Arranging the legal bits
Arranging your legal marriage ceremony
Under the law currently, Wedding Celebrants in England and Wales are not able to legally marry couples. All my couples do their “legal bits" with registrars before or after their wedding day or later in the afternoon on their wedding day, after their personal celebrant-led ceremony (whilst guests are having drinks before the meal).
There are 5 main options couples choose depending on their budget and preference:
The cheapest option is to have a “statutory marriage ceremony” (£57). This often called the “two-plus-two”. For £46, all councils in England must provide a 10 minute legal marriage ceremony for the couple and just two witnesses. The legal marriage certificate is £11 and exactly the same as that issued if you had paid £1000 for registrars to do the same legal marriage ceremony at your licensed venue. It is mid-week and in a council office. Some councils offer this weekly or twice weekly, the worst councils only offer it monthly or “upon request”. Whilst you have to “give notice” at your local council, you can have your statutory marriage ceremony at any council in England. To get your legal marriage ceremony nearest to your wedding day, it is often good check local council areas. A list of contact details, locations and frequencies of the “statutory marriage ceremony” at a range of councils in the North and South of England is included in the downloadable document.
The middle cost option is to have a registry office ceremony in a small council function room (£150-£300) or a small church marriage service. Most councils offer a range of marriage ceremony rooms that means you have more flexibility on date and you can invite immediate family and/or friends.
The most expensive option is to have registrars to attend to your venue in the late afternoon (£750-£1,000). If budget is not an issue is to have registrars attend your wedding venue on your wedding day and conduct the 10 minute legal bit in the afternoon after your personal celebrant-led ceremony, whilst your guests are enjoying drinks before the meal. Registrars normally have more capacity to attend your venue during peak-wedding season after 3pm. The cost however will range from £750-£1,000, depending on the council where your venue is located.
For religious couples wanting a personal wedding celebrant ceremony they might choose to have their “legal bit” done in their local church. This helps their wedding day celebration with all their guests to be all in one location (rather than everyone going to a church where parking is often restricted followed by then having to drive to the reception venue. Religious couples often value their legal marriage ceremony to be conducted by a vicar or minister, and they can still do this and have a celebrant too! Churches tend to have plenty of capacity for mid-week marriage ceremonies and charges will vary between £500-£1,000 depending on the hire costs of the church. In your personal celebrant ceremony you can still include Bible readings and prayers or blessings if you wish.
The last option is only available for international couples but is often preferred because it seems that every other country in the world has simpler and easier marriage rules than in England and Wales. In the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most European countries, couples can easily get a marriage license and book a marriage ceremony which is recognised in the UK, simply and inexpensively. Consequently, if one or both of the couple live abroad, it is usually advisable to get their legal marriage certificate overseas. Obviously each country has its own rules and laws but a long as UK marriage law restrictions don’t apply, then the overseas or foreign marriage will be recognized by the UK legal system. If in doubt, check if an overseas marriage is recognised in the UK by contacting the General Register Office. They can provide advice on whether an overseas marriage will be recognised and what steps you may need to take to register it
To download this and more detailed information including contact details of registrar offices in the North and South of England, complete the form below to download for FREE your guide on how to book legal marriage ceremony.