A Melbourne couple could become the first to marry under Australia's new same-sex marriage law after they were granted a shortened period of notice by the Victorian government.

Megan Stapleton, 32, and Stephanie Dyball, 30, have been together since 2011 and are tying the knot on 21 December – a date they settled on over a year ago.

But back then, accustomed to the slow pace of change when it came to marriage equality in Australia, the couple didn't imagine their ceremony would be a legally binding one.

"We locked in the venue and the date and everything last year and we really didn’t think they were ever going to pass the law to be honest," Stapleton told BuzzFeed News. "When they started having the [postal survey] this year, we thought, Oh, maybe maybe!



"We weren’t too worried, because we knew the day would be special to us regardless. But it’s been a nice surprise to have it done in time."

Any couple who wants to marry in Australia, straight or gay, has to give one month's notice – meaning the first day most same-sex couples can marry will be 9 January.

But Stapleton and Dyball were granted a shortening of the notice period on Tuesday, after they submitted an application explaining they had been preparing for the wedding for months and had relatives flying in from overseas.

Under the Marriage Regulations 1963 there are a number of circumstances under which the one-month period can be shortened, including work or travel commitments, a serious medical condition, legal issues, or religious considerations.

Unless another same-sex couple in a similar situation has also been granted a shortened notice period and will wed before next Thursday, Stapleton and Dyball will be the first to marry in Australia.

No same-sex couples in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, or the Australian Capital Territory have applied for a waiver. Two have been issued in Victoria, one of them to Stapleton and Dyball, but the registry declined to provide dates. One has also been issued in NSW.

When the good news came through on Tuesday afternoon, in a short but pleasant email from Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, Stapleton and Dyball were elated.

"I was trying not to get my hopes up, because I didn’t want to be disappointed if it didn’t happen, I didn’t want it to lessen the day for us," Stapleton said. "But I was so excited – we’ve been to so many of our friend’s weddings and it’s such a special day, so we’re really excited that ours can be legal."



Meanwhile, Dyball was with visiting relatives on a tour of the Sydney Opera House – which was quickly interrupted by a series of excited texts and calls from her fiancé.

"I'm meant to be silent and I'm in this theatre, so I’m trying to listen to this lady telling me about the architecture, while frantically looking at my phone!" Dyball said.