Legal and Religious Matters

Requirements of the Australian Government

A full list of the legal requirements for marriage may be found at www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/page/marriagegetting_married. The most notable of these are:

• No two persons under the age of 18 may be married.
• If one of the parties intending to marry is under 18, an order must be obtained from a Judge or Magistrate.
• If any of the parties is divorced or widowed, evidence must be shown of the divorce of that party, or of the death of that party’s spouse.

Requirements of the Anglican Church

A full list of the requirements of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Adelaide may be found at www.adelaide.anglican.com.au/parishestimes6.htm.

The most notable of these are:

• Divorced persons must seek permission of the Archbishop of Adelaide to marry.
• The minister who administers the wedding vows and signs the Certificate of Marriage must be an Anglican Priest, and must have the permission of the Rector of the Parish and the Archbishop of Adelaide to do so. Ministers of other Churches may also be invited to take part in the service, in consultation with your Celebrant.

Requirements of Christ Church North Adelaide

At least one party must be a practising Christian, and baptised, or ‘christened’. If neither of you is baptised, please speak to the Rector, as instruction and preparation for adult Baptism and Confirmation is available at Christ Church.