Get married on holiday and say ‘I do’ down under in Western Australia

Are you dreaming of an unforgettable wedding and honeymoon experience? Get married on holiday in Western Australia and you’ll be sure to have a magical time!
Western Australia is the ideal wedding destination to make that dream a reality, with its glorious long summers, and slow-paced lifestyle. WA has it all for a laid-back holiday wedding.
If you’re looking to plan a destination wedding in Australia, this blog post will explain how you can go about it and give you some ideas of how to make your dream come true.

The Beauty of Western Australia: Why Choose This Destination for Your Wedding.

There are many reasons why couples in love would want to choose Western Australia as their wedding location. WA has a mediterrean feel climate. Yes, at the peak of summertime it can get very hot, but its rarely humid, and the WA Fremantle Doctor breeze often comes in, in the afternoon, cooling us all down.

Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world, but we are certainly at the forefront of things to see and do here. Our cultural heritage, the stunning vast terrain, and wildlife, wineries, waterways and endless white sandy beaches are in their plentiful. And just as any major city, Perth has everything to offer for an enjoyable and entertaining holiday.

Travel a little further out of the city and the coastline is filled with beautiful suburbs and small cities with pockets of hidden beauty and life. Mandurah has been voted yet again the Top Tourism Town of WA. There’s nowhere else quite like it and truly has something for everyone. One of the most noticeable observations that people will say when visiting is how clean WA is, the beaches, the roads, the parks, everywhere. You will not be disappointed.

Our summers are long and slow paced. You can always find a secluded beach, as we have so many of them, we couldn’t possibly fill them all. The Indian Ocean is clean and inviting, and just about on everyone’s doorstep.
If you have family or friends that live in WA, why not consider your next visit to be that extra bit special and get married whilst you are here? It’s actually a very simple process, and you can connect with an Authorised Wedding Celebrant online and complete the paperwork this way. Your marriage celebrant will explain that you need to complete a ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ document and you will need to find an authorised person in your own country to sign this for you. For example, a Notary Public. This is a Solicitor with this extra title. A google search in your home city will help you find the right person.
Once you have this signed you connect back with your Marriage Celebrant over ZOOM or TEAMS or similar, and the rest of the paperwork is completed.
At the Marriage Office Mandurah we can help you complete your Notice and talk you through the steps.
If your guest list is small then choosing a Registry Style Wedding at our private, boutique wedding venue in Mandurah could be an affordable option to consider. You can come in and say, ‘I do’, in the air-conditioned beautiful space on the Marina in Dolphin Quay, then go with your guests for picturesque photos on the Marina, at the beach, or the local parks and then on to a chosen hospitality venue and or hotel.
How easy is this. It takes the stress away as you do not need to organise an outdoor space and sort the chairs, signing table, décor for just a small wedding guest list. Afterall, trying to organise a wedding from a different country can be quite a task!
If you are wanting a bigger wedding, or something a little different, then we have an array of wineries and rustic wedding venues up and down WA. If you are looking for an Authorised Wedding Celebrant, then get in touch with us at the Marriage Office in Mandurah, as we can certainly give you a starting point. We have connections with Marriage Celebrants, Photographers, Wedding Venues, Accommodation and Hospitality venues, Event Hire, Florists, Beauty & Hair Stylists, Transport and Travel, Live Music, you name it, we can point you in one direction or another. We are currently building vendor connections who are listing on our website in our Wedding Directory. So check it out.

The Legal Requirements to get married in WA.

The Australian Marriage Act 1961 governs the criteria for who can marry in Australia. Here are some of the criteria that you must meet.

• The parties must be 18 years or older. If one party is a little younger, then court approval must be sought along with parental permission.
• Both parties must be consenting
• The parties are not in a prohibited relationship (closely related)
• Both parties must be free to marry – not already married to someone else.
• One months’ notice must be given – The Notice of Intended Marriage document must be given to, checked and accepted by an Authorised Celebrant for the notice to begin.

There’s a few other things in the Marriage Act 1961, its actually 134 pages long, so yes there’s a bit more to it, but you do not have to live in Australia to get married here. So as long as you meet all the other criteria, yes you can get married whilst on holiday!

Luckily as there is no residency requirement, you can marry literally the day you arrive in Australia should you so wish (as long as you have already lodged your Notice of Intended marriage giving at least one months’ notice).

Oh and one more thing; Love is Love in Australia – all legal and welcomed.

So where can you get married in Western Australia?

Unlike some other countries you will be spoilt for choice here in WA because you can get married just about anywhere that has an address. A family home, a hotel, an Air BnB, a local park, the beach, a wedding venue, a winery, its endless. All you need is permission from whoever’s venue it is and pay their fee of course. If it’s in an outdoor public space then you have to apply to the local council, and there is a small admin charge, usually round $50. If no one else has booked the space, or there isn’t a public event on and the reticulation isn’t going to automatically come on and soak you all, then you will be approved. Just bear in mind public spaces are always open to the public, so you cannot stop the public from being there.

How much does it cost to get married?

The Marriage Office Mandurah states its fees and services on its website as we offer set services, so our fees are set. You know exactly what we offer, so you can make an informed decision if this is what you want. The concept is making it stress free for an easy wedding. Offering an alternative to the bigger weddings.

You will find that many wedding vendors will have package options, but also will individually quote you for a personalised service. Afterall your dream wedding may be completely different to someone else’s, so not one size fits all. You may want to spend more of your budget on one aspect of your day, over other things, so this is why its good to ask and get what you want. Just be prepared that you may have to pay a little extra for this. But it will be worth it, if its really what you want.

In general, a Celebrant service could range anywhere from $500 up to $2000. A Photographer will start at around $500 for a small basic package, up to as much as $5000 plus, depending on how any hours you want to book them for and what type of shots you are wanting. Sometimes photographers come in 2’s or 3’s so they get all angles covered. Accommodation businesses may do offers for mid-week bookings or for large bookings, and the same for Hospitality venues. So unfortunately, every wedding will have a different price tag on, as every wedding is different in so many ways.

Whether you are looking to elope to Australia and keep it intimate and simple and even maybe a secret, or have a great big family and friend’s wedding, come and have your dream destination wedding with us!