Courthouse Marriages on the Gold Coast

If you are searching for a courthouse wedding on the Gold Coast, here is the honest answer: Gold Coast courts, including the Southport courthouse, do not run marriage ceremonies. Australia does not do “courthouse weddings” the way they happen in the United States.

What most people mean by that search is:

• a short legal marriage
• a cheap and simple process
• no big ceremony and no guest list
• paperwork rather than wedding planning

That exists, and you can have it on the Gold Coast.

Your real options

1. A Queensland Registry appointment in Brisbane. The government option. You travel to Brisbane and work within the registry’s schedule.
2. A private celebrant paperwork-only marriage on the Gold Coast. The courthouse-style option, without leaving the coast. $820 inc GST with us.

Both give you exactly the same legal marriage.

The Gold Coast courthouse-style marriage

Our paperwork-only marriage is as close as you will get to a courthouse wedding here: a brief, official-feeling legal ceremony of about ten minutes with an authorised celebrant, two adult witnesses, the signing, and registration. We help with the NOIM and documents, and confirm a Gold Coast time and place once your paperwork is in.

No witnesses? Add our witness service for $130.

Want a little more than a courthouse wedding?

Plenty of couples start by searching “courthouse wedding” and then realise they want something slightly warmer:

• the elopement ceremony ($1,800) gives you a personal ceremony and your own vows at a beach, headland, or park
• the wedding ceremony ($2,200) is a full custom ceremony for your guests

What you still need legally

A courthouse-style marriage still needs a Notice of Intended Marriage lodged at least one calendar month before, valid ID, and two adult witnesses. See the full legal requirements.

Best next steps

• Book the paperwork-only marriage
• Compare the Brisbane Registry and a Gold Coast celebrant
• See all Gold Coast prices