What Is a Legals Only Wedding, Really?

There's a quiet shift happening in how couples get married, and I've watched it build over the last few years. More and more people are separating the legal part from the celebration — signing the papers in a small, simple ceremony, then throwing the party whenever and however they like.

It's called a legals only wedding, and it's one of the most misunderstood things I offer. So let me walk you through what it actually is.

The short version

A legals only wedding is exactly what the name says: everything the law requires to make you married, and nothing beyond it. You, your partner, two witnesses, and me. No aisle, no readings, no speeches unless you want them.

It takes about fifteen minutes. You walk out legally married.

Who chooses this

More couples than you'd think, and for wildly different reasons.

Some are planning a big celebration overseas and want the Australian paperwork handled first. Some have a visa deadline. Some are marrying quietly because a parent is unwell and they want them there for it. Some have been together twenty years and simply want it official without the production.

And some just don't want a wedding. That's a perfectly good reason too, and nobody should make you feel odd about it.

What still has to happen

The legal requirements don't change just because the ceremony is small. You still lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage at least one month beforehand, still sign the Declaration of No Legal Impediment, still need two witnesses over eighteen, and I still deliver the Monitum — the words the Marriage Act requires every celebrant to say.

You'll also each say your legal vows. They're short, and they're the only words you're actually required to speak.

Where it happens

I offer two options. You can come to my office at Milsons Point, which keeps things simple and costs less — we complete the notice over Zoom beforehand, then you bring your witnesses on the day.

Or I come to you. Your backyard, a park, a friend's living room, a quiet corner of a restaurant. Travel within Sydney metro is included.

A small ceremony isn't a lesser one

This is the bit I want to say properly. A legals only wedding is short, but it doesn't have to be cold. I've married couples in fifteen minutes and watched both of them cry. The number of guests has never once determined how much a moment mattered.

If you'd like a personal touch — a line about how you met, a reading from your one witness — there's room for that. Just tell me.

If this sounds like you

Legals only starts at $500 at my office, or $650 at a location of your choosing. That covers the full legal process from the notice through to lodging your marriage with the registry.

Get in touch and tell me what you're after. No pressure either way — if it turns out you want something bigger after all, we can talk about that too.