England Weddings

Millions of couples dream of a stately English wedding within a centuries-old cathedral or in a stately manor house. It may be that your wedding fantasy is to be married in a palace once used by nobility, to speak your vows from the same hall where mighty proclamations were once made that shook the very foundations of the known world.

There’s a certain civility and grace to an English wedding that is to be found nowhere else in all the world. The English simply know how to do things right and that includes marriage. If your marriage dreams call for pomp and circumstance and all the pageantry that England is known for, then don’t hesitate, make plans now to tie the knot in Merry ole England.

Unlike some countries in Europe, England recognizes both religious as well as civil marriages.

If your marriage in England is to take place in either the Church of England or the Church of Wales, then the marriage procedure is fairly simple and streamlined – provided that either the bride or the groom lives in the parish in which you wish to marry. Start by speaking with the local Vicar. If he is licensed to perform marriages, and if there are no other marriages arranged for the time you wish for your marriage, then the Vicar will arrange for your wedding Banns (announcement) to be proclaimed aloud in the church for three Sundays in a row. Once the Banns have been announced, then the Vicar may perform your wedding ceremony. The Vicar will file all the necessary paperwork and there is no need for you or your love to ever speak with the civil authorities.

If you wish to marry in a church that is not affiliated with the Church of England or the Church of Wales you must first speak with the minister or other religious leader associated with that church. In most cases it will be necessary for either the bride or the groom to live within the district of the church and it is also necessary for you to give formal notice to the Superintendent of Registrars (the local civil authority) of your intent to be married.

Marriage ceremonies may only be performed in buildings which have been officially registered by the Register General for marriages, so before you get your heart set on a specific site for your wedding that is not in a church building, check with the Superintendent of Registrars first to make certain that a ceremony can legally be performed in the location you have chosen.

If you wish a civil wedding in England you must first contact the Superintendent of Registrars for the district in which you wish to marry. Even though a notice of marriage is only good for three months, it is recommended that you file an advanced provisional booking with the Superintendent as long as 12 months before your wedding is to take place. The reason for this is to insure that the time and the place that you wish to book is available. You will then have to apply for your formal notice of marriage three months before the actual wedding day.

This is especially important if you wish your civil wedding to take place at a location outside of the Registrar’s office. A civil wedding can be performed at many locations outside of the Registrar’s office as long as the location has been approved for weddings (such as a hotel or a stately manor house) and provided the location has never been used in the past for religious purposes. In order to have your ceremony conducted at an approved location outside of the Registrar’s office it will be necessary for you to make all the arrangements with the owner of the location.

It is important that you or your partner go to the Registrar’s office to give notice of your intended marriage personally, rather than sending someone in your stead. The law says that at least one of you must give notice in person.

When giving notice at a Registrar’s office or when making arrangements with a Vicar of the Church of England or the Church of Wales, there are a few papers that must be presented. Foreign nationals must supply a passport and an original of a birth certificate. Photocopies are not acceptable. If either of the couple are under eighteen years of age a parent or legal guardian must sign a consent form. If you have been married before, an original of your final divorce decree with a court stamp or the death certificate of your spouse will be required.

There are two different ways to give notice of your marriage in England or Wales; by Certificate or by License.

If you are giving notice by Certificate then one of you must have lived in the district for at least seven consecutive days before giving notice to the Registrar. If the bride and groom live in different districts then notice must be given in both districts. After the notice is given to the Registrar you must wait twenty-one “clear days” – meaning you can be married on the 22nd day after filing notice.

Giving notice by License is more expensive but less time is required. In order to give notice of your impending wedding by License one of you must have lived in the district where the marriage is to take place for a minimum of fifteen days. The other partner need only be present on the day that notice is given and the wedding can take place after one “clear day” – that is, if notice is given on Monday then you can legally marry on Wednesday.

Officials in England and Wales are almost always very helpful and will do everything they can to see to it that you are able to marry when and where you would like, and they have gone out of their way to keep the paperwork to a minimum and to make your wedding experience as joyous and as romantic as possible.