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SOMETHING-A-BIT-DIFFERENT WEDDING
FEE $425.00
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I have been privileged to have participated in a number of "non-Western" wedding ceremonies including:
· Buddhist-oriented Vietnamese weddings
· Shinto-oriented Japanese weddings
· Spiritual weddings (pagan, alternative-themed)
· Foreign-language weddings (Thai, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Visaya, Bosnian, Romanian)
My involvement in these weddings has come largely because the couples:
· could not find a registered celebrant who spoke their native language or understood their cultural or spiritual beliefs/practices
· wanted an English language legal marriage ceremony to complement foreign-language (non-legal and or blessing) ceremonies honouring their cultural traditions (as is sometimes the custom in their homelands)
These events are amazing to be part of because they are so very different from the average Anglo-Celtic Western wedding. When performing such ceremonies, I work closely with the clients to ensure that I meet their needs and expectations. As part of this, I spend a great deal of time researching the particular cultural traditions pertaining to the clients, and developing legal ceremonies that reflect, respect and support their cultural and or spiritual beliefs/religions/traditions.
Couples have the option of me providing a full-service ceremony for them, or a simple legal ceremony to complement their existing cultural or spiritual (non-legal) ceremony.
Where I am required to work with an interpreter, I contact the couple's chosen interpreter prior to the ceremony and provide a copy of the proposed ceremony so that the interpreter can prepare sufficiently before the event. Where necessary, the interpreter must explain the marriage documents to the non-English speaking party/parties immediately before the wedding so they fully understand what it is they are signing as part of the marriage ceremony. The interpreter must also sign specific paperwork to be submitted to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Should you require an interpreter for your wedding ceremony, you can search for a local-area interpreter via the website for the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) Ltd, at http://www.naati.com.au/.
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IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE SPEAKING PERSONS AND THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MARRIAGE CEREMONY
If you are an Australian citizen or resident and your partner does not speak English fluently enough to understand their obligations in participating in a marriage ceremony (including the reading/signing of legal documentation and the legal marriage vows they must publicly declare), then an interpreter must be present at the ceremony to assist that person to understand appropriately.
Celebrants who conduct ceremonies in English without an interpreter for the party/ies to the marriage who are not fluent in English are not meeting their legal obligations and the validity of the marriage is questionable. This is also highly unethical professional practice.
Clients cannot bully celebrants into conducting a marriage ceremony without an interpreter when one clearly is required for the non-English speaking party to the marriage to understand what is taking place. In such situations, questions arise about the motivations of persons wishing to marry in a ceremony where their partner cannot understand what is happening. Clients who attempt to circumvent working with an interpreter where one is required could find themselves without a marriage celebrant, and reported to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the organisation with ultimate responsibility for registering marriages and armed with the power to refuse to register a marriage if there are questions about the validity of said marriage.
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