FAQ's
Q: How do I book for a wedding?
A: You will need to contact me by e-mail or phone to see if I am available on the date. After that you fill in the booking form and pay your deposit and your day is booked
Q: We have limited funds - can we pay off your fees?
A: Yes, a plan can be made, please contact me
Q: Can you refuse to marry us?
A: I have the right to refuse any assignment should I feel that I do not fit in with the duties that are requested of me, this however has not happened yet.
Q: What happens if I arrive late to my wedding?
A: if I am kept waiting for longer than 30 minutes after having been booked for a confirmed time, I will levy a charge of R 150.00 per half hour. After I have waited for an hour, I will leave and no refund of deposit or fees received will be made.
Q: Are you prepared to travel to officiate at a wedding?
A: Yes, but please understand that an extra charge will be made for the time and travelling expenses @ a cost of R 2.50 per km. When I have to travel far to attend to your wedding, and the wedding takes place in the late afternoon, the cost of an overnight stay will be added to your costs. The full cost of my service and travelling as well as accommodation will be added to your final bill and have t paid in full prior to the service / ceremony
Q: Are you a certified Marriage Officer?
Yes, I am appointed by the South African Department of Home Affairs and have been a marriage officer for a number of years –Any client has the right to request a copy of my appointment certificate at any time.
Q: Is there a difference between a marriage ceremony and a renewal of vows?
A: Yes there is a difference. A marriage ceremony is when the officiant is empowered by the state to perform legally binding marriages, this is something that normally takes place between people who have never been married before.
Q: If I have already been married in court, can I get married again in a full ceremony?
A: Yes of course you can, I will just perform the ceremony according to your wishes as if a civil marriage had not taken place. The only difference is that as you are already legally married there will be no paperwork to sign.
Q: I am a Muslim and we were married according to Muslim Faith which is not considered legal under South African Law. Can you help us to legalize our marriage according to South African Law
A: Yes of course I can, all we need to do to get together with two independent witnesses and complete the necessary paperwork.
Q: Can you do a non-religious service for us?
A: Of course I can, just contact me to discuss your needs
Q: what format will my marriage take?
A: It is your day, so bearing that in mind I ask that you must tell me how you would like your special day to go.
Q: Do you have a list of vows that we can look at, or can we write our own?
A: I can show you a few examples of vows, however I urge a couple to write their own vows.
Q: Can you do a wedding at short notice?
A: Yes I can, should you wish to do a quick service, I could fit you in practically any time night or day – just one point to mention, I will NOT marry any person who is under the influence of alcohol to a point where his / her judgement is affected.
Q: Will you marry us in the middle of the night?
A: Yes I will, it is totally up to you.
Q: If we want only a civil or paperwork ceremony, would that be OK?
A: Yes, actually that kind of service only takes about 5 minutes
Q: Can we get married on a ship?
A: Yes you can, as long as at the time of the marriage the ship finds itself in South African Territorial waters
Q: how do I ensure that my marriage is legally registered if I am a foreign citizen.
A: In most countries you will find that an abridged South African married certificate is all that is needed. In some cases however you will find that the authorities of a certain country could ask for an unabridged marriage certificate.
This certificate is expensive and time consuming to get, as once we have the certificate we have to ensure your receipt thereof by making use of a door to door courier service.
Q: In respect to my two witnesses, do they have to be South African citizens?
A: No, your witnesses can be anybody from any country in the world, they only have to be 18 years old or older and have a valid passport or ID document
Q: Does our marriage have to take place in a church?
A: No, that is just one of the places that you can get married in, please give the marriage officer a call or drop him an e-mail to discuss your proposed venue.
Q: After we are married, do I have to take my husband’s surname?
A: No you don’t. South African Marriage law states that woman can take her husband’s name, keep her maiden name or create a new surname by combining the two.
Q: Is an Anti nuptial Contract required before we get married?
A: No it isn’t that is a decision between you and your husband / wife to be. If you do however choose to have an anti nuptial contracted, a copy of this must be presented to the marriage officer before the ceremony.
Q: If we want a contract drawn up, how do we go about this?
A: I can give you the name of an attorney that specializes in this kind of contract, she charges under R 1300.00 .
Q: We have both been married and divorced before, is it a good idea to involve ones children in the ceremony.
A: Yes it most certainly is a good idea, you will most likely find that the marriage will help a bond to grow between them all.
Q: How do you dress for our wedding?
A: if it is a formal church wedding, I will wear my full formal vestments. On the other occasions I normally wear a business suit, in the cases of beach weddings I will wear casual clothes.
Q: Do we have to meet in person before the wedding?
A: I like to meet with the couple before the service, however if this cannot be arranged then we can do all of our chatting via e-mail and phone.
Q: Are you prepared to do double or multiple couple weddings?
A: Yes I am.
Q: Are you prepared to wear a costume to match our theme when we get married?
A:Yes I am, the cost of the hire of the costume would be for your account and it would have to be sent to me at least 3 days before the ceremony.
Q: What areas are you prepared to travel to?
A: I am prepared to travel anywhere as long as my costs are met.
Q: What are the procedures that must be followed to allow a foreigner get married in South Africa?
A: Apart from a few extra letters forms that need to be filled in and provided by the foreign party, there is no difference between the marriage of two South Africans and two foreigners.
A foreign party to the marriage must provide a copy of their passport, a copy of the visa (if applicable to enter South Africa) and a letter of non-impediment (this is a document provided by their home country stating that they are unmarried). if the foreign party's country does not provide such a letter of no impediment, the foreign party must make a sworn statement before a Notary Public. This sworn statement should state the following: (1) Full names and Surname of party (2) Nationality of party (3) Passport number (4) Date of birth, age and place of birth (5) the fact that your country does not provide letters of non impediment (6) that you are unmarried and that you know of no legal reason why you may not enter into a state of matrimony.
Once this letter of non impediment or sworn statement has been obtained, it has to be Notorized by a Notary Public and then it has to be Apostalized. Once these steps have been taken, the foreign party has then to then proceed to the South African Embassy or High Commission in your country where the document will once again be stamped and signed Failure to follow any of these steps will mean that the marriage cannot be registered in South Africa. Please refer to my booking form available on this website, or by e-mail for any further requirements.
A foreigner wanting to wed a South African Citizen must follow all of the above steps and they must also both go to the Home Affairs Head Office in Cape Town to meet with an immigration official who will then after the interview decide whether they may wed or not, he will then supply the parties with a letter of consent allowing the marriage officer to conduct the ceremony.
Q: Does the wedding have to take place under a roof?
A: The law suggests so, but there are different interpretations of the law and it is generally accepted that as long as the marriage register is signed under a fixed roof, then all of the prerequisites will have been met.
Q: If we would like you to attend to our big day, what are the procedures?
A: Let me know so that I can book your date in my diary, I will then e-mail you a booking form which you will fill in and return with copies of the documents that are required. We can then arrange a pre-meeting and discuss the finer details of your wedding day.
Q: In order to get married, what documents must we get ready?
A: The following must be presented to the marriage officer at any time before the wedding:
Your ID Books.
· 4 photos of each marriage partner
· Copies of Your ID books as well as copies of the ID documents of both of your witnesses.
· If you have been married before: Divorce decree
· If you are a widow or widower: Death certificate
· If you intend to enter into an ante-nuptial contract this must be concluded prior to the day of the wedding.
·
A foreign party to the marriage must provide a copy of their passport, a copy of the visa (if applicable to enter South Africa) and a letter of non-impediment (this is a document provided by their home country stating that they are unmarried). if the foreign party's country does not provide such a letter of no impediment, the foreign party must make a sworn statement before a Notary Public. This sworn statement should state the following: (1) Full names and Surname of party (2) Nationality of party (3) Passport number (4) Date of birth, age and place of birth (5) the fact that your country does not provide letters of non impediment (6) that you are unmarried and that you know of no legal reason why you may not enter into a state of matrimony.
Once this letter of non impediment or sworn statement has been obtained, it has to be Notorized by a Notary Public and then it has to be Apostalized. Once these steps have been taken, the foreign party has then to then proceed to the South African Embassy or High Commission in your country where the document will once again be stamped and signed Failure to follow any of these steps will mean that the marriage cannot be registered in South Africa. Please refer to my booking form available on this website, or by e-mail for any further requirements.
A foreigner wanting to wed a South African Citizen must follow all of the above steps and they must also both go to the Home Affairs Head Office in Cape Town to meet with an immigration official who will then after the interview decide whether they may wed or not, he will then supply the parties with a letter of consent allowing the marriage officer to conduct the ceremony.
Q: What procedures are followed when our marriage is registered?
A: On the first working day after your marriage, I present your completed documents to the Department of Home Affairs.
Q: Must we apply for a license to marry before the ceremony?
A: No, in South Africa a marriage license is not required. The marriage officer will issue you with your marriage certificate once he has pronounced you to be legally married
Q: if we want to have a very small wedding, how many people have to be present?
A: The Bride, The Groom, two witnesses over the age of 18 years and the marriage officiant.
Q: What documents do we get when the ceremony is done?
A: You get a copy of the marriage register and the original of your marriage certificate.
Q: If the person that I plan to marry is not a South African Citizen, may I still marry?
A: Of course you may. Foreigners must complete a few extra forms, but then the rest of the marriage is just like any other
Q: You have reassured us, we want to get married, what do we do now?
A: Make contact with me so that I can send you a booking form and then we can take it further from here and arrange a meeting between us.
Q: Please explain the difference between an abridged and an unabridged marriage certificate?
A: An unabridged marriage is a full long version of the marriage certificate. This certificate can only be issued by the Department of Home Affairs Head Office, this certificate takes about 18 weeks to obtain and has to be paid for on application. An abridged version of the marriage certificate is the handwritten document given to the couple after they have signed the marriage register. This certificate you get immediately and there is no charge for it.
Q: What happens if we have to cancel our wedding?
A: You can cancel the service at any time that you want. Your deposit is however not refunded due to the fact that a date was booked for your wedding and the marriage officer could have turned away another booking/s on that day due to the undertaking he has made with you.
