A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, this person is typically called a
registrar
A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to:
Education
* Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records
* Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the se ...
. In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, civil ceremonies may be performed by
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
,
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, or
county clerks,
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
s or
justices of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
, or others possessing the legal authority to support the marriage as the wedding officiant.
In the UK, a civil registrar ceremony cannot include
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s, religious readings or
prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
s, and the
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
must take place at a registered or licensed venue to be legally valid. Many private premises are licensed to hold civil ceremony. As well as each party to the marriage signing the register, signatures of two witnesses are also required.
In most
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
jurisdictions, civil registrar ceremonies are subject to the same requirements as religious ceremonies, including venue reservation fees,
marriage license
A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdictio ...
fees (for history on fees, see ''
droit du seigneur
('right of the lord'), also known as ('right of the first night'), was a supposed legal right in medieval Europe, allowing feudal lords to have sexual relations with subordinate women, in particular, on the wedding nights of the women.
A ma ...
'' and ''
merchet
Merchet (also: -ett, -ete, -eit, -eat, -iett, -i(e)te, -iatte, mershet(e), marchet, -eit, market) () was a fine paid on a marriage during the Middle Ages in England. The word derives from the plural form of daughter, ''merched'', in old Welsh. Me ...
''), and age restrictions. The ceremony may take place in many places, including courthouses, parks, gardens, banquet halls, hotels, and other approved venues. Many venues may also accommodate the reception. Like non-civil ceremonies, the formality and style of the ceremony depend entirely on the tastes of the couple.
Scotland: civil registrar ceremonies and civil ceremonies
Civil Registration of all Births, Deaths & Marriages has been compulsory in Scotland since 1855 when the UK government passed several Acts & Bills, effectively to stop the Scottish Traditional Practice of Legal Weddings being performed by communities.
![scottish marriage ceremony](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Scottish_marriage_ceremony.jpg)
In 1847, ''
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
'' said that "Everybody knows that, by the law of Scotland, the marriage ceremony can be performed with as perfect legal effect by a blacksmith as by a clergyman." The government wanted to end the Scottish practice of regarding a couple as married if they stated as much in front of witnesses. Scottish Registration Bills were accompanied by Bills to reform the law of marriage. This was opposed by the Church of Scotland, concerned that the new civil weddings would discourage people from getting married in a church.
In the end, the government dropped the marriage proposals, the session clerks were paid to be registrars, and the Treasury met the cost of the new system. That allowed the bill to be passed by Parliament and approved by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
on August 7, 1854. The new system of civil registration started on January 1, 1855.
Effectively, since 1855, Civil Marriage Ceremonies have not been legal in Scotland, except if performed by an employee of the government, usually in a registrars office. These Civil Registrar Ceremonies are completely non-religious and are not the same as Civil Ceremonies.
You can get married or form a civil partnership in the UK if you are:
* 16 or over
* free to marry or form a civil partnership (single, divorced or widowed)
* not closely related
* You need permission from your parents or guardians if you're under 18 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Only same-sex couples can form a civil partnership in Scotland. Same-sex and opposite-sex couples can form a civil partnership in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Same-sex couples can:
* form a civil partnership in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
* get married in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
* convert your civil partnership into a marriage in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
Australia
Civil ceremonies were legalised in Australia in 1973.
To be legally married in Australia, a person must:
* not be married to someone else
* not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister
* be at least 18 years old, unless a court has approved a marriage where one party is aged between 16 and 18 years old
* understand what marriage means and freely consent to marry
* use specific words during the ceremony
* give written notice of their intention to marry to their authorised celebrant, within the required time frame.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, the Marriage (Introduction of Civil Celebrants of Marriages and General Amendments) Ordinance ("the Marriage Amendment Ordinance") came into force on 13 March 2006. It empowered the Registrar of Marriages to appoint civil celebrants of marriages and, to enable a marriage to be celebrated before a civil celebrant at any time and place, other than the office of the Registrar of Marriages or a deputy registrar of marriages (a "marriage registry") or a place of worship licensed under the Ordinance.
References
Further reading
*Diane Warner (Nov 2004)
Diane Warner's contemporary guide to wedding etiquette: advice from America p. 175; New Page Books, US; {{ISBN, 978-1-56414-761-5
Marriage