Civil And Church Of England Marriage Procedures, Cost And Pros And Cons: A Comprehensive Guide

Civil Ceremony

Jane and Pete live in Brighton and they would like to get married somewhere in Ealing in August 2015. They have no idea whether they would like a Church of England or a Civil ceremony.

Explain the procedure to them for a Church of England ceremony and a Civil ceremony, the costs of each, the pros and cons of each, the timeline for booking the ceremony and all the legal requirements.

In the wedding ceremonial, a couple makes an open pronouncement of a lifetime promise to love each other. A promise, by its nature, is a test. Saying ‘I will’ to those swears gratifies one to pardon and be pardoned. It is said that marriages are a risk and its worth taking the risk.  Evidence shows that married couples are mentally and physically healthier as compared to the bachelors and spinsters.

The details of a civil ceremony and a Church of England ceremony are discussed below:

A civil ceremony is just a nonreligious; legitimate wedding ceremony controlled by a lawful official as an alternative of a religious one. It can take place either in a Registrar Office or any licenced venue as per the couple’s decision (Warner, 2006).

If one wishes to get married in a civil ceremony, provisional booking of the selected venue should be done first. The next step is to contact the Administrator Registrar in the province of the selected venue .Then the couple need to submit a notice of their marriage at Registrar Office in one’s residential province. An individual’s details like name, nationality, date of birth and place of residence is needed to specifically mention on the marriage notice (Dittgen, 1995.  It is to be noted that the marriage notice is supposed to be given at the Register Office where one live. One or both of the prospective partners must have been a resident in that particular district for at least seven day or more. Then there is a waiting period of fifteen days before an individual is eligible to get married.  The process can even take twenty eight days to complete and if there is case of immigration involved, then it could take up to seventy days’ time. Lastly, per the couple’s chosen date and time, the Registration Staff will be available to perform the marriage ceremony. The marriage notice can also be submitted up to one year ahead of the planned wedding.

It best suited for couples who do not come from the same religious backgrounds as they can avoid issues related to inter-faith ceremonies. A civil ceremony can also be more creative than the Church of England ceremony as there is no need to take permission from the clergy to include interpretations from a poem or a book, popular songs for your ceremonial and recessional, or Buddhist rituals or recital art (Monger, 2013). The decision of the venue, too, resides on the host’s decision, whether they select a beach, a country house, hotels, banquet hall, and park, county estate or the Register Office, as per the couple’s taste and it is not mandatory for an individual to be a resident of the place he or she intend to get married at. Most importantly, it is time-saving because it is legally obligatory and a visit to city hall for obtaining a marriage licence is not required. Many venues also provide the reception option. Most civil ceremonies are shorter than Church of England wedding ceremonies.

Legal Procedures for Civil Ceremony

However, a civil ceremony also has its own share of shortcomings. For instance, one cannot include hymns, spiritual interpretations or prayers in the ceremony. The music selection, performance or any act that are part of the ceremony are supposed to be non-religious in nature. Even the venue has to be legally approved. Also the couple are required to bring two witnesses each.

A civil ceremony officiates’ criteria varies from state to state. Mainly it can be a court judge, an attorney, a county clerk, a public lawyer or a justice of peace. In some cases a family member or a close friend can also be an officiate (Reid, 1996).

The popular venues for a civil ceremony are listed below for the couple’s consideration:

1. Hammersmith Riverside Events at Auriol Kensington Rowing Club
2. Duffield House
3. Ewell Court House
4. One Great George Street
5. Sattavis Patidar Centre
6. The Conservatory at Painshill Park
7. Plaisterers Hall
8. Inn On The Lake
9. The Waters Edge Bar and Restaurant

In order to obtain a marriage certificate on the day of marriage, one is required to pay£4. Once it is archived, after two months maximum, £15 fee is supposed to be paid for a copy. Again the marriage notice will cost £47 with the additional cost of the entire ceremony which varies according to the day and time of the ceremony.  The below table will make the concept clear.

Particular Days on which the ceremony would take place	Cost of Civil ceremony before 5:30pm	Cost of Civil ceremony after  5:30pm
Monday to Thursday	£149/ £304	£354
Friday	£174/ £354	£454
Saturday	£254/ £354	£454
Sunday	£329/ £504	£654
Bank Holidays	£654	£754

If you wish to get married in a Church of England ceremony, you are supposed to speak first to the priest of the church as per the choice of your church and the rest will follow (Hill, Sandberg, Doe, 2011).

For those who all are planning their wedding in a Church of England ceremony, must give a notice of their intention to get married. The marriage can take place only if one or both of the parties involved, are resident. Banns are arranged by minister, who is intended to register the marriage, on three consecutive Sundays before the big day. Age plays a vital role in the authorising of the wedding ceremony. One need to be eighteen years old and above to be eligible for marriage. Time is a constraint as a Church of England ceremony can only take place between 8am and 6pm. Also, the priest will let the couple know if a Special License or a Common License is needed (Monger, 2013).

There are a couple of advantages to this kind of wedding ceremony. The prime benefit being the essence of spirituality or divinity that is brought by a Church of England wedding ceremony. No matter what either partners’ belief is, both desire help and guidance from God and look for the divine blessing. One can even make long and wonderful vows in public in the presence of God (Cressy, 1985). The priest plays an important part in these weddings as they can help make the ceremony personal, meaningful and memorable for the couple and the guests. Also the church edifices, old or new, offer such a beautiful wedding venues with their traditional and grand structures. They even offer the perfect serene and peaceful atmosphere.

However, the cost of a Church of England ceremony is higher, in most cases, compared to a civil ceremony. Also the issue arises if the marriage is an inter-caste or same-sex marriage. Also one of the partners needs to be a resident of the place where he or she intends to get married at.

The popular churches for a Church of England ceremony are listed below for the couple’s consideration

1. St Mary’s Church
2. Peter’s Church
3. Barnabas Church
4. Paul’s Church

The table content below will give a clear idea about the various charges involved in a Church of England ceremony:

Services	Cost
Publication of Banns	£28
Certificate of Banns  (if required)	£13
Marriage Certificate	£4
Marriage Service	£413

It should be noted that the above table does not include the charges of heating, music, bells and flowers.

Conclusion

Marriages are important in every culture and religion (Hamilton, 1824). It is part of God’s good plan for an individual and factually, a good marriage makes a person happy both internally and externally. Be it a civil ceremony or a Church of England ceremony, the prime objective of a marriage is personal satisfaction and self-gratification. However, the idea of both kinds of ceremonies discussed would help the couple to choose the kind of ceremony they would prefer. Hopefully, the report, with its insight on the two ceremonies, would help the couple make the best decision.

References

1. Thomas, L. Marriage in England and Wales | Wedding Guide UK. [online] Weddingguideuk.com. Available at: https://www.weddingguideuk.com/marriage-in-england-and-wales/

2. Warner, D. (2006). Diane Warner’s contemporary guide to wedding ceremonies. Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books.

3. Yourchurchwedding.org, Welcome to YourChurchWedding.org from the Church of England. [online] Available at: https://www.yourchurchwedding.org/ [Accessed 22 Mar. 2015].

4. Dittgen, A. (1995). The form of marriage in Europe: Civil ceremony, religious ceremony. Survey and trends. Population an English Selection, 95-123.

5. Monger, G. (2013). Marriage Customs of the World: An Encyclopedia of Dating Customs and Wedding Traditions, Expanded Second Edition [2 Volumes]. Abc-clio.

6. Reid, D. A. (1996). Weddings, Weekdays, Work and Leisure in Urban England 1791-1911: The Decline of Saint Monday Revisited. Past and Present, 135-163.

7. Cressy, D. (1985). The seasonality of marriage in old and new England. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 1-21.

8. Hill, M., Sandberg, R. and Doe, N. (2011). Religion and law in the United Kingdom. Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International.

9. Marriageencounter.org.uk,. Marriage Encounter Anglican Expression Marriage Enrichment Weekends. [online] Available at: https://www.marriageencounter.org.uk [Accessed 22 Mar. 2015].

10. Hamilton, A. (1824). Marriage rites, customs, and ceremonies. London: Robins.