Ceremony only locations

[MaMaMaMySharona]

Hi all!

I recently got engaged and my DP and I are planning on having a marquee reception in the grounds of our friend's pub. This leaves us with the issue of where to actually get married - I want it all to be on the same day as I want my friends and family to see us do our vows, we're looking at around 150 for the ceremony. I'm not at all religious and so don't want to get married in a church, but I also don't want to be in a dingy and boring registry office.

Any ideas from anyone? I've been googling all afternoon and come up with nothing! We're getting married in North Yorkshire :(

Problem with the U.K. is you have to be in a building that’s registered as a space to perform marriages in. Most are either registry offices or venues for the whole do.

We did registry office, shortest possible ceremony, jeans and tshirts legal bit the day before our wedding, then got married outside up on the moors with our guests there and our dear friend officiating. That definitely felt like our actual wedding, and was beautiful.

Here's the list of everywhere in N Yorks which is allowed to host the ceremony.
www.northyorks.gov.uk/wedding-ceremony-venueslist

I think that you best bet would be to have a teeny register Office ceremony in the morning, then have a celebrant do your promises and ring exchange etc. in the marquee with all your guests.

Thanks all for your responses - I feared that might be the case! It's a pain because if you book somewhere to do the whole ceremony it tends to lose a lot of the personality or becomes very expensive!

Do you have to have someone in particular to do the vows/ band exchange after an official 'legal' ceremony? Or could it be anyone?

Once you've done the legal bit, you can have whoever you want to be celebrant and you can do whatever you want. There are no limits because none of it is a legal ceremony. Rather freeing and probably cheaper.

I know people who have used this celebrant

www.charlottesimpsonceremonies.com

Who said she was great! I don’t know if it had to be a celebrant though.

If it’s your own wedding, not in the registry office, you’re in charge. We chose a very dear friend who knew both of us before we were together, had a great marriage that we’d like to emulate, and a lovely presence and good public speaking voice. Was gorgeous.

I deliberately kept registry office to the bare minimum so it definitely felt like a legal hoop to jump through, not my wedding. We had friends not family as witnesses and did it on our way to decorate the venue, as part of our list of pre-wedding jobs.