The Boring Legalities!
Current statutory law states a civil marriage must take place at either a registry office by a registrar, or a religious ceremony by a church official. A registrar is used by the government to legally marry and therefore protect your rights, such as: inheritance, pensions, child support, housing etc, so this is important.
A Family Celebrant such as myself cannot legally marry you. I can however give you, your perfect bespoke wedding that will be so unforgettable you and your guests will remember it for the rest of your lives.
The registry office ceremony will take you around 10 minutes. You both will be required to make two statements only. First a declaratory statement: 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 name]. This is followed by these contracting words: “I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, [your name], do take thee [your partner's name] to be my lawful wedded husband/wife.
My personal suggestion is to complete the legalities in whatever clothing you want, do not exchange rings, save your celebrations for your civil ceremony experience. Within the next few days have the ceremony you have always wanted; exchange rings, exchange vows and allow your loved ones to enjoy this special time.
This is just my advise, everyone is different, you can do this however you would prefer.
If you choose to have the registrar attend your wedding (rather than you going to the registry office), you will sign your legal papers at this time. If this option is of interest then there are some points you need to be aware of:
· venues have to be local authority approved premises (they don't with a celebrant led service)
· the venue has to be regularly open to members of the public
· please be aware that substantive additional fees are applied by the registrar for attending 'out-of-office'.
Civil Partnerships
At long last, civil partnerships have been recognized by the government! As with a marriage you will need to attend a registry office to undertake the legalities.
Baby (Naming) Registration
The first action to take after the birth is to legally register the your child. This document mentions the time, date, sex, place of birth and baby's name, supported with the details of parents. The registration process should be initiated within 42 days at the registry office situated in your area, or where the baby was born. As with a marriage, a new baby registration is for legal recognition and therefore protection for the child.
*All information was correct at the time of writing this*