The Civil Wedding Ceremony and civil wedding vows
A Civil Wedding Ceremony is conducted by a Registrar, either in a Registry Office or a venue that holds a Civil Licence. A Civil Wedding Ceremony is not allowed to contain religious elements, although you may choose to include music, poetry or readings to accompany the ceremony. You can also discuss the civil wedding vows you intend to take with the registrar and customise them to suit.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a Civil Wedding Ceremony can take place in an approved venue -there are currently around 4000 licensed venues in England and Wales including castles, hotels, stately homes. The law states that you cannot marry outside, or in a temporary or movable structure (such as a marquee). A Civil Licence is not required for alternative venues in Scotland, but different laws apply. Many establishments that hold a Civil Licence offer a full wedding service and will be able to provide you will a lot of advice and support. To arrange a Civil Wedding Ceremony at an approved premises, you must first get in touch with the venue to make a provisional booking. You should then contact the register office in the district where the premises is located to ensure that the Registration Officer can attend your wedding.
There are fees involved for Civil Wedding Ceremony and these will be subject to regional differences. Typically you should expect to pay between £90 - £100 for a Civil Wedding Ceremony (this excludes any fees that might be charged if you book an alternative venue).
If you intend to hold a Civil Wedding Ceremony in England or Wales the procedure you need to follow is:
- You both need to give formal notice of your intention to marry to the Registrar in the district you live in. If you live in the same district you should attend the Registry Office to give notice together, although you do not have to by law. To find your local registrars office click here.
- For a Civil Wedding Ceremony to take place you must have lived in the district for at least 7 full days before you can give notice. Once you have given notice you can marry within a year, but not before 15 clear days have passed.
- You need to book the date of your Civil Wedding Ceremony with the Registrar in the district you wish to marry. The Registrar will require you to produce certain documents for evidence of your identity and the correct spelling of your name etc. A current UK Passport is a preferred document, but chequebooks, credit cards and birth certificates are also acceptable. Your Registrar will advise you on this. You can discuss your civil wedding vows with the registrar.
- If you have been married before you will need to provide evidence of your divorce. If you intend to have a Civil Wedding Ceremony in a venue that holds a Civil Licence you will need to discuss this with the Registrar and the venue as early as possible to ensure availability.
- If you are marrying in a district that is different to the one you live in, your local Registrar will issue a Certificate of Authority to Get Married. This must be collected and taken to the Registrar performing the Civil Wedding Ceremony prior to the wedding taking place. Additional evidence of identity may be required if you, or your partner, are resident overseas.
- On the day you need to make sure you have at least two people to accompany you, witness the marriage and sign the marriage register.
Music for A Civil Wedding Ceremony
Licensed venues have a greater flexibility than register offices regarding the times that ceremonies can be held. The available times are between 8am and 6pm on any day but this will be down to the individual venue.
