Marrying in Australia

Celebrating 50 year

 We are so fortunate in Australia to be able to marry anywhere.

On 19 July 2023, it was 50 years since the Hon Lionel Murphy QC, then Attorney-General, appointed the first civil marriage celebrant in Australia. Lionel Murphy provided choice to marrying couples. Until that time, the option was a Registry Office wedding or a religious wedding. The story goes that given the general opposition to this radical change he typed the letter, found an envelope and posted it himself. He then retyped it to correct a spelling mistake ‘solemnise’.. In the first 12 months, 92 civil celebrants were appointed with the aim of giving an option for a dignified, culturally appropriate ceremony with words, music and ritual meeting the needs of the couple. Today there are around 9,500 registered civil celebrants and over 80% of marriages are civil ceremonies. As a Marriage Celebrant on the Sunshine Coast and having officiated nearly 100 ceremonies I feel so blessed to be part of so many special moments!