COVID-19 Postponements or Cancellations
COVID-19 Postponement
- If your wedding is forced to be postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, all monies received will be transferred to your new wedding date with no additional postponement fee.
- When selecting a new wedding date, please advise me of the new date options, so I can check my availability.
- If the new wedding date clashes with a pre-existing booking (and I hope not) then I will assist you (the couple who engaged me to marry them) to find an alternative celebrant.
Having to cancel my celebrant services due to COVID-19 related circumstances.
COVID-19 Terms are part of the wider terms and conditions (see after COVID terms below) which must be read and understood as well as the COVID-19 specific terms.
For couples from interstate, or in a COVID cluster location within QLD, or local (Gold Coast or Brisbane) couples who have to change their location to somewhere else because of a COVID related matter.
I will grant a full refund of all monies received IF:
We have communicated by phone or email or text or messaging
And
I have not received the NOIM
And
I have not yet written or part-written the wedding ceremony.
I will refund all but half of the deposit ($150) IF:
I have begun to write or have completed the wedding ceremony
OR
I have received the NOIM and lodged it.
AND/OR
I have begun to write or have completed the wedding ceremony.
In the cases where I have received the NOIM I will transfer the NOIM to any nominated celebrant in any state or any other location at no further expense to you from me.
In the cases where I have written or part-written the ceremony I will forward the ceremony to your new celebrant which I consent to them using in part or in full if they wish to.
I have done NOIM and ceremony transfers in 2020 and 2021 and at the same time have also had interstate celebrants transfer NOIMs and ceremonies to me so it has evened out any losses I have incurred.
The couple do not have to be involved in the process of transferring the NOIM as it is done entirely between the two celebrants concerned (old and new) and is usually fairly straight forward.
*NOTE: while this is my COVID-19 policy, the circumstances regarding postponed weddings will be considered on an individual basis. I will endeavour to work with the affected couple to make a mutually beneficial decision regarding their refund for my deposit or celebrant fee.
Payment and refund terms for services supplied by Celebrant Sue (hereafter referred to as the celebrant)
- Booking confirmation: A booking deposit of $300 is required to
secure the date. This deposit must be paid within 7 days of the
NOIM being lodged & invoice issue date. If the payment is not made after this tentative period, your booking will no longer be held or confirmed. A portion of this amount or additional time can be considered on request. - Payments: All payments are via direct deposit or paypal. The celebrant's bank details can be found in the invoice. The final payment must be received no later than 14 days before the ceremony date.
-
Postponements: If the wedding is postponed and the
new wedding date is still available for the celebrant, the booking deposit amount ($300) will be held as future credit for the new wedding date unless the celebrant has another wedding booked on the new date in which case the deposit is forfeited*.
- Changes to Agreed Wedding Venue, Date or Time: The couple must inform the celebrant immediately if there is any change to the agreed wedding venue, date or time. The celebrant will endeavour to accommodate the new venue. date or time changes but if the celebrant already has another wedding booked at that time or the new venue is much further away then a renegotiation of fees or a full or partial refund will be applied if necessary.
- Cancellation: If a wedding is cancelled at least 30 days prior to the ceremony date then the full amount minus $300 will be refunded to the couple.
If a wedding is cancelled less than 30 days before the date of the ceremony then no refund* will be applied.
*Some discretion may be applied by the celebrant upon consideration of the individual circumstances.
Obligations and requirements of the celebrant:
- Wedding Day: The celebrant will be at the ceremony location 30 minutes prior to the start time. If you require your music to be played via the celebrant’s PA speaker, the person in charge of the device should approach the celebrant during this time to connect via Bluetooth.
- Liability: In no event shall the celebrant be liable for any injury, loss, claim, damage, or any damages of any kind, which arises out of or is in any way connected with use of services or equipment supplied by the celebrant.
- Illness or accident: If the celebrant is seriously ill or has had an accident or there is another unforeseen reason that she cannot officiate at your ceremony then the celebrant will make every endeavour to find a replacement celebrant.
Please note that this is likely to be a very rare occurrence, and it definitely hasn't happened to this celebrant yet, it has to be imagined that it could happen. Part of our training is to maintain a network of celebrant friends that can be called at late notice in circumstances such as these. Funds paid to the celebrant are transferred to the replacement celebrant.
Sue will comply with all requirements as per the Attorney General's Department Code of Practice for Marriage Celebrants . (4 page PDF) and the requirements as outlined in the Marriage Act 1961. (amended 9th Nov 2018) (website).
Obligations and Requirements of ‘Party One’ and ‘Party Two’ (herein referred to as ‘the couple’):
- Ceremony script: Will provide the finalised wording for their Ceremony to the celebrant, no later than two (2) weeks before the wedding date. If the final script is not received by the required date, the celebrant will have the right to determine the ceremony script.
- Inclement weather: The couple must have an alternative (Plan B) if planning an outdoor ceremony. This will be discussed at the initial meeting with the celebrant. On the wedding day, if the ceremony needs to be performed in the Plan B location, the couple must inform the celebrant at least 3 hours before the ceremony.
- Arriving on Time: The couple and their bridal party understand that they are obliged to arrive on time for the ceremony. If there is more than a 45 minute delay, and the celebrant has another wedding to officiate, then the celebrant has the right to leave and return to conduct the ceremony at a later time if possible.
- Arriving Intoxicated: A marriage can be declared invalid if there is doubt about
whether either Party 1 or Party 2 is capable of understanding the commitment
they are making.
See page 90 of the Guidelines on the Marriage Act 1961 for authorised celebrants issued by the Attorney General's Department, Govt. of Australia. - Witnesses: If either of the witnesses appears to be intoxicated due to alcohol or drugs they are forbidden to sign as witnesses on the wedding day. An alternative witness or witnesses must be found and anyone can be used providing they are over 18 years old and can understand English.
Copyright Issues:
- The celebrant grants permission to the couple for her to be included in all photographs and videography that occurs during the ceremony.
- The celebrant retains copyright of all material she has written for the ceremony in both draft and final form.
- The couple agree that they will not copy or reproduce in any way, any part of their written ceremony without the permission of the celebrant.
- The couple (only after their permission is asked for and is given, in regard to which images and when they can be released) then authorises the celebrant to use images of the ceremony on 1. the celebrant's website 2. the celebrant's professional associaton pages and 3. the celebrant's social media pages.
Please note that all professional photographs used by the celebrant on her website or social media will acknowledge the photographer, if the photographer is not known then images will be attributed to guests of the married couple.