Articles

Style and Type of Wedding

Church Weddings

Many couples choose to solemnise their marriage vows in a church. All British citizens have the right to marry in their parish church. You can choose from a quaint village chapel to a grand church with all the traditional trimmings. If you want a very traditional wedding then a church wedding is a very good option for you. Traditional hymns and familiar vows, a veil and train won't look out of place.

If you would like a more modern style wedding but would still like to get married in a church, there are more versions of the service to choose from, with traditional or more modern text. Although your vicar or minister must approve your selection of music, most will be open to options other than traditional hymns, perhaps a romantic love song, and instead of a booming organ maybe you could have a resounding choir or harp or soloist.

On your first visit with the minister, you should have a list of questions prepared to make sure you ask he/she everything you need to know. You should ask if he/she will allow you to have photographs taken inside the church and if you wish, a tape-recording or video made of the ceremony. Although most do allow this some don't so if you will want these things you are best to ask from the beginning. During this first visit you will each have to bring your birth certificate and if either of you have been married before a certificate of divorce must be supplied also, or if you are a widow or widower then a death certificate of your former spouse. The minister will explain to you fees or donations.

Even if you have decided on a church ceremony you will still have to inform the Registrar of your marriage and where it will take place. You can get the forms to do this at any Births, Deaths and Marriages. The minister will explain all that you have to do when you meet. When everything is in order the Registrar will prepare a marriage schedule. One of the partners will have to collect this not more than one week before the wedding. After the ceremony in church two witnesses and the minister who conducted the wedding must sign the schedule and then it must be returned to the Registrar within three days.

Order of Service

When you meet with your minister he will discuss with you the different options for your order of service. He/she will explain the meaning behind the vows and go through the service with you and probably arrange a rehearsal. On the day the ushers should arrive at the church first to give out orders of service and to show people to their seats. The bride's family and guests sit on the left of the nave, and the groom's on the right. The groom and his best man should arrive in plenty of time to allow for their photos to be taken before the service. The mother of the bride should be shown to the front pew. The bridesmaids should wait outside for the bride. The bride and her father should arrive a few minutes before the service is supposed to begin, this is to allow for her to have photographs taken and for the chief bridesmaid to have a chance to fix her veil if she has one. In the procession down the aisle it should be minister, bride on her fathers right arm and attendants. When they reach the front the groom and best man should take their places on the bride's right. The bride should then hand her bouquet to her chief bridesmaid to her left or if she has no attendants then to her father who can then hand it to her mother.

After the entrance of the bride, there is often a hymn, followed by readings, possibly another hymn or psalm and an address from the minister. The marriage itself then follows. The father takes the brides right hand and gives it to the minister, who then gives it to the groom. The vows are taken and then the best man passes the rings to the groom or he can give them to the minister on the face of the prayer book and he will offer them to the bride and groom.

Then the bride's father and the best man take their seats on the front pews. The minister may then say a prayer and then the congregation may sing a hymn, followed by a final blessing. The bride and groom then follow the minister to go and sign the register, usually followed by their parents and the bridesmaids and best man.. While the register is being signed and witnessed by two adults, a choir may sing or the organist may play some music. When all these formalities are finished, the bridal procession leaves the church as follows: bride and groom, small attendants, chief bridesmaid and best man, bride's mother with groom's father and then groom's mother with bride's father.


Slight differences in different religions

Anglican

Church in England and Church in Wales
If neither of you have been married before you can marry in your local church. On your first meeting with your minister you will have some forms to fill in, with details of your birth and occupation, plus that of your fiancé and both of you fathers details. The minister will explain to you the fees and the system of calling the banns. If one of you attends a different parish the banns will be called in both. This happens on three consecutive Sunday's before the wedding.

Roman Catholic

The Catholic Church commonly requests for a couple to have a number of talks with their priest prior to their wedding. You should arrange to see your priest at least six months before the wedding and take along with you baptism and confirmation certificates. A priest will provide permission for a catholic to marry another Christian. He may apply for a dispensation when a catholic is to marry in another church or marry someone who is not baptised yet.

Church of Scotland

A Church of Scotland ceremony can take place anywhere as long as your minister agrees. You must give 15 days notice to a register office.

Jewish Wedding

Jewish weddings are solemnised under a chuppah, which is a canopy and this generally takes place in a synagogue. However ceremonies can be held in other venues. Weddings can take place on any day except the Sabbath (Saturday). Jewish weddings need two applications, one to your local register office and one to the religious authority under which the ceremony will take place.

Register Office

If you choose to get married in a register office it is a less expensive option but can still be really nice. These ceremonies last up to 30 minutes and can take place in any area as long as you give notice, in person, to your local registrar. You need to book the register office in no less than 17 days and no more than 12 months before the wedding day. You will both need to provide evidence of your name, age and marital status and nationality. At your wedding you will need at least two witnesses just like a church ceremony. Costs to get married in a register office are roughly £94. It is a good idea to ask ahead about music because sometimes because of time and space restrictions in register offices, live music is not allowed or even recorded music. Your registrar must approve any music selections. The basic legal vows for register office marriages are very brief but you can ask the registrar about possible additions or alterations to make it more personal to you.

Civil Weddings

Castles

Scottish castles are famous throughout the world. Tourists come to visit them as do couples that want to get married in them. Castles were mostly built on high scenic locations so that the owners could watch for other clans or invaders. This then provides you with beautiful views of the surrounding landscape for your wedding photos. Most people assume that to get married in a castle will cost a fortune this however is not always the case. Castles vary in price depending on what services they offer. Some function as historical monuments, or hotels and some are owned by castle enthusiasts who lovingly look after them and maintain them.

If you choose to marry in a castle and you are planning on a big wedding, so will have lots of guests, you will have to take certain things into consideration when choosing which castle you would like. Although many castles fit into the requirements of picturesque and able to accommodate your guests, most castles were built for defence not entertaining so the rooms can in fact be quite small and even the great halls will not be as big as you may first imagine. However logistical problems can be solved in most cases and a castle can be one of the most memorable locations for a wedding.


Marquee

When you think of "marquee" do you straight away imagine that you need bright sunny weather to have one? Living in the UK this can never be guaranteed. Well, yes it would be nice to have sunshine, everyone would like that on their wedding day but it is not required to have a marquee. Thanks to modern companies who can supply ultra modern marquees it does not matter what the weather is like. The best way to imagine a marquee is to think of it as a temporary building, not as a tent. They can be constructed in a few hours and can now be fitted with features such as, central heating, windows, and separate kitchens and bathrooms. So basically what you are doing is creating your own venue for your wedding and/or reception. They can be constructed anywhere from in your garden, if it is big enough to part of a ruined building.

Choosing a marquee for your wedding allows you full control over everything from the decoration, the catering and style of your reception to the location that you choose to have it. All your guests will be in the one area and you can put your own individual stamp on your reception.

The costs for a marquee vary, for a good quality marquee for about 150 guests it will cost about £2000 + VAT. This includes construction, heating, lighting, linings, flooring, doors and dismantling. Costs will vary according to site access, marquee size, distance and slopes on site.

Abroad

If jetting off to a dream destination is your idea of the perfect wedding then you have so many gorgeous places to choose from. If you and your fiancé are a very contemporary couple then perhaps you could tie the knot in hip cities such as New York or Sydney. The dramatic cityscape backdrops will make for great wedding photos. You can even get married in Central Park, an ideal setting for a summer ceremony.

Or do you have your heart set on a romantic and traditional beach wedding? If so you of course have the Ultra All -Inclusive Sandals Resorts, whose motto is 'love is all you need'. They have lovely romantic Caribbean resorts, for couples-only in Jamaica, Antigua, St Lucia and The Bahamas.

If you prefer the thought of a romantic scenic wedding then perhaps places like Venice, Paris or Rome would suit you. They are the traditional romantic cities for weddings and provide a lovely honeymoon destination with plenty to do if you can tear yourself away from the hotel.


Alternative Weddings Abroad

Would you prefer a fun alternative wedding abroad? How about Florida's theme parks? If you would like a touch of the magic of Disney at your wedding then you could get married in Disney Orlando. The full Disney World wedding experience includes travelling in Cinderella's coach and having Mickey and Minnie at your wedding as guests.

You can get married in the famous Ice Chapel in Northern Sweden. They carve it from new every winter and decorate the rooms with ice sculptures and rugs. This could be a very romantic yet different setting for your wedding. You can hold your reception in the famous Absolut Icebar. Make sure when you are choosing your wedding dress though, that you are thinking 'ice queen' as the temperature hovers around -5 degrees.

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