Your wedding, sorted in one place

Everything you need for your Love on the Run ceremony lives here. Work through the steps below and keep this link handy, as new sections will appear as your day gets closer.

Your steps

In order, from booking to the big day.

  1. Book your ceremony

    Tell us your date, venue, legal names and witnesses. It takes about five minutes.

    Open booking form → Do this first

  2. Choose your ceremony script

    Have a read of our three short and sweet ceremonies and choose the one that feels most like you. You can do this while we check celebrant availability. Bracketed bits like [Name] are filled in with your details.

  3. Choose your celebrant

    We're checking which of our celebrants are available for your date. We'll email you a personal link to this page within 48 hours, showing the celebrants you can choose from.

    Checking availability

  4. Add photography

    Would you like a photographer to capture your ceremony? Our photo packages are available for Auckland weddings with 25 or fewer guests.

  5. Write your vows

    Only if you're exchanging personal vows. For some people this comes naturally, and for others it's hard to know where to start, so here's a little inspo. Keep it simple and from the heart and you can't go wrong.

    Ideas to include

    • A promise or two, big or small (and maybe a funny one)
    • A little story, like how you met or the moment you knew
    • A few things you love about each other
    • An in-joke, a nickname or a pop culture reference only you two will get

    Helpful reading

    Read Libby's vows to her husband as an example

    Brad, I’ve already made the big promises to you, so here are a few things I definitely can’t promise but I’ll try. I’ll try to stop asking you who is ‘winning’ the cricket. Because that’s not how it works. I’ll try to not get mad at you for mumbling, and to bite the bullet and spend the money on the hearing aids we both know I need. I will try every day to love myself as much as you love me, because if you can’t love yourself… how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?

    I’m someone who is severely affected by decision paralysis. I will be so terrified of making the wrong choice that I will struggle to move forward with anything. Brad, you were, and continue to be, the easiest choice I’ve ever made.

    A couple of months before I met you my therapist told me to write a list of everything I was looking for in my perfect man. It was not a short list. You don’t have any tattoos… but I’m working on that. You’re not handy, but thankfully your dad is, and you’re not musical, but we can always get Joe to serenade us. Of the 31 qualities on my list, you were 28. That’s a pretty bloody near perfect score if you ask me.

    As time goes on I find more and more qualities that I love about you. Like the way you put on The Sopranos when you’re in the mood to cook Italian food. Or the way you get angry when some guy treats one of my friends badly ‘because how can they not see what a catch she is?’. Or the way you can now acknowledge Taylor Swift’s undeniable musical talent.

    Thank you for everything you have shared with me. New music, old movies, your food, and your life. You are the Pam to my Jim, the Donna to my Josh, the Ben to my Leslie. I love you man. All there is… and then some.

  6. Apply for your marriage licence

    You apply for your licence yourselves through Births, Deaths & Marriages. It's a quick online form, but it's a legal document, so take your time and check every name, date and spelling.

    When to apply

    About 3 to 5 weeks before your wedding. Your licence is only valid for 3 months, so don't apply too early, and it takes a few working days to arrive, so don't leave it to the last minute.

    How to apply

    1. Open the online application and choose Personalised ceremony.
    2. Enter your celebrant's full name. We'll email this to you once your celebrant is confirmed.
    3. Use your full legal names exactly as they appear on your photo ID, and double-check your wedding date and venue. It's worth adding a back-up venue in case of bad weather, as you can only marry at a venue listed on your licence.
    4. When asked how you'd like to receive your licence, choose to have it emailed to you. Check all the details carefully.
    5. Print every form you're sent (the BDM10, BDM45 and BDM45A) and bring them with you on the day. Your celebrant will complete them with you after the ceremony.
    6. Planning to change your name? Tick the box to order your marriage certificate at the same time. It makes things much simpler later.

    The licence fee ($158 at the time of writing) is paid to Births, Deaths & Marriages and isn't part of your Love on the Run fee. The BDM45 and BDM45A look very similar, but both are needed, so please print and bring all three forms.

    Apply for your licence →Official info on govt.nz

Good to know

Payment

A 20% deposit confirms your booking. The remaining balance is due two weeks before your wedding. We'll email you an invoice once you've chosen your celebrant.

PackageDepositBalance Celebrant only, Sunday to Friday ($375)$75$300 Celebrant only, Saturday ($475)$95$380 Celebrant & Photo, Sunday to Friday ($1399)$279.80$1,119.20 Celebrant & Photo, Saturday ($1499)$299.80$1,199.20 Celebrant & Extended Photo, Sunday to Friday ($2299)$459.80$1,839.20 Celebrant & Extended Photo, Saturday ($2399)$479.80$1,919.20

Please use your names or initials as the payment reference, e.g. LibbyBrad or L&B.

What kind of ceremony this is

A Love on the Run ceremony is short, sweet and simple. It uses a pre-written script rather than one personalised with your love story, which keeps things affordable and stress-free.

Contacting your celebrant

All pre-wedding communication and admin goes through Love on the Run. You'll receive your celebrant's contact details the day before the wedding.

Sound and microphones

Celebrants don't bring a microphone or sound system. For larger groups or outdoor venues, please arrange one with your venue or another supplier.

Witnesses

Two witnesses are legally required. They can be anyone other than the two of you and your celebrant, and they need to be able to write their own name, address and signature and understand what they're witnessing.