I hope you are safe and well. I’ve been thinking and feeling for couples and families either forced to postpone their wedding or unable to say ‘goodbye’ to a loved-one. It's been heartening and heart-breaking to be hearing from couples and families desperate to marry or say goodbye.
Weddings and funerals are BIG life events – they’re signposts on our life map – they’re the human experiences that transition us to a ‘new’ state of being.
Who would have thought a virus would bring the whole world to its knees in 2020. Who would have thought we’d be house bound in lockdown, in self isolation? We humans are meant to be interactive, connected.
For couples forced to postpone your wedding
CANCEL your marriage licence and apply for a refund. You’ll need to do this before the expiry date. It may take four weeks to process however you will get your $150 back and can reapply when the world is a safer place. See the end of this blog for details.
For families unable to have a funeral
The crematorium or funeral director can hold your loved one’s ashes for you and when it’s safe (Alert level 1 or 2), you can hold a memorial service or inter the ashes.
Be kind, be patient, be loving – the world needs all it can get right now.
Marriage licence refunds
Marriage licences are valid until the date of expiry, that being 3 months from the date of issue. If couples want to postpone their wedding as a result of the pandemic, there are options:
- Delay having the marriage, but not later than when the marriage licence expires. This in the hope that the situation has improved within 3 months.
- If the couple plan to get married after their licence expires, they can apply for a refund now. If approved, the refund will include the licence fee and the marriage certificate, if ordered. When the couple are ready to get married they can apply for a new licence at https://marriages.services.govt.nz.
Couples can request a refund by emailing bdm.nz@dia.govt.nz with the subject heading "Request for marriage licence refund".
In the body of the email include:
- Reason for refund e.g. unable to enter the country.
- Both partners’ full names and contact details (e.g., email, phone number etc.)
Refunds currently take about 4 weeks to process.