Hello everyone
My partner and I are travelling to Australia and New Zealand this December for our big holiday this year, and we have booked and paid for it.

We have been together some years and would like to get married whilst we are in Perth. We fly there first and are staying with our friends who emigrated out there.

The thing is I have absolutely no idea about how to go about this. I do not want a wedding planner or wedding company to organise it for me though!! Basically we have spent lots on this holiday and neither of us want to tell anyone we are getting married whilst we are away (only our friends out there know). We just wanna go on holiday, get married and come back, tell everyone and have a big party.

We both want something very simple - a wedding on the beach would be perfect, no reception or anything will be necessary, we are just going to go to a restaurant with our friends. Basically I have looked on the Foreign Office and High Commission websites and know we have to get a notification of marriage beforehand and have that signed by a member of the Australian commonwealth (i.e solictor) and then send that to the registrar? But I do not know how to find a registrar in Perth and how to book a wedding on a beach?

My friend can organise a hairdresser for me, and can buy some flowers (we want very simple - 2 button holes for the men, and one long stemmed flower for me) and they will book the restaurant - and hopefully a photographer!!

It is the ceremony that worries me - and also how I can get a dress on the plane? I am not going to be going for the full big white dress, especially as it is Perth in December! But I would like to keep it out of a suitcase. Do you think Qantas will allow me to take it as hand luggage?

Last question!! I understand that as Australia is part of the commonwealth, I will not be able to register my marriage in the UK (although it is recognised as legal) which means I will have to apply to Australia for any copies of the marriage certificate? Is this hard? When changing my name etc do I need to send copies of the marriage certificate off? Can I just send a photocopy?

Sorry for the rambling post - I just really need to get this sorted now!