permitted be brought onto premises.

YES! Our venue partner is happy to work with Micro Wedding Couples to have their loved fur-babies attend on their special day. (Subject to a few guidelines)

Visitors to Ballarat Marriage Registry partner venues are permitted to throw stuff (🤣) However we'd kindly request that you supply eco confetti, flower petals whether fresh or dried, gum-leaf confetti or Bubbles for your guests. (Battery operated bubble blowers are permitted - you just can't throw those! 😆) Note: Please no rice or paper confetti to be thrown. 

A Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form must be lodged at least one month prior to the planned date of marriage, and no longer that 18 months prior. Couples are supported through this requirement step by step.

When signing a NOIM form, couples are acknowledging that all the information provided is true and correct, that each party is not currently legally married, that they are not in a prohibited relationship and that they are of marriagble age. Couple will be fully guided through this process.

Both parties to the marriage will be required to provide an Original Legal Birth Certificate document and Drivers Licence/Proof of Age Card, alternatively a Passport is accepted. 

If either party to the marriage has been previously married, evidence that the marriage has ended will be required by way of a Divorce Order or a Death Certificate. 

Couples will be guided through these requirements.

Note: If ID documents are not in English, Couples will need to provide NAATI Certified Translated copies plus the original.

• Yes, every Couple will be presented with a Commonwealth Marriage Certificate to take with them after their marriage appointment. (This is sometimes called a Ceremonial Marriage Certificate or Party Certificate). 
• This is not the Registered Marriage Certificate (which is often referred to as the Legal or Offical Marriage Certificate) therefore many oganisations will not accept this certificate as proof of marriage. 
• Ballarat Marriage Registry has the opportunity to order a Legal Marriage Certificate on behalf of a Couple only at the time of the marriage for registration with Victorian Births Deaths & Marriages, not at a later date. Ballarat Marriage Registry is happy to process this certificate order for couples if requested. 
• Couples are required to pay the VIC BDM Certificate fee of $66.00 (from 01.07.24) directly to VIC BDM via phone. (Instructions are provided). The Certificate is express posted by VIC BDM directly to the Couples home address. 
• Alternatively, Couples can apply directly to Births Deaths & Marriage Victoria online to order certificates. 

No.

In general, if the marriage is recognised as valid under the law of the country in which it was entered into, at the time when it was entered into, the marriage will be recognised in Australia as a valid marriage. This is the case whether or not the marriage involves Australian or non-Australian citizens. The Marriage Act does not provide for overseas marriages to be 'registered' in Australia. Whether an overseas marriage is recognised as valid in Australia is determined by the Marriage Act.

There are certain exceptions to the legal recognition of overseas marriage in Australia.

The Marriage Act provides that a marriage that is valid under the laws of another country is not recognised as valid in Australia if one or more of the following circumstances apply:

a) where one of the parties was already married to someone else

b) where one of the parties was not of marriageable age (note further information below about this exception)

c) where one of the parties are too closely related, under Australian law – that is, either as ancestor and descendant (including adoptive ancestor/descendant relationships), or as siblings (including half-siblings and adopted siblings), or

d) where the consent of one of the parties was not a real consent due to

i. duress or fraud

ii. mistake, or

iii. mental incapacity.

A marriage certificate issued by a competent authority in a foreign country is evidence in Australia of the occurrence and validity of the marriage. Couples should carefully retain their overseas marriage certificate as it may not be easy to replace if lost and it provides the only evidence of the overseas marriage. Overseas marriages cannot be registered in Australia.

Please note that it may not be possible to rely on a marriage certificate issued overseas for some purposes in Australia. A party to a marriage which takes place overseas may not be able to rely on an overseas marriage certificate to have an Australian driver licence or an Australian passport issued in their married name.

Couples unsure as to the validity of their previous marriage or marital status should seek legal advice.

As all our marriages & ceremonies are officiated in English, if either party to the marriage or their official witnesses do not speak or understand English, the Couple must arrange for an Interpreter at their own expense.  Ballarat Marriage Registry must be notified a minimum of 3 weeks prior to the ceremony if an Interpreter will be required and relevant processes followed relating to legally required paperwork. Couples will be guided through this scenario.

Where a party to the marriage has tested positive for COVID19 impacting their wedding day, we ask that you let us know as soon as possible. Please ask your guests to please not attend if they are COVID19 positive or are experiencing any Cold/Flu like symptoms. 

Thank you for your understanding.