Table of Contents
Officiating Your Wedding
I provide comprehensive legal marriage ceremonies and registration services for all couples. Whether you are an opposite-sex, same-sex/LGBTQI+, or interfaith couple, I am here to help you cross the threshold into married life.
I officiate secular (that is, non-religious) Civil Marriages or Civil Partnerships under the Civil Union Act for South African citizens and, occasionally, foreign nationals and mixed-citizenship couples.
Services I Offer
A Ceremony at your chosen wedding venue
I will come over to your chosen wedding venue and conduct the ceremony.
A Wedding Ceremony another location (not a venue)
I will come over to your chosen location (a home, flat, park, beach, forest etc.) and conduct the ceremony.
A Private Ceremony or Marriage Registration at my home-office in Cape Town
You will come to my home office with your two witnesses. A small group (optional, five persons maximum) is welcome.
A marriage ceremony has various ceremonial/ritual elements. Marriage registration includes only the legal – official – section.
Before Your Wedding Day
Securing your date: Once you book your date, I will send you everything you need to get started. This includes a clear checklist of the legal documents required for your specific circumstances.
Crafting your ceremony: Together, we will discuss your vision, talk through the ceremony structure, and design a meaningful, secular service that honours your unique bond.
On Your Wedding Day
Arriving at your venue: I will arrive at your chosen venue early, ready to collect and check the documents and prepare the register and other forms, to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Conducting your ceremony: I will lead your ceremony with warmth, dignity, and sincere focus, keeping the atmosphere relaxed and memorable, and using the ceremony you have agreed on.
The legal signing: I will guide you, your partner, and your witnesses through the official signing procedure. This includes capturing your signatures and thumbprints for the marriage register. The ceremony ends with me solemnising (that is, publicly confirming) that you are now married.
Your first certificate: Finally, I will hand you your official handwritten Abridged Marriage Certificate, as a written proof of your marriage. Note that, should you need the fuller Unabridged Marriage Certificate, you will need to apply for it at a DHA office.
After the Wedding
Home Affairs registration: I will submit all marriage documents to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Cape Town Office, for your union to be officially registered in the National Population Register.
Safe delivery of your records: Once processed, I will courier a physical copy of your marriage register—stamped by a DHA Official—straight to your door for your permanent records.