Anyone
wishing to get married in England or Wales and have a non-religious
i.e. civil ceremony, will need to register their intent to marry at each
person's local resistry office.
You can't register any more than a
year in advance of your wedding date, but it is advisable to do so as
soon after this date as possible because there are only so many
registrars per borough and you can't afford for them to be booked up.
You must allow 22 days before your wedding day though.
First you need to find details of your local registry office.
Organising the Registrar
Give them a call and you'll then have to provide details about yourself
and fiance/ee as well as those concerning the venue or location. The
registrars' office will then send out a booking form stating what formal
documentation you need to provide when you come to provide 'notice of
marriage'.
You need to arrange a date to come in and see the registrar of the
borough that each of you live - you both still need to go if you live in
the same one. The fee is £30 each (usually paid by cheque).
The Documents
You will need to produce some or all of the following documents:
Birth certificate
Passport
Decree Absolute (if divorced)
Translation of divorce papers
Proof of address e.g. gas bill
Dead poll/change of name
Parental, court or guardian permission (if aged 16 to 18)
You
also need to declare your nationality - in case any further documents
need to be considered to enable you to be recognised as 'married' in
your home country.
You also have to answer some questions about
your partner without them speaking and vice-versa - it is usually only
job title and their full names.
The notice is then completed by a
registrar whilst you are there and you sign it, witnessed by the
registrar who then also signs it. This now goes on display for 15 days
within the registrar office. Authority for your marriage will then be
issued and you are able to get married between 16 days and a year from
the day you give your Notice.
21 days after giving your notice,
you must collect your 'Certificate on No Impediment' - a legal document
allowing the wedding to go ahead.
If you are a visitor and are
planning to wed in England or Wales you need to be resident for 7 days
and wait a further 15 days before you're eligable to marry. Visitors to
Northern Ireland need to be resident for 7 days plus wait a further 21
days before you can marry. In scotland you only have to give 15 days
advance notice.
By licence - or 'special licence'
Only takes 3 working days and is more expensive. You must have lived in a
registration district for at least 15 days before giving notice. Your
partner needs to be resident or present in England or Wales when the
notice is given. The marriage can take place 1 day after notice
(excluding Sunday, Christmas Day or Good Friday).
Registry Office Weddings
You book the date with the Registrar as soon as possible. It is possible
to get married in a registrary office of your own choosing.
For civil venue weddings
Once you have chosen a licensed venue check the availablity of the
Registrar at your local reigster office. Then you must book them both.
If you book your venue more than 12 months from the wedding day you must
wait until 12 months or less from the date to do this. Otherwise many
venues won't take your booking if you haven't got a provisional booking
with the local Registrar.
Before The Cermony
Depending on where you are getting married this may vary, but as a guide
you will need to contact the Registrar around 6-7 weeks before your
wedding day to arrange time for an interview. You will then meet up with
the Registrar who will conduct your ceremony and have the opportunity
to discuss arrangements for your big day. You will be expected to pay
for the marriage certificate - £3.50 of which you can buy as many as you
choose.
It is usual to have some readings during the service,
these must not contain any religious elements or connotations though and
a copy of them and information on who is reading them must be given to
the Registrar at this time. There are 'declaratory words' that must be
included in the service, then you have the option to add in any extra
vows or promises. The framework and content is therefore agreed plenty
of time in advance with Registrar who will be performing your service.
Most ceremonies will last 15 - 20 minutes and no longer than 30.
On
the day of the marriage it is normal for the bride and groom to be seen
by the Registrar separately before the ceremony.
Then it's time for the
ceremony to begin - good luck!
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It can be hard to know where to
start when it comes to planning your big day. From booking venues and
registrars, deciding on your meal choices through to the finishing
touches like hiring a photographer and designing table decorations - it
can all seem so overwheming!
