PLANNING
Just shy of 7,000 couples say‘ I do’ in Kent every year
First Things First
Some couples know exactly what they want for their wedding day, but many don’ t. Would you like a church wedding? A barn? A beach?
Sit down together and make sure you’ re on the same page. Then, think about numbers. The size of your guest list will determine a lot of things, from venue choice to budget.
Once you’ ve got the who and the what, you can start to work out the when, where and how. But, if you’ re stuck, here’ s the lowdown on ceremonies and venues in Kent.
Ceremonies Religious Ceremonies
Many couples love the idea of getting married in a religious setting. If that’ s how you’ d like to wed, then the first thing you need to do is contact your setting of choice and speak to the vicar, priest, iman, Gurdwara, rabbi or leader about your plan to marry there. Remember that some religious blessings are not legally recognised in the UK and you would need to arrange a legal ceremony separately.
For church weddings, which are the most common religious setting in the county, there are some rules though; you must have a connection to the church or parish to marry there. If you’ re getting married with the Church of England you don’ t have to give notice of the marriage to the register office, but you do need to have Banns read ahead of the wedding day.
Your ceremony might be held at your wedding venue, or you could choose a registry office – it’ s up to you.
If your venue is licensed for ceremonies, then once you’ ve booked your date you’ ll be put in touch with the Kent Registration Service or the Medway Register Office who you’ ll pay a fee to. They’ ll guide you through the next steps, including giving notice.
Giving notice is when you both sign a legal statement at your local register office. This is to formally announce your plan to marry, and must be done at least 29 days before your ceremony. Your ceremony must then take place within 12 months of giving notice.
Celebrant-Led Ceremonies
Want to get married in your family garden, on the beach or at any other unlicensed venue? You can! Celebrant-led ceremonies are becoming much more popular as couples seek to have flexibility and control over everything from venue to vows.
Celebrant-led ceremonies aren’ t legally binding, so you’ ll still need to do the‘ official’ bit in a register office, but doing things this way means you can have anyone you like officiate your ceremony, and you can have your wedding at a venue of your choice.
Receptions
Once you’ ve officially tied the knot you’ ll probably want to celebrate! If you’ ve said‘ I do’ in a church, other religious building or register office, then you might want to head to a wedding venue for the after party.
Non-Religious Ceremonies
If a religious setting isn’ t your thing or you wish to have your cultural blessing followed by a legal wedding, then you might want to have your ceremony at a licensed venue in Kent. These are called civil ceremonies and, at present, a registrar officiates your ceremony- although this could be set to change soon thanks to proposed wedding law changes. There’ ll be a consultation in 2026 so watch this space...
Or, you might want to hold the whole wedding in one place. There’ s hundreds of licensed venues in Kent, Bexley and Medway, and at many of them you can hold your ceremony and reception in the same place. wedinkent. co. uk • 15