Before anything else is done, you will need to decide on the type of ceremony that you would like, many of you may already know exactly what you would like due to personal or religious beliefs.

Civil Ceremony

There are two options for civil ceremony locations.  The couple can be married in a registrar’s office or at a licensed venue, also known as an approved premise. An approved premise commonly includes locations such as hotels, castles, or stately homes.  The provisions for getting married at one of these locations is the same as getting married at the registrar’s office except that you must make arrangements for a registrar to attend the ceremony.  This can have an affect on the marriage date, as a venue could be available for the desired date but if the superintendent registrar of the district is unavailable for that date the couple are unable to have the wedding.  Be sure to make only a conditional booking of a licensed venue at first with a firm booking being made once the attendance of the registrar general has been scheduled and confirmed.

Civil ceremonies can be personalised to your desires with the exception of the inclusion of any religious material.  In these types of ceremonies, whether conducted in a registrar’s office or at a licensed venue, no religious content is allowed.  However, most couples choosing this type of ceremony will have a traditional ceremony with the use of non-religious music and readings.

Once you have confirmed the availability of the registrar, you should set a time to contact them in order to discuss and have approved all readings, music, attire, and ceremony wording.  For rules on Civil Ceremonies in England and Wales visit the General Register Office website and for Civil weddings in Scotland visit the General Register Office  for Scotland.

Benefits of licensed venues

Generally a licensed venue is preferred to the registrar’s office for many reasons.  The most common reason is for atmosphere.  The registrar’s office can seem very impersonal as it is a place of business and many couples prefer something more romantic.  Also attendance is very limited, generally to 20-40 persons for a wedding conducted in the registrar’s office, whereas a licensed venue can normally allow for a much larger attendance.

Another benefit of using a licensed venue is that many venues are appropriate for both the wedding and reception thus making it easier for you and your guests.  This is helpful in the planning process as you are not trying to make arrangements for multiple locations and all preparations and decisions are based around a single location.

Religious Ceremonies

By far the most common type of ceremony is the religious ceremony.  There are several denominations of weddings which are common in the UK.

Church of England and Wales Weddings

Priests of both the Church of England and the Church of Wales are authorised by law to perform legal marriages in the UK.  The first step in planning a wedding in the church is to contact the priest in the parish of which either client resides or the church where either client is a member on the role.  For rules on marrying in the Church of England ask your parish priest or visit Church of England website.

There are four legal ways to be married in the Church:

By publication of banns:  This is the most common way in which couples choose to legalise their marriage.  This is basically the reading aloud of the intention of the couple to wed on three consecutive Sundays in the parish which they reside.  If the couple reside in different parishes, the banns must be read aloud in both parishes, and the church where the couple will not be married must issue a certificate verifying this procedure has been followed.  During this three week period, the congregation are allowed to register any objections they have to the marriage.   The marriage must be completed within three months of the publication of the banns or the process must be repeated.

By common licence:  Common licence is generally used when a party of the wedding is only temporarily residing in a parish.  In this instance, the reading of banns if forgone, and an application may only be approved by the bishop or other church official and one days notice is required before holding the ceremony.  This is only allowed if one of the parties being married was baptised in the church and if the person has been a resident of the parish for at least fifteen days.

By special licence issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury:  It is very rare that this type of licence is issued, since it is issued only at the sole discretion of the Archbishop of Canterbury.  This is generally reserved for special circumstances such as a couple wanting to marry in a parish where they do not reside or when one party is hospitalised and unable to travel to a church.  Other forms of this licence may on rare occasions be issued to couples residing overseas if they have an intimate connection to the church they wish to be married in.  There are no residency requirements attached to this type of licence. However it is rarely issued if one party has not had a long connection with the church the couple wish to be married in.

By the authority of a superintendent registrar’s certificate without licence:  This method is reserved for the marriage of certain relative-in-laws and is issued by the superintendent registrar’s office in the parish where the couple intends to wed.

Catholic Church Weddings

If both the husband and the wife are members of the same Catholic parish, the publication of banns are read as in a Church of England wedding, but are not part of the legal requirements.  The legal requirements are the same as for a civil ceremony, but if the church is in a different district, the parties will need to prove their attendance and membership to the registrar of that district.

If only one party is a member of the Catholic Church, the couple will need to meet with the parish priest in order to gain permission for the marriage to take place in the Catholic Church.

Jewish Weddings

Jewish weddings, by law, can take place in any venue without need for special permissions.  Often weddings will take place at the synagogue, a private home, or outdoors.  The Rabbinical law does require the marriage to take place under a marriage canopy, a chuppah.  The legal requirements are the same as a civil ceremony, with the couple needing to show proof to the registrar of regular attendance if the synagogue is in a different district.

Additional types of religious ceremonies, such as nonconformist church, Muslim, and Hindu weddings all will follow the laws of civil ceremonies, with proof of attendance or membership required for locations outside the district where the couple resides.