A civil marriage ceremony can take place in any register office in the UK, or at any venue approved by the local authority. These include stately homes and other prestigious buildings, hotels and restaurants. You will first need to formally give notice of marriage.
It is a legal requirement to give notice in advance of marriage. Your notice is publicly displayed for fifteen days, after which the authority for your marriage can be granted. Each notice is valid for one year, but if you decide to change venue, new notices must be given. If you are getting married in a church, then you do not usually have to give notice of marriage. If you are having a civil marriage or civil partnership, you each need to go to your local registry office to give notice.
If you plan holding your marriage in a different area from the one in which you live, you should also contact the local register office for that area before you give notice, to ensure that officials will be available on the day (your local registrar may offer to do this but it is worth doing yourself at the earliest opportunity). You both must give notice in person - no one else can do it on your behalf.
Before you give notice, you should make sure that you are able to satisfy the laws concerning residency and immigration control. You both need to have lived in the area in which you wish to give notice for at least seven full days, immediately before giving notice. This applies to all including those travelling from overseas for a marriage. Exceptions are (only if neither party are subject to immigration control):
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British or Commonwealth citizens are able to give notice in the country they are living in, provided that that country has signed up to the 'British Subjects Facilities Acts 1915 and 1916'.
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The other party must be a resident of England or Wales for marriage
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If one person is resident in England or Wales, then the other person may also give notice in Scotland
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Officers, seamen or marines on one of Her Majesty's ships at sea can give notice to the captain or other officer commanding the ship, provided the other person is resident in England or Wales
If you or your partner is subject to immigration control, you need one of the following to give notice of marriage:
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A visa providing you entry clearance, expressly for the purpose of marriage or civil partnership in the UK
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A certificate of approval with written permission of the Secretary of State – you can get this from the Home Office
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A document showing that you have settled status in the UK, e.g. Indefinite Leave to Remain
To be clear, you are not subject to immigration control if you have the right of abode in the UK, or are one of the following:
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A British citizen
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An EEA national
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A member of visiting forces from NATO and Commonwealth countries
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A diplomat that is not subject to immigration control
On The Day
On the day of your marriage, you will need to bring at least two other people who can sign as witnesses. A civil marriage ceremony cannot have any religious content, but you may be able to arrange for individual touches such as non-religious music and readings to be added to the legal wording, and for the ceremony to be videoed. The register office where you intend to marry will be able to tell you more about the options available.
The ceremony basically takes this shape:
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The meeting and greeting of guests by your ushers or other attendants; this is vital if things are to go smoothly -
Your ushers should give out the Order of Service. Ensure your ushers are briefed in advance
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You may need a seating plan for the wedding for the main wedding party but unless you are royalty, most people will sit in the chairs directly behind the first few rows which are set aside for immediate family and the wedding party. Traditionally the Groom's family are seated on the right side as you go into the venue with the Bride's on the left.
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It is common now that if there is an imbalance of guests e.g. the Bride has more guests or family that friends are encouraged to sit anywhere to ensure that the venue does not look too imbalanced. It is the ushers who will give out the Orders of Service and accompany the wedding guests to their seats - particularly important if the guest is elderly or has a special place in the seating plan
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The arrival of the Groom and the Best Man; often the Groom and his Best Man arrive as early as possible to ensure that the ushers know what they are doing and to ensure that all the arrangements with the venue are in place. Once this is done, they do not wander about but take their place at the front right set of chairs and gather their thoughts!
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The arrival of the Bride accompanied by her Father and attendants. The congregation must rise when the entrance music of the Bride is played. The Bride stands on the left with her Father slightly behind and the Groom mirrors this on the right, with his Best Man just behind him. The Chief Bridesmaid will at this point take ownership of the Bride's bouquet
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The Registrar will welcome everyone, ask the congregation to be seated and will say a few words (which will probably include rules on taking photographs and throwing confetti!)
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Note that once the Bride's Father has given away his daughter he will take his place beside his wife in the front left set of chairs
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The Registrar will then guide the couple through the Ceremony including asking if anyone knows of any lawful reason why the wedding cannot take place. Please note, a very dim view is taken of any practical jokers at this point! The Registrar will ask the Bride and Groom to exchange vows. The actual words used in the ceremony are not universal and will depend on what the particular local authority use. You may well have a choice which you will have decided in advance. The Registrar will then ask for the rings from the Best Man (who can then sit down). The couple then exchange further promises "I give thee this ring" etc. The Registrar then pronounces them man and wife
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The Registrar will then ask the couple to sign the Register and for the witnesses to join them. Only two witnesses are needed and again, this should be decided in advance; traditionally it is the Chief Bridesmaid and the Best Man. This signing is usually done in front of everyone as, unlike in a church, you stay in the room. It is at this time that either a piece of music you have selected is played, or a soloist performs or the choir sing
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The couple are the pronounced man and wife and photos may be taken
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Then, perhaps with a few words from the Registrar, the ceremony comes to and end with the exit music playing, the couple leave the room, followed by their Chief Bridesmaid and Best Man together, then the bridesmaids, then the Bride's Mother and Groom's Father, then by the Bride's Father and the Groom's Mother together. This pairing off should be confirmed in advance of the ceremony
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The room empties from the front, everyone joining in as the procession passes them as they head towards the door
Welsh Ceremonies
You can marry in Welsh in any place in which the Welsh language is commonly used. If you are giving notice in Wales, you may give this in English, or in English and Welsh. If notice is to be given bilingually, both the couple giving notice and the officer must be able to understand the Welsh language. All local authorities in Wales have at least one Welsh speaking officer or deputy. You, your witnesses and the person conducting the marriage should be able to understand what is being said. You don’t have to have given notice in Welsh.
Finding out more
The rules are broadly the same but each of the home nations have their own General Register Office which give information on how to register and how to find your nearest registry office. The links are below
