Terms and Conditions

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Standard terms & conditions

1. An appointment for a ceremony is not confirmed until payment has been made in full – until full fee has been paid SMW reserves the right to cancel the appointment or, if the customer agrees, reschedule it for another date or location.
2. Ceremony locations are subject to change at the discretion of SMW
3. Ceremony Booking Fee is non-refundable.
4. Ceremony time, date or location can be changed by the customer up to one month prior to the booking, subject to availability. (this excludes the 5 Minute wedding and the Celebrant Deluxe Packages) Where an appointment is rescheduled the new time must be greater than one month from the date on which the customer reschedules the appointment.
5. Where a ceremony time and/or date is changed by the customer less than one month prior to the date of the original booking a reschedule fee of $200 is payable.
6. The ceremony must begin at the booked appointment time. Where the ceremony does not start on or earlier than the schedule appointment time due to late arrival of the customer or any of their invited guests, or due to the failure to bring the necessary ID and divorce/ death papers required, a reschedule fee of $350 will be incurred.  For the avoidance of doubt, this includes where the appointment is pushed back to a later time on the same date and also where it is rescheduled to another date. SMW reserves the right for celebrants to leave or not-undertake the ceremony if the customer is not at the ceremony location on time and/ or if the customer does not bring the necessary identification documents.
7. The customer acknowledges that the celebrant may not, according to law, conduct a marriage for any person who is, or whom the celebrant believes to be, intoxicated, under the influence of any drug or other substance, or who is being coerced or forced into the marriage. In such circumstances, the celebrant may cancel the ceremony, and the full fee will be forfeited. A reschedule fee of $350 will be charged if the ceremony can be rescheduled, at the full discretion of SMW.
8. The customer acknowledges that in the event of poor weather an alternative, proximate location will be used for the ceremony.
9. The customer must ensure the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM), signed by the customer and an authorized witness(es), in accordance with the instructions on the NOIM, is returned to SMW no later than one full calendar month prior to the date of the scheduled ceremony appointment. Failure to do so will result in the ceremony being rescheduled to a date that is of mutual agreement between the parties.
10. The customer is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of information included in the NOIM, and the legibility of the writing. In the event of an error in official certificate resulting from incorrect provision of information or ambiguity in handwriting it will be the customer’s responsibility for correcting the register with the government registry office. Costs will be borne by the customer.
11. The customer acknowledges and accepts that the locations for ceremonies are public places and the customer is responsible for ensuring the appropriateness of the location for their needs. This includes but is not limited to the use of the location or the surrounding area for other events on the date of the customers booking.  

12. SMW is not responsible for booking ceremony locations. (excluding the 5 Minute wedding Package)

13. If the ceremony is to take place in a location where a booking is not required, SMW  will endeavour to avoid booking ceremonies on dates that may coincide public eventss but the customer acknowledges this is a risk of choosing a public location for the ceremony.
14. The couple acknowledges that they cannot choose their celebrant and that SMW will allocate a celebrant to the couple for their ceremony. SMW reserves the right to change the allocated celebrant at any time.
15. Couples agree to the use of their image, taken by SMW celebrants or affiliated photographers on social media pages, websites and elsewhere unless the couple notifies SMW in writing.
16. Celebrants are engaged by SMW as contractors and are not employees or agents of SMW. SMW is not liable for the actions or omissions of a Celebrant engaged by SMW.
Photographers affiliated with SMW and providing services to SMW customers are not contractors, employees or agents of SMW and are engaged by SMW customers at their full discretion and independent of SMW.