Photography by Emma Rolfe
A civil marriage or civil partnership is a non-religious, legal ceremony or formation that takes place in a register office or a licenced venue (a building that has been granted a licence for civil marriages/partnerships). Opposite sex or same sex couples can choose to have a marriage or a civil partnership. What is the difference? Civil Marriage is a verbal contract. You will repeat legal declarations in front of your registrar and witnesses. Civil Partnership is a written contract. You will read a legal declaration before signing your civil partnership schedule. A civil partnership does not legally involve a ceremony but your registrar will be happy to conduct one for you if you so wish. Couples of marriages and civil partnerships in the UK are treated equally in a wide range of legal matters. Marriages tend to be recognised internationally. Civil partnerships are recognised in many countries, but if you are travelling abroad you should seek advice about what rights you might have under the law of another country. For information on conversions please visit GOV.UK. Religious ceremony For a religious marriage you will need to contact the priest, minister, or other religious representative to check they hold the relevant licence and to obtain agreement for
your ceremony to take place in their place of worship.
For marriages in the Church of England, your legal preliminaries, banns, will be called during the three months before your ceremony. Speak with your church for further information. For marriages in churches of other denominations, the church will advise you if they have an authorised person to register your marriage or whether you will need to book a registrar. You will also need to contact your local Registration Service to arrange for notice of marriage to be given by each party. Further details on serving your notice of marriage can be found on page 12 of this booklet. The law makes a clear distinction between a religious and a civil ceremony. This means that you may not hold a religious ceremony on premises authorised for civil ceremonies and you may not hold a civil ceremony in a place of worship. Marrying abroad Always check with the authorities in the country in which you wish to be married for their requirements. You may need a ‘certificate of no impediment’ which will require giving notice at your local register office (further details on serving your notice of marriage can be found on page 12 of this booklet). For more details on marrying abroad please visit GOV.UK.
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