Civil Wedding Ceremonies
Nowadays 60% of all marriages that take place are in fact civil ceremonies. Couples have a huge choice of wedding venues since restrictions in the Marriage Act were lifted to allow couples to hold their civil ceremony in any area. Many venues like Tall John’s Weddings, have a choice of places to hold the ceremony on their site.
However, couples can’t just do entirely their own thing in a civil ceremony! It is simply a non-religious, legal marriage, which is presided over by a legal official instead of a religious one and there is a definite process to follow.
Firstly, you need to visit the Registrar's Office where you live, and they can help you with the process and any specific issues that may be applicable to you. Here in Brecon we have a fantastic team who are based in the town and can be found on the Powys County Council website.
Most marriages require at least 28 full days’ notice. Dates can get very booked up – especially in the spring and summer – so it’s a good idea to get started as soon as you can. Importantly, you must tell your local Registrar’s Office even if you’re planning on getting married out of your area.
They will take all your details and then notice will be displayed in the registry office for 28 days. Only then will the Superintendent Registrar issue the certificate allowing the marriage to take place, providing no objections have been received. You must get married within one year of this date.
There are a few points to consider:
· You cannot have alcohol available during the ceremony
You will have a brief meeting with the Registrar before the service
You are encouraged to add words, poems and music of your choice as long as it is not of a religious nature
You are not allowed to photograph the register itself
If you want the ceremony photographed or videoed you need to ask the Registrar first
You can get married in the UK providing you’re 16 or over, not closely related and of course are free to marry.
Strictly speaking, the registry book itself must remain indoors during the ceremony. This is because washable ink has historically been used and so rain on the book would be a disaster. The definition of 'indoors' is luckily pretty flexible -there must be a permanent structure with a roof and a floor and there must be electric lighting available – but this gives a lot of possibilities for fantastic outdoor venues for a civil ceremony. At Tall John’s Weddings we have designed a charming gazebo that fits the guidelines for a civil ceremony but is very much outdoors.
