Planning Makes Perfect
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REGISTER OFFICE
Tomarry at a register office or building approved for civil ceremonies, your first step is to contact the registrar and/or venue to confirm registrar and date are available. Then both bride and groom must each give notice of the wedding in person at the register office covering the area where they live (and where they must have been in residence for at least seven days). If you both live in the same district you should attend the register office together - but whether you do or not, ring your local office first asmany now operate appointment systems. Each of youwill have to produce evidence of your name, age, marital status and nationality - for example, a current valid full passport. If you don’t have one, you’ll need two documents - for example a birth certificate and utility bill. If you have been married before, you’ll need evidence that you are now free to marry - for instance a decree absolute or former spouse’s death certificate. Photocopies of any documents are not normally acceptable. The fee for giving notice is £33.50 each and you must wait 15 clear days before the wedding. In exceptional circumstances the Registrar Generalmay considerwaiving thewaiting period. A notice ofmarriage is valid for 12months.
The Ceremony
Religious or civil, register office or one of the new approved venues, a wedding can take place on any day of the week
between 8am and 6pm. While most still take place on Saturdays, Fridays are gaining in popularity allowing guests travelling a fair distance to make a long weekend of the celebrations.
ChurchWeddings Marriages
THE NORMAL ORDER OF SERVICE FOR A
CHURCHWEDDING IS: Entrance of the bride •
Hymn • Themarriage • Prayers Hymn or psalm• Blessing
Signing of the register • Recessional LICENSED VENUES
licensed to hold civil weddings. They range fromhotels to stately homes, zoos to football clubs. You still have to give notice of your intention tomarry in the sameway as you do for register office weddings and, in the same way, you can personalise the ceremony to suit yourselves although no religious music is allowed. Though this option costs more than a register office ceremony - you will have to pay for the hire of the room and it costsmore to have the registrar travel to you - it is becoming increasingly popular as the trend away from church weddings continues.
O
ver the past few years since a change in the law some 2,000 venues throughout the country have become
and you will have to fill in some forms. The minister will explain the church fees associated with the wedding and the system of reading the banns. Banns are usually called in the church on three consecutive Sundays. They are the public announcement of your intention to marry and must be called in both parishes if you and your fiancé live in different places and, in this case, the minister who ismarrying you will need proof that the banns have been legally called in your fiancé’s church. This takes the form of a certificate. You canmarry at any time within threemonths of the banns being read. If you don’twant banns to be read, you can apply for a common licence. Yourminister or priestwill be able to give you details.
T
“Your first visit to the minister or priest is also the
time to establish the church’s policy on photographs or videos”
Roman Catholic weddings - like all those conducted outside the established Church of England - require a licence from the authorised registrar of your area. Your first visit to the minister or priest is also the time to establish the church’s policy on
The legal requirements for each countrymay differ but generally if amarriage is recognised as legally binding in the country in which it takes place, it will be recognised in the UK as well. Consult your tour operator and allow at least threemonths for all the paperwork to be properly processed.
Marrying abroad C
D R E A M W E D D I N G S I N B R I S T O L , S O M E R S E T & W I L T S H I R E • 2 7 PHOTO BY
MARK TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
he first visit to yourminister or priest should establish a whole host of parameters. You should take along your baptism certificates
ceremony, some ministers will offer a Service of Blessing afterwards.
church or civil Second
Though the Roman Catholic church does not condone divorce, there are some
circumstances in which the Church of England will marry divorced people, so it’s worth consulting your vicar. Even if you are limited to a civil
photographs or videos being taken inside the building, on whether any secular music is allowed and on the throwing of confetti within the church precincts. If you have chosen to marry during a religious festival, your choice of flowers in church could be restricted, so be sure to establish this as early as possible. The minister will also usually be prepared to give you information on other couples marrying on the same day so itmay be possible to share the cost of the church flowers.
ombining your wedding with the holiday of a lifetime is gaining in popularity with exotic destinations luring an increasing number of couples. The sun-kissed beaches of the Caribbean, theMaldives and Bali are among themost popular choices andmany tour operators now offer all-inclusive packages.
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