"To legally wed is to proclaim 'togetherness' to the world"

Historically marriages were undertaken through a traditional marriage service at a church or at a licenced wedding venue, where an authorised officiant would perform your wedding service, and a registrar would register the marriage to make it legally binding, however, these types of services, can often be very generic - much a ‘one size fits all’ approach to getting married, lacking the freedom and flexibility to incorporate all the things that resonate with you...

…which is possibly why Independent Civil Celebrant-led ceremonies are becoming so popular because you can say your vows whenever you want, wherever you want and in the manner you choose to!  You are only restricted by your chosen Celebrant’s availability; and as an independent wedding celebrant, I can create and deliver a unique and bespoke ceremony, that affords you complete freedom to celebrate your special day your way and is no less than you deserve - and - whilst I am based in Eastbourne, we all know, love is not exlcusive to the UK's Sunshine Coast, and I am priviledged to deliver ceremonies and services across Sussex, the UK and Overseas.

Your wedding service or ceremony is not deemed lawfully binding unless you have followed the legal process for marriage which can be done in a few easy steps. Your local registrar office will explain this in full detail for you, however, below is an overview of what to expect:

You will need to contact your local registry office and explain that you only want a ‘basic’ legally binding marriage registration, (without the full ‘pomp and ceremony’) this process usually costs around £80-£120 as opposed to the full wedding ceremony etc which can cost anywhere from around £400 upwards depending on where you live. 

You must enter a notice of marriage, at least 28 clear days before your wedding ceremony; you will both need to attend an interview to get the legal paperwork, and you will need to take your passport, driving license and proof of address which needs to be within the same calendar month that you are entering the notice of marriage. If you have been married before, you will also need to present your decree absolute.

You can then book a ‘registration of marriage’ which takes place at the register office.  The ‘legally binding’ marriage, (which will be done in the presence of 2 witness’ who you will need to bring with you) is where you say the lawful verbal declaration, which forms the legal contract for your marriage. The registrar will tell you what you need to say (you will not need to exchange rings or your personal vows as this will be done at your wedding ceremony) 

You will be required to sign the marriage register with your two witnesses and can book the registration of marriage before the wedding ceremony, so you will need to check availability with the register office for this, as you are not legally deemed to be married until your marriage has been registered, (your chosen Celebrant cannot lawfully pronounce you ‘married’ at your wedding ceremony unless you have completed the legal process above)

There are some instances where couples choose to have their wedding ceremony first and then do the legal process later; for example, if there is an opportunity to connect with family and friends at short notice, or even where couples are inspired to have a ceremony on impulse when they visit and fall in love with a particular place. This is your choice completely; you can still have your perfect day in advance of being legally married....then tie up the legal aspects later, you just need to be aware that the wedding service itself will not be 'legal' in the eyes of the law, or have a legal married standing until your marriage has been registered lawfully....