At present, any couples who do not want a traditional religious wedding often feel their only option is the standard civil ceremony conducted by a registrar. Yet, once you have fulfilled the legal requirements, there is nothing to prevent you having a tailor-made ceremony. You can register your marriage at the registry office with your two witnesses, then have a special ceremony, including the exchange of rings, at a place of your choice with all your friends and family.
A gentle kind of togetherness, while separate we stand,
As two trees deeply rooted in separate plots of ground,
While their topmost branches come together,
Forming a miracle of lace against the heavens."
The beauty of having a separate, personalised ceremony is that it can take place without time restraints and at a date and place to suit you and your guests. For example, you may choose to get married abroad but still want to have a ceremony with your family and friends when you return home. The ceremony would be a celebration of your love and your public commitment to each other - it is the symbolic, rather than the legal, aspect of your union.
Perhaps your families have varying religious beliefs and this makes it difficult to choose a particular place of worship for your wedding? If so, you may decide to have a registry office wedding (which, by law, excludes any religious content) and then ask us to create a special ceremony at a different venue. We would be happy to include songs, prayers or poems that express different spiritual beliefs. We would also work with any religious representative you might like to invite, for example, to come to give a special blessing.
Maybe you are already married but would like to celebrate a special anniversary or a new stage in your marriage by renewing their vows? We can create a bespoke ceremony to meet your needs.
