Milestone Weddings - The UK Wedding Co-ordinators

The Milestone guide to civil wedding law in England and Wales

Legal requirements for weddings in England and Wales are based on those of the Established Church (i.e. the Church of England/Wales) with layers of civil law on top - therefore things can get a bit complicated. This section applies to all civil weddings and all religious weddings that are not Church of England/Wales.

Legalities

You must both be over sixteen - but if one of you is under eighteen (and have not been married before!) you need written permission from the relevant parent or guardian.
Both parties must be free to marry, and not too closely related.
You must both be capable of understanding the nature of the ceremony, and be acting of your own free will.

Type of Ceremony

Civil - Performed by a Registrar.
Can take place in a Register Office or any other premises approved for marriage by a local authority (a stately home, theatre, zoo etc). Ceremonies can only legally take place between 8am and 6pm.
Religious - Performed by a clergyman (but usually legitimised by a Registrar).
Can take place in various places of worship, but only if they are within the Registration District where you or your spouse live, and then usually only with the involvement of a Registrar.

Formalities for Civil Ceremonies

If you are both European residents, you and your partner both have to visit your own local Register Office in person to give notice of your intended marriage to the Superintendent Registrar. Although you don’t need to attend together, you will be encouraged to do so!
If either one of you is a non European Economic Area passport holder (ie if you are NOT from the EC, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or Switzerland), you will both have to give notice together at one of 76 Designated Register Offices situated around England and Wales, rather than at your local Register Office. Any non EEA passport holders will also only be allowed to marry if entry clearance has been granted expressly for the purposes of marriage (contact your UK consulate or embassy to apply for a ’Marriage Visitor Visa’), or you have a written ’Certificate of Approval’ from the UK Home Office Immigration and Nationality Department (contact your existing UK IND office), or you already have official settled status in the UK (such as Indefinite Leave to Remain).
You will both be applying for a Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate, at a current cost of UKP 30 each. Although you can apply for more than one certificate, each must state the exact place where the proposed marriage will take place.
There is a residency requirement for each of you of seven days (or more exactly eight full nights) in your own Registration Districts.
A public notice will be displayed for fifteen days to allow anyone to object.
A certificate of marriage (not THE Marriage Certificate!) is produced for each of you, and arrangements need to be made to ensure that both are collected as two are needed in order for the ceremony to take place.
The marriage must take place after the end of the 15 day notice period and before twelve months have elapsed from the date you gave notice.
The Registrar will now always ask to see your passport, ID card, UK visa etc and/or other documents as evidence of nationality, name, address, age, divorce etc. Remember to take anything that you think may be relevant along with you. Any documents not in English will need to be officially translated.
You will also need to make arrangements with a Registrar to actually perform the ceremony, whether it is in a Register Office, or in a licensed building elsewhere. If you are not marrying in your own Registration District, remember you will be giving notice to one set of Registrars, but making your ceremony arrangements with another.
If you travelling from outside the UK to marry in England or Wales, the law means that 23 days is the shortest period required in the UK before you can marry. It is permissible, though, for both of you to spend a week’s holiday in the UK, give notice of your proposed wedding, go back home, and then return sometime over the following year to actually get married within a couple of days.