YOUR CEREMONY
the vicar may ask you to give legal preliminaries( see below) at your local register office.
How do I get married in another place of worship? If you wish to be married by religious ceremony, other than in a Church of England or Wales, you should first arrange to see the minister or other person in charge of marriages at the building. You will both need to give legal preliminaries( see next page) at the register office in the district( s) where you live.
A registrar may also need to attend and complete the marriage schedule.
What is the difference between a civil partnership and a same-sex marriage? There are both differences and similarities between civil partnerships and a marriage, such as the way they are conducted and the rights individuals( both same-sex and opposite-sex) have. These can be found at gov. uk / government / publications / marriage-andcivil-partnership-in-england-and-wales.
Is the ceremony conducted by an independent celebrant legal? No, while an independent celebrant is able to offer you a celebration or renewal of vows ceremony, they are not licensed by law to marry you. You would first need to go through a civil marriage in a register office or other licensed place for marriage, which would incur additional costs.
How far in advance can I make a booking for a civil ceremony? A ceremony can be booked up to three years in advance, although your legal preliminaries cannot be given until one year before the ceremony.
Who can I have as witnesses? Two witnesses are needed to sign the schedule with you. They can be family or friends, or anyone of your choice and preferably aged over 18. If you use an interpreter during the ceremony, that person must sign the schedule as one of your witnesses.
Do I have to change my name? There is no legal requirement for either party to change their name, it is purely personal choice and traditional to do so. If either person wishes to change their name on marriage, they should simply advise those organisations concerned, for example their bank or insurance company. On the day of the marriage, both parties must sign their usual signature regardless of any future name change they wish to make.
Legal preliminaries of marriage or civil partnership
Each party to a civil marriage or partnership must make an appointment to visit his or her local register office and give formal notice that they intend to be married or enter into a civil partnership. This notice is put on public display for 28 days, during which time anyone can object to the proposed ceremony. On the 29th day, and providing no valid objections have been received, the registrar will issue an authority for the marriage or partnership to take place. Please note, foreign national notice periods may be extended to 70 days.
Can photographs be taken during the ceremony? Photos and videos can be taken at any point before, during and after the ceremony, provided they do not interrupt the ceremony. Please advise your photographer / videographer to speak to the celebrant on the day to agree where they should stand.
What happens on the day of the ceremony? To make sure everything goes ahead on time and without any hitches, you and your guests will need to arrive at least 15 minutes before your ceremony is due to start. Some venues may require you to arrive earlier than this. Please remember to allow time for traffic delays, parking limitations and pre-ceremony photographs.
The registrar will need to interview you both individually before the ceremony to check if the details on the marriage or civil partnership schedule are correct.
If you’ re getting ready at the venue this can be done in your room.
Can I hold a religious blessing in my venue just before my Kentish ceremony takes place? Blessings should only take place after the civil ceremony is complete and the celebrant and registrar have left the approved premises. We do not permit religious blessings to take place before a civil ceremony.
Can I welcome guests with a drink prior to the ceremony? Food and drink are not permitted in the ceremony room / area or the restricted area around the ceremony room / area one hour prior to or during the ceremony.
You will need to wait until after the ceremony for a celebratory drink.
How do I re-register my children? On the marriage of a child’ s natural parents, the birth of that child may be re-registered as a result of the marriage.
You will need to apply for a re-registration of the child’ s birth under section 14 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act. You can obtain a form( LAl) for this from the Kent Registration Service.
The form has to be completed and signed by both parents. One or both parents can then attend the register office bringing the completed form, child’ s birth certificate and the marriage certificate.
The birth will then be registered again in the presence of a registrar.
You can buy certified copies of the re-registered entry.
If you have further questions regarding civil ceremonies in Kent or Bexley, contact details for our ceremonies team can be found at akentishceremony. com.
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