You may now kiss the 'partner': Married couples can now ditch the phrases 'bride' and 'groom' as Australia prepares for its first same-sex weddings TODAY

  • Same-sex couples will be able to marry in Australia from Tuesday, January 9
  • All couples will now have the option of ditching the phrases 'bride' and 'groom'
  • Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan will tie the knot in midnight ceremony on Tuesday 
  • Aspiring Commonwealth Games athletes will exchange first Australian gay vows 

Couples tying the knot in Australia will have the option of ditching the traditional phrases 'bride' and 'groom' altogether in favour of 'partner' under new marriage laws.

A marriage celebrants' fact sheet, prepared by the Attorney-General's Department, explains the new era of weddings where gender will no longer matter, as same-sex couples prepare to make history on Tuesday.

'There are three options for a party's description: 'groom', 'bride' and 'partner'. It is up to each party which descriptor they prefer,' the sheet reads. 

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Craig Burns (right) and Luke Sullivan (left) will be one of the first gay couples to legally marry in Queensland on Monday after the controversial bill was passed in late 2017

Craig Burns (right) and Luke Sullivan (left) will among Australia's first gay married couples

'The descriptor 'groom' can be used by a male party, and 'bride' can be used by a female party, regardless of the sex or gender of the other party to the proposed marriage. 

'The descriptor 'partner' can be used by a male, female, intersex, non-binary gender or transgender party.'

A young man on the Sunshine coast is concerned about the replacement of the terms 'bride' and 'groom'.

'A friend of mine's a marriage celebrant and now they're saying they're referring to, rather than Mr and Mrs, partner one and partner two,' he told former Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson on Sunday. 'That's another thing they've changed.'  

The accomplished athletes became engaged in March 2016 after a touching proposal set on the rocks in Byron Bay, NSW, with both men dressed in tiny Speedos as Craig (left) popped the question on one knee

The athletes have been engaged since March 2016 after a romantic Byron Bay proposal

The eradication of traditional descriptors, if the couple so chooses, comes as aspiring Commonwealth Games athletes Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan prepare to be become one of Australia's first same-sex couples to get married.

They are set to officially marry at midnight on January 9, when gay couples can legally tie the knot under the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017.  

Craig and Luke will exchange their vows at the Summergrove Estate, in the Tweed Coast hinterland in northern New South Wales.

The accomplished athletes became engaged in March 2016 after a touching proposal set on the rocks in Byron Bay, NSW, with both men dressed in Speedos as Craig popped the question on one knee. 

In a reverse-style wedding event, the couple will host a pre-ceremony reception for 55 family members and friends until 11.30pm when they prepare for midnight nuptials set to a backdrop of fireworks.

It is a dream both Craig and Luke - who met online three years ago - thought may never become a reality. 

They are set to officially marry at one past midnight on January 9, the very minute the Australian Marriage Act takes effect, at the Summergrove Estate, in the Tweed Coast Hinterland (Craig pictured left and Luke right)

They are set to officially wed at one past midnight on January 9, as marriage laws change

Craig (pictured on one knee) proposed to Luke at a secluded beach in Byron Bay in 2016 - the footage was captured by a drone

Craig (pictured on one knee) proposed to Luke at a secluded beach in Byron Bay in 2016 

'I couldn't help but have this thought, 'I might not have this opportunity',' Luke told 7News.

'For us to be one of the first couples to be married is really special,' Craig said.

Their $50,000 wedding has been gifted by businesses across the state who are donating their services towards one of the first legal same-sex weddings. 

Craig, a sprinter, hopes to qualify for the next Commonwealth Games and will represent Queensland at the 2018 Queen's Baton Relay in March.

It is a dream both Craig (left) and Luke (right) - who met online three years ago - thought may never become a reality
It is a dream both Craig (left) and Luke (right) - who met online three years ago - thought may never become a reality

It is a dream both Craig (left) and Luke (right) - who met online three years ago - thought may never become a reality

He also competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Luke's track career began only a year ago - inspired by his sport-star fiance - and also holds dreams of competing in the Games.

'When we met, Craig was a champion athlete, with strict everything; his life was scheduled down to the minute,' Luke told the Daily Mercury

'I was a crazy go-getter who was spinning in circles trying to find which way to go.'

The couple's athletic aspirations will delay their honeymoon until the end of the year.  

Lesbian couple Lauren Price, 31, and Amy Laker, 29, became the first gay couple to technically get legally married after they tied the knot on December 16 last year.

The 'inseparable pair' had special permission to marry without giving a month's notice to Births, Deaths and Marriages NSW, because Lauren's family had already paid to come to Australia for the couple's civil ceremony. 

Lesbian couple Lauren Price, 31, and Amy Laker, 29, became the first gay couple to technically get legally married after they tied the knot on December 16 last year

Lesbian couple Lauren Price, 31, and Amy Laker, 29, became the first gay couple to technically get legally married after they tied the knot on December 16 last year

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Couples may ditch 'bride' and 'groom' for 'partner'

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