Brisbane Marriage Celebrant Wedding Officiant Sharon L Norris http://www.sharonlnorris.com.au

What Are Your Fees And Charges?
I am upfront and honest about what I charge for my work. Please consult the "Fees and Charges" page, and information about my levels of service (and fees) can be accessed on each individual ceremony sub-page.
Do You Offer Discounts?
Yes. As part of my commitment to supporting my community, I provide significant discounts to holders of Commonwealth Concession Cards (all types), as well as Seniors Cards and Foster Carers Cards. I also do offer discounts to clients who return for additional ceremonies in the future (i.e. baby naming some time after a wedding), and for referrals by past clients. Please contact me for further information about this.
Why Do Celebrants All Charge Different Prices for Weddings?
Our activities are regulated Federally, but prices are not because of the Trade Practices Act. Each celebrant is therefore able to set their own fees and charges for the services they provide.
But Why Pay So Much For 20 Minutes Work On My Wedding Day?
The "20 minutes" is the time taken to deliver your wedding ceremony on the day. What people don't see is the hours of work that have gone into planning and developing your ceremony, meeting with you to complete paperwork and discuss the ceremony, and the time taken to rehearse the ceremony in your chosen venue. This amounts to hours and hours of work - in my case, as many as 20 hours depending on the location of the wedding and how far I have to travel.
I Need To Marry Quickly - Do I Have To Wait A Month and A Day?
There are some special circumstances which enable you to obtain permission to marry under the month-and-day notice period. Contact me for further information about how to do this.
My Fiance Lives Overseas - What Do We Need To Do?
If you live here, you can lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage with a registered celebrant, and your fiance can complete the papers when he/she arrives after gaining a visa. A celebrant can also supply copies of information your fiance needs as part of his/her visa application.
Can I Write My Own Vows?
Of course you can - in fact, you can write the entire ceremony yourself, if you wish. However, you need to be aware that some specific vows must be stated as part of the marriage vows, and you must incorporate those into your ceremony. I can provide further guidance on this, and there is further information under the "Legalities" page.
Do You Let Us Do What We Want In Our Ceremony?
Section 5(a) of the Code of Practice for Marriage Celebrants requires celebrants to give you guidance and to enable you to choose or compose a ceremony that meets your needs and requirements. I take that to mean that you have choice about what happens in your ceremony, and who you involve. As long as the legal elements are incorporated in your ceremony, you are welcome to structure the ceremony to incorporate anything else that you like. Obviously, if something you aimed to do could be illegal or possibly risking public safety, I would strongly (but courteously!) advise you against doing it.
How Long Does A Ceremony Take?
I often joke that I can marry a couple in 90 seconds - that is all it takes for the legally required words to be spoken by the celebrant and couple that form the basis of a legal marriage. It's not very romantic, sure, but possible for those wanting a super-fast wedding. The average civil ceremony without readings and rituals in it will take 15 minutes to conduct, including the processional, signing and recessional. When readings and rituals are added into the ceremony, it may take as long as 20 to 25 minutes. Civil weddings rarely go beyond 30 minutes. By comparison, some religious faiths take up to an hour to conduct a marriage ceremony according to the rites of the particular faith.
What Happens If We Need To Use An Interpreter?
As I only conduct ceremonies in the English language, an interpreter will be needed in situations where either the couple or their official witnesses do not speak/understand English fluently. The couple/witnesses must fully understand what is taking place in the marriage ceremony, and what they are committing themselves to by saying vows and signing papers. If they don't, the marriage could be declared invalid and the celebrant could face legal and disciplinary action. An interpreter works with the celebrant to ensure the celebrant meets his/her legal obligations in conducting a valid marriage ceremony for non-English speaking couples/witnesses. Where possible, the interpreter should be an accredited interpreter through NAATI or other official agency. Where family/friends act as interpreters, it's difficult for the celebrant to know if the interpreter is doing the job properly. Formal paperwork has to be signed by the interpreter as part of their role in the ceremony.
How Many Meetings Do You Have With Your Clients?
This will depend on the level of service chosen. Please explore my Weddings Section and it will tell you what you need to know in this regard.
Do You Supply A Table And Chairs For Signing At Ceremonies?
No, I do not supply these items because my current public liability insurance does not cover this. To supply them without insurance puts me at risk if something happens and you or your guests are injured by those items at the ceremony. I prefer not to take the risk. Some of my celebrant colleagues do supply these things, however, and that is a choice for them and their risk management policies.
What Happens If You Cannot Perform Our Ceremony On The Day?
In the event that I am unable to conduct the ceremony due to illness or other circumstance, I or my family will arrange for an alternative celebrant to conduct the ceremony in my place, at my expense. The alternative celebrant will be someone who possesses a high standard of skill and presentation, who I know personally, and am confident that they will do a great job. Note: Clients should never have to scrabble around at the last minute to replace their celebrant if the celebrant is ill or otherwise unable to conduct the ceremony. It is not the clients' fault that the celebrant cannot meet their obligations, and the celebrant is the one responsible for finding a replacement in such situations.
How Do I Change My Name After Marrying?
Although you receive a Marriage Certificate at your wedding, you CANNOT use this to change your name because it is not one of the Federal Government's approved primary identification documents. This is because only the couple's names are on the certificate, and people have been known to marry using names that are not their legal names. Therefore, you need to order a Registered Copy of the Marriage Certificate from the Registering Authority of the state/territory in which you married. Your celebrant should tell you about this if they are doing their job properly!!! For further information, see the LEGALITIES section of my website, under the tab CHANGING NAMES AFTER MARRIAGE.
Why Can't I Provide My Passport As Proof of Place/Date of Birth?
The Federal Government has systematically reduced the number of primary identification documents for evidence of place/date of birth/identity at birth of Australian-born citizens. Passports are not on this list of approved documents because in the past (before tight controls were introduced on the matter of identity) people had obtained passports in assumed names (non-legal names) or without providing evidence of place/date of birth. The reasoning is that all Australian-born citizens will be able to obtain a birth certificate from the Registering Authority in their State of Birth, and that is a primary identification document.
If I Cancel My Ceremony, Will You Give Me A Refund?
Yes - but the amount of the refund will depend on how much you have paid and what work I have performed for you prior to your cancelling the ceremony. If you cancel a week before your ceremony, I will have done everything but conduct the wedding and am entitled to be paid for my work. That would reduce the amount of the refund if you had paid in full. If you cancel shortly after making a booking, I may not have done a lot of work and so the amount of the refund would be higher. However, the deposit paid to secure the ceremony in my diary and cover preliminary work is non-refundable. By accepting your booking I have potentially turned down other work for the same day, and the deposit covers the initial meeting and paperwork and other work I may perform at the time of booking. My Full Terms and Conditions of Booking will outline the circumstances under which you can cancel your ceremony and how refunds are paid.
Are There Occasions When You Would Cancel On Couples?
Yes, but fortunately I have never had to invoke this sort of action to date. Obviously, if I have not been paid in full before the day of the ceremony, I do not have to conduct the ceremony. The Federal Attorney-General's department supports this stance. Your other wedding providers will have been paid in full ahead of the wedding - and so your celebrant should be paid too. Without us, you can't marry. Other circumstances in which I would be within my rights to cancel my services would be if the bride/groom were under the influence of alcohol or mind-altering substances, as I could end up in prison for solemnising a marriage where either party was that out of it that they could not fully comprehend their obligations in participating in a marriage ceremony.
You Say You Are An Accredited Celebrant - What Does This Mean?
All celebrants who have been registered to solemnise marriages since late 2003 have been required to undertake a mandatory accredited training course in marriage celebrancy. Celebrants who entered the system prior to late 2003 who have not undertaken an accredited training course in marriage celebrancy cannot call themselves accredited celebrants. On 15 April 2010 I graduated from Monash University with a Graduate Diploma in Civil Ceremonies - the highest current celebrancy qualification in Australia.
You Say You Are A Certified Practicing Celebrant - What Does That Mean?
The Professional Celebrants Association Inc, of which I was a member from 2005 to 2010, has a program to certify those celebrants who meet specific professional development objectives over a three-year period. I met those objectives and in November 2008 I was awarded Certification by the Association. I am entitled to use the post-nominals CPC and call myself a Certified Practicing Celebrant.