Overseas Weddings World
February 26, 2010
Wedding Dresses & Jewelry
Getting married or forming a civil partnership is a major step in life and very few couples can meet the expense of a wedding planner.
Religious Wedding Ceremonies
Great Britain has an abundance of beautiful historical places and buildings registered for marriage. A wedding or civil partnership ceremony can be held in any church, hotel, restaurant or other public premises that are authorized to hold marriages. For religious ceremonies in England and Wales, couples can opt to be married in a Church of England (the Anglican Church) or any other religious building registered to hold a marriage ceremony.
The Anglican Church is the only establishment in which couples can get married without the need to attend a Register Office in England. A Register Office is a local government office that registers such records as births, deaths, marriages and adoptions. If a couple chooses to be married in any other church or religious venue, they would generally also need to have a civil wedding to legalize their union.
To get married in the Church of England, the couple usually needs to speak to the vicar of the church in question to discuss their options. However, for marriage ceremonies in other churches, the couple to be married need contact the person in charge of marriages in that establishment. The government, citizens and rights section of Directgov provides more information.
The Legal Process
Start gathering evidence early and contact a lawyer or solicitor at least 4 to 5 months before the wedding.
A wedding can take place in any country as long as it is within the laws of that country. In general, if a marriage is legal and valid in the country in which it took place, it will also be considered legal in many countries of the world. But it is worth checking with the authorities before embarking on a destination wedding. UK marriages are legal in all countries.
Planning a Civil Wedding in England and Wales
Start by contacting the British embassy in the county of residence. Most embassies are happy to assist couples with basic information regarding marriages in the UK. But for more specific advice, the couple would need to contact the local authority for the town in which they wish to be married. Directgov provides a comprehensive list of local authorities and their contact details.
If a couple plans to have a civil wedding or civil partnership (same sex marriage) ceremony in England or Wales, they would need to give a formal notice of marriage to local Register Office. This notice is normally displayed to the public for 15 days before a marriage approval can granted, and will be valid for a year, provided that the couple does not change the venue for their wedding or civil partnership.
