Legal Aspects

Legal Aspects

Whether you get married in a registry office or a licenced venue, the ceremony content doesn’t really change. You will have a prescribed service and relatively little freedom in any aspects, unlike the ceremony you will have with a celebrant either before or after your legal wedding. 

Legal Process

1. For all weddings, couples must enter a notice of marriage. At least one month prior to the wedding, you will both need to attend an interview to get the legal paperwork and you will pay approximately £35 each for this. 

Once you have completed the notice of marriage, you can then book a ‘registration of marriage’. When you give notice you have to state where you intend to have your legal wedding/ registration of marriage.

  1. Registration of marriage – this is approximately £50 and takes place at the register office. The costs increase massively if you want this to be done at your venue or elsewhere.

You both need to attend with 2 witnesses. You can wear something smart or just casual, it is up to you. The marriage ceremony at the Register Office will take approximately 10-15 minutes. There is a set procedure with little room for any flexibility. You may be restricted in your choices of vows, music, readings and there also may be photographic restrictions.

A short statement about marriage will be given and you will be required to repeat a legal declaration. You sign the register with your two witnesses. We suggest you don’t exchange rings before the Registrar if you are going to have a celebrant ceremony afterwards.

You are legally married from the date of the registration. This part remains separate to your Personalised Wedding Celebration Ceremony that we create together. Your guests don’t need to know that your ceremony doesn’t include the legal documentation, and most don’t even realise it. We can also include the signing of a “wedding certificate” as part of the process as a keepsake.

FAQ's

We like what we see on your website what do we do next?

You can either call me directly for a provisional chat or you can book a video call with me using the following link below which displays my calendar so you can book a call at your convenience.

Can we mix and match things from different packages?

Yes there is flexibility in the  packages to be able to do that and it’s something we can discuss in our initial conversations.

What are your payment terms?

Once you’ve agreed your contract and terms and conditions I’ll send out an invoice for your booking fee to secure your date. The booking fee is 30% of the price of the package and you have 7 days to pay it from the date your receive the invoice. The final payment of the remaining balance is due 8 weeks before the date of your ceremony.

What happens once we've booked you?

Here’s a link to an article which tells you the process https://amandasceremonies.com/what-happens-when-you-book-a-celebrant/

 

Do you do interfaith or religious ceremonies as well as non religious?

Yes as an independent celebrant my ceremonies are based on exactly what you want so I offer all types of ceremonies.

Can we write our own vows?

Yes, you can definitely write your own vows and if you want combine them with traditional vows. All of my ceremony packages include detailed advice and coaching on how to do this.

What will you wear for our ceremony?

This is something we discuss together and it depends on how you want me to dress and the style of your ceremony. I have a range of ceremony outfits ranging from very formal, to smart casual, and casual.  We also discuss what colour you prefer me to wear so I can match your theme and I don’t clash with the colours of your bridesmaids outfits or any other important colours.

How long can our ceremony be? And what can we include?

It’s your ceremony so we create it exactly as you want it to be. There’s no limitations or restrictions on the length of the ceremony or any of the content. I can advise you on the usual length of the ceremony and the structure and order of the ceremony but essentially you have complete freedom to choose the ceremony that you would like.

Can we include our children, family members or guests within our ceremony and how would we do this?

Yes you can definitely do this and there are lots of different ways to involve your nearest and dearest within your ceremony all of which we can discuss once we get into the finer details.

Do we have to have our legal wedding before we have our celebrant ceremony with you?

No you don’t have to have your legal ceremony before your ceremony with me. It really makes no difference whether you have your legal ceremony before or after the celebrant ceremony we have together.

We really love what we've read so far and are interested in talking to you about our ceremony , what do we do next?

To call me directly click the Lets Connect button to book a call via my calendar or call me on 07311 431 754.

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