Getting Married in England

A fairytale wedding complete with castle, cobbles and a horse-drawn carriage is for some, the ultimate dream. While getting married in the United Kingdom definitely has its merits, it is vital that you do detailed research beforehand to ensure there are no bureaucratic snags on the big day.

Thanks to our Old Commonwealth associations, it is possible for two Canadian citizens to be married in Britain. This rule also applies to any combination of South African, New Zealand, Australian and American citizens. The governments of these countries have a reciprocal agreement that recognizes the validity of each other's wedding ceremonies. This is not the case in some form Soviet countries as well as much of the Muslim world so it is very important to have everything sorted out well before the ceremony.

There are some things to keep in mind when planning a wedding ceremony in the United Kingdom. Major reforms to the laws regarding the Registry Office have taken place in recent years but the rules may still seem antiquated to Canadian citizens.

Those who wish to have a religious wedding must have the ceremony in a church. A member of the clergy cannot perform ceremony outside of the church building.

You may have the ceremony in another building such as a stately home or castle but the premises must have applied for a licence. As there certain requirements regarding public access, it is not possible to have a wedding at a private home. Just because Uncle Gerry owns a nice house in the country, doesn't mean you can have your ceremony there.

Wedding ceremonies, whether civil or religious, are not permitted in open air spaces. There is no such thing as a beach or backyard wedding in the United Kingdom.

Moonlight weddings are not possible either, as the Registrar only works between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday. It depends on the office but Registrars often only work for a couple of hours on Saturday as well. Even if you are having a church wedding, the ceremony must take place between these hours.

The rules differ slightly for weddings held in Northern Ireland and Scotland so it is best to check with the local authorities to make sure everything will run smoothly.

Citizenship and residency are the main issues to think about when deciding to marry in England. The easiest way is to have a civil ceremony because all you need to do is go to the Registry Office and state your intent to be married. In order to do this, you and your fiance must be resident in Registry area for at least seven days. Once you arrive at the Registry Office, both of you will be required to present your passport and any documentation relating to the status of previous spouses. If you are thinking of having the ceremony at another location, you will need to make sure that someone from the Registry Office is able to attend at the time you want. If you or your fiance is a British Citizen, notice may be given ahead of time and the residency requirement is waived.

A Church of England wedding is a little more complicated because of parish residency requirements. You are required to either get a Common Licence or have the banns read three consecutive Sundays before the ceremony is to take place. In order to get a licence, both you and your fiance have to resident in the parish for at least 15 days prior to its issue. The licence is good for 90 days.

It is possible to get a special license that waives the residency requirements but these are granted only in exceptional circumstances.

Also, the Church of England will likely deny you request to be married if you or your fiance have been divorced and the previous spouse is still alive.

Please note that the rules for non-Church of England weddings of a religious nature are different still. You are still required to give notice at the Registry Office as only Anglican ministers are licenced to perform both the liturgical and legal portions of the ceremony.