We often have couples come to the Chapel to enquire about a wedding where one or both of the parties may have been married before.
While we welcome everyone to the Chapel to celebrate their wedding with us, if you HAVE been married before, you need to be able to show a copy of your divorce papers to your officiant to prove that your divorce is final.
If you are currently going through the courts with your divorce, you will not be able to set a date at the Chapel (or anywhere else for that matter) unless your divorce order is final and you have received a copy of the divorce papers.
From the Federal Court of Australia website:
You must not remarry until your divorce order becomes final. In most cases, this is one month and one day after the divorce hearing. The divorce process takes time, and you should not assume the divorce will be granted at the first court hearing.
If your application is deficient or the Registrar has questions about a particular part of your application, you may be asked to provide more information, this may involve an adjournment if you are required to file more evidence.
Once your divorce is deemed final by the courts and have received your divorce papers you may sign the Notice of Intended Marriage with your officiant. You may download this form from the Service NSW Website BUT you do not sign it until you meet in person with your officiant. This document must be signed a minimum 30 days before the wedding. It is then you can get married 30 days later.
This is the absolute minimum time allowed between signing the NOIM and actually having a wedding ceremony.
So if you are in the process of divorce but wish to set a date and booking at the Chapel we cannot necessarily do this until your divorce is final.
The minute you receive notice that your divorce is final and you have the documentation to prove this, you can sign the NOIM in front of your officiant, set a wedding date 30+ days later and then book the Chapel for your ceremony.
This information is general and by no means legal advice. Should you have questions about when you can actually get married if you are in the process of divorce, please speak to your wedding officiant who can give you more advice.