The Legal Bit -
Marriage Licenses
I am frequently asked about the legal element of Weddings & I am very happy to support with this, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Below are some notes to shed light on the subject of a Legal Marriage/Civil Ceremonies in England, & there is also a link to helpful Hitched articles that may be useful in identifying all your choices & a step – by – step guide to ‘giving notice’.
For now, Celebrant ceremonies are legally recognised in Scotland & Ireland but not England or Wales – yet! We are waiting on a Law Reform presented to the government in 2022 to be approved…
In the meantime, it would be remiss of me not to point out that you do not have to complete the legal or ‘paperwork bit’ at the same time as your ceremony or at all, unless it is important to you.
For some, a legal marriage certificate is a driving motivation behind their wedding day. For others, obtaining this license isn’t worth sacrificing a marriage ceremony that will last in their memory as meaningful, filled with personality & centred around heartfelt vows that they can build an authentically committed marriage upon.
There is a good chance you will have attended a Wedding in which the happy couple signed a commemorative certificate at the end of a ceremony that was designed around them reflecting all the deeply personal things that they wanted to promise to each other; filled with heartfelt unique touches, romance & fun on one of the most significant days of their lives. This would have been officiated by a Celebrant, meaning the couple prioritised those meaningful words, or inclusion of family, friends & faith, or simply an unlicensed venue (or all of these), over a legally binding contract. That same couple may have quietly popped to the Registry office with their witnesses a week prior, or perhaps plan to have a legal ceremony at the town hall on their 1 year anniversary.
You are entirely free to separate ‘the legal bit’ from your wedding ceremony, in the same way that parents might sign a child’s birth certificate on a Monday afternoon but celebrate their newest family member with a ‘Welcome to The World’ party months later.
Be reminded that there are a great deal of restrictions impacting a Registrar’s ability to be flexible or tailor their ceremony template without invalidating it, or before rushing off to their next booking! As such, booking a Registrar could lead to disappointment on your special day, if unaware of the differences between that vs the Celebrant at your friends’ wedding.
So, I kindly ask that you weigh up these options & take stock of what matters most when you say your vows. I apologise for adding some decision making onto the wedding ‘to do’ list, but I am confident that in doing so, you’re guaranteed an infinitely more enjoyable wedding experience! You do not have to settle for the type of ceremony that you anxiously want over and done with, so you can get to the fun bit!
There is an alternative to booking in your time slot with the local Registry office, meeting your appointed Officiant at the top of the aisle, nodding in all the right places through their legally prescribed ceremony script, then finally getting to the party when you can breathe a sigh of relief.
In my previous career working behind the scenes, this approach to such a special occasion was heart breaking but all too common! To me, all of the ‘Wed-min’ organising, proposal planning & most importantly; a couples’ relationship thus far has been building to the extraordinary occasion of their ceremony. The magical moments when they proudly choose to take each other by the hand & make a commitment to love one another through thick & thin, come what may. This is the beginning of their Marriage & what makes the wedding world spin!
If you feel that indeed the Vows & commitment you make should be at the heart of all Wedding considerations, I hope you will think blue skies about what a personally meaningful, sincere commitment in the most authentic & comfortable way for you would look like. I wager that in doing so, the ceremony you choose will undoubtedly qualify you for a happier ever after than simply nodding along to a contracted script!
1) "How To Get Married" 2) "Giving Notice of Marriage"
Legal Marriage/ Civil Ceremony Options
Depending on the importance of a Marriage License for you, there are the options for getting legally married in England - All are arranged via your local council by you (not your venue or coordinator unless they specify otherwise) & costs are estimates but vary by borough/date:
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Book an appointment at the Registry Office to simply sign your Marriage License (similarly to signing a Birth Certificate) – cost ranges from £40-£60
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Book a ceremony at a Registry Office – costs range from £200-£600 depending on date/number of guests invited
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Book for a Registrar to come to your licensed wedding venue – cost ranging to from £400 - £700 at weekends
*The Marriage License itself is approx additional £11
Enter Notice of Marriage/Civil Partnership
For any legal marriage, you must submit a notice of marriage up to one year ahead & latest is 28days before your date. You’ll each be asked some questions individually & will need to take ID. £35pp. This has to be completed in person, in the council office of the borough you live in at the time of the Wedding .
The person that conducts this step will not be the person allocated to conduct your ceremony.
Be Warned! – Some Registry offices are beginning to update their service in light of the enhanced ceremony offer that Celebrants can provide. As such you may notice “personalised” or “bespoke” being cited on council websites. This will relate to your right to choose a reading (providing it isn’t religious) or the opportunity to provide a paragraph about your relationship which can be inserted to the Registrar’s script.
Working with a Celebrant means you have an experienced, passionate & dedicated officiant in your corner for months ahead of your big day. I’m on hand to support, recommend & answer all your questions through Wedding planning & we’ll be mates by the time your big day arrives. You’ll be assured that you can rely on me for the whole day & that no detail is too big or too small. There’ll be no need for nerves as we’ll have talked about all the components of the ceremony design, accounted for every detail & even had a rehearsal. In fact, you will be able to look forward to the ceremony for the magical moment it should be; filled with sincerity, joy & heart!
