The flexibility and extra freedom that comes with a civil wedding ceremony can be very appealing. With greater venue options and opportunities for personalisation, it can be a great alternative to a religious ceremony. If you’re trying to work out if a civil wedding ceremony is for you, then read on because we’ve done some of the hard work for you and put together the info that you’ll want to know.
What does a civil ceremony include?
What’s the difference between a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony?
What are the legal requirements?
What does a civil ceremony include?
Put simply, a civil ceremony is a legal ceremony which is non-religious. This will mean you’ll have a legal registrar, rather than a religious clergy member to officiate.
The ceremony is normally around 20-25 minutes and it must include vows and signing the register to be legal. Any other readings, songs or music are up to you, but the civil ceremony must not include any religious references in words or music (read down to see more on this.) If you’re interested, check out our popular blog article on non-religious wedding readings.
After you’ve been declared married, you’ll sign the register. This will entitle you to your marriage certificate (head over to the government website for more details.) After this, most couples choose to celebrate with a wedding reception.
What’s the difference between a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony?
A religious ceremony must be held in a registered religious building. A civil ceremony offers greater venue choices, as you can hold the ceremony in a register office or any approved venue.
It’s important to note that a civil ceremony must not have any religious references in words or music (read more about this here.) As a result, some of our couples choose to have a small, intimate civil ceremony at Pynes House or the registrar’s office before the wedding begins (check out this guide for more details.) This means they can check off the legal aspects of the marriage and use a celebrant to structure their wedding ceremony exactly how they want, with religious references if desired.
What are the legal requirements?
Giving notice
Giving notice is a legal requirement for a civil ceremony. It is where you sign a legal statement at your local register office, to declare that you would like to get married. Giving notice also includes your civil ceremony venue choice. Importantly, the statement must be completed at least 28 days before your marriage, so make sure you keep this in mind.
The location
The civil ceremony must be held in a register office or an approved venue, like Pynes House.
For those who choose to hold it at an approved venue, since July this year it’s now possible for the whole ceremony to take place outside. Just keep yourself updated if you might be interested in this, as the allowance is temporary and will be re-evaluated in April 2022. If the rules revert in April 2022, the civil ceremony will need to take place in an approved room or permanent structure like before.
From the front courtyard to the Drawing Room, we’re happy to offer a wide variety of indoor and outdoor venue options here at Pynes House. Please get in touch with us to find out more about this, or head to our gallery to view our beautiful grounds and state rooms.
The registrar
All civil ceremonies need a registrar to officiate the marriage. We strongly recommend that you book the registrar at the same time as your venue as they do book up at popular times. You’ll need to book this yourself and the registrar’s ceremony fee is around £500. Have a look at this government webpage for more information about this.
Regardless of your venue choice, you’ll have a brief pre-wedding meeting with the registrar. This meeting will be on the day of the wedding, before the ceremony starts. It will be with each of the couple separately. It’s just to make sure everything is in order and to confirm details for the marriage certificate.
The vows
It’s important to remember that you’ll need to say set vows to make the marriage legal. These are known as legal declarations and contracting words. We’ve included them below:
Legal declarations
Traditional
I do solemnly declare, that I know not of any lawful impediment why I (your name) may not be joined in matrimony to (your partner’s full name).
Modern
I declare that I know of no legal reason why I (your name) may not be joined in marriage to (your partner’s name).
Simplified
The Registrar asks: “Are you (your full name) free, lawfully, to marry (your partner’s full name)?” You reply “I am.”
Contracting words
Traditional
I call upon these persons, here present, to witness that I (your full name) do take thee (your partner’s full name) to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.
Modern
I (your full name), take you (your partner’s full name) to be my wedded wife/husband.
Simplified
I (your full name) take thee (your partner’s full name) to be my wedded wife/husband.
FAQS
How much can you personalise a civil ceremony?
Many of our couples choose to have a civil ceremony because of the flexibility that it offers. You’re normally free to include your own music, readings, promises and additional vows, but remember these must not have any religious references. It’s also important to make sure you speak to your registrar about your choices ahead of time.
If you’re looking for some civil ceremony inspiration, check out our non-religious wedding readings ideas. We’ve also included some examples of promises and extended vows below and this blog post has some great ideas too:
I promise that I will respect you as an individual, support you through difficult times, rejoice with you through happy times, be loyal to you always and, above all, love you as my wife/husband and friend.
I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and affection, wear it with happiness and pride – now and always.
I give you this ring as a token of our love and marriage, as a symbol of all that we share and in recognition of our life together.
I promise to love and respect you. Helping our love grow, always being there to listen, comfort and support you, whatever our lives may bring.
Do I need to exchange rings?
No, unlike a religious marriage this is entirely optional. You may choose to omit this part of the marriage or even to exchange a different type of commitment for each other. Again, just make sure to check this with your registrar first.
Is there a set structure for a civil ceremony?
The great thing about civil ceremonies is that you’ve got a lot of freedom to make your day exactly how you want! Although the ceremony is centred around exchanging vows and signing the register, many couples choose to loosely follow the traditional structure. If you’re interested, this blog post has some more details on the order of service.
If you’re on the fence between a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony, then have a look at our recent blog post on traditional wedding ceremonies. We’ve also got some great real wedding content on the blog, so have a read about at Josh and Jodie’s classic summertime wedding with a Scottish twist if you’re looking for some timeless yet striking #realweddinginspo. For anything else, please get in touch and check out our Instagram and Facebook pages.
Image credits:
Image 1 by McKenzie Brown / Image 2 by Miss Gen Photography / Image 3 by Claire Pepper / Image 4 by Abi and Keith Riley / Image 5 by Miss Gen Photography /