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Getting Married Outdoors in England and Wales

Getting Married outdoors in England and Wales

Post updated Feb 2023

Planning an outdoor wedding ceremony

Many couples want to get married outdoors, with the grass under their feet and the wide open skies above them, by the sea or in a little clearing in a woods.

I have shot lots of weddings where the couple have chosen to get married outside, even well into Autumn and as lover of the great outdoors these are some of my favourite types of ceremony to shoot, as well as usually being lovely and relaxed.

The rules in Scotland are different as Humanist celebrants can provide a legally binding ceremony outdoors, so this piece is about the laws and options in England and Wales. On the whole, most outdoor ceremonies may not be, and you may need to have a legal civil ceremony performed elsewhere in order to formalize the marriage. Different rules apply to religious celebrations especially if there is also a legal element, but one notable exception is a Jewish wedding blessing, for this you can set a Chuppah up anywhere and outdoor blessings are a popular option.

Post Pandemic, the options for legally binding outdoor ceremonies have increased – previously it was the structure that was licensed for a ceremony, and both the couple and their legal witnesses had to be underneath the licensed structure throughout, meaning that lots of venues built little pergolas and other structures, but this has now changed meaning that you have greater flexibility to get legally married in the grounds of a licensed venue. However, different registration boroughs will have different rules, and some venues may not have been approved for legally binding outdoor ceremonies. Some places may still require you to head indoors – either into an approved room, or perhaps back under the aforementioned structure to quickly say the legal vows and sign the marriage schedule (the register was officially phased out in 2021)

There is currently a campaign underway for the legalisation of Humanist wedding ceremonies – this would bring greater freedom to marry anywhere as it would be the celebrant who is licensed to marry people, not the venue/structure/place. I’ll update this post if there are any updates.

Getting married outdoors - what you need to know
A outdoor pagan wedding ceremony
Rowena & Adam held an outdoor ceremony in Rowena’s parents garden with a family friend – a pagan – acting as the celebrant and conducting a blessing.
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[Lucy & Alex held their Jewish wedding blessing outdoors at their venue, having been legally married a few months earlier]

I’m going to cover the three most popular non-religious options to get married outdoors

A civil ceremony with registrars

In some cases if you choose to have a civil ceremony performed by registrars there is the option to have the ceremony outside. Registrars have, in many cases, made the rules on what can be included in a ceremony more flexible and creative, and weddings I have shot have included ring warming ceremonies, sing a longs and live music performances as well as the more traditional readings. All of this gives you the chance to personalise your ceremony.

Previously, for the ceremony to be legally binding one of two things would have needed to happen – you would either have needed to complete the legally binding aspect of your vows under a licensed structure, or essentially completed your vows in a licensed room, having held the symbolic bit – personal vows, music, readings etc – outside. This has changed a little, but there seems to be no blanket rules. Essentially for it to be legally binding outside, you will need your venue to be an approved outdoor venue.

As different local registration services have different ways of working, you will need to check the possibility of having an outdoor ceremony both with your venue, and with the registrars when you book them.

Clearly, the possibility of an outdoor ceremony is quite a strong selling point for venues with the space, so you should get a good idea of whether this is something that the venue has done before and whether it is possible.

One of the great benefits of choosing to have a civil ceremony outdoors is that it wraps everything up in one ceremony. Do check with the registrars and the venue what the plan would be for wet weather – you may be happy to give your guests umbrellas and brave a little rain, but do check whether the ceremony will need to be moved indoors, and check whether the available space will be big enough, just in case!

As an example, In Norfolk where I live, the registration service offers a few types of ‘duo ceremony’ – both one where a symbolic marriage is performed outside, and then you head indoors to a licensed room to perform the legalities; and one where the legalities are performed on a different day, and then they will join you at a location that isn’t approved, to act as a celebrant e.g on the beach or in the woods. Some friends of mine were interested in this, but found actually getting the registrar to agree to perform the non-legal bit was mired in red tape. They wanted to get married on the beach, but the registration service wanted a risk assessment, a clear ‘what to do if it rains’ approach and were generally not that easy to work with. I have also heard stories of being told of minimum temperatures for outdoor ceremonies (usually 16 degrees) and other fussiness, so if you’re hardy and have your sights set on getting married outdoors, then this option might not be for you.

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[Cat & Will had a outdoor civil ceremony at Narborough Hall Gardens, the venue has a dedicated space by their lake for outdoor ceremonies, but they needed to go into the main house to complete the formalities and sign the register]

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[Gemma & Clare were married at a venue in the Cotswolds where they have a covered platform that was licensed, for the main part of the ceremony they stood in front of the structure, but went underneath when it was time to say the legally binding part of the vows.]

A Humanist ceremony

Humanist ceremonies are some of my favourite. Choosing to work with an accredited humanist celebrant for your wedding means that your ceremony can be highly personalised and meaningful.

What is humanism? The British Humanism Association says “Wouldn’t it be great to start your married life with a ceremony that really means something? To tell your friends and family what your relationship means to you, and why you are choosing to get married?
Many of us who aren’t religious are looking for a wedding that is more flexible and personal than a civil or register office ceremony.
A humanist, non-religious wedding ceremony gives you the opportunity to marry where you want, when you want and how you want. There’s no set script: it’s too personal an occasion for that. Instead, each wedding is tailored to meet the particular couple’s requirements. You can set the tone that’s right for you and choose your own words and music.”

The obvious downside is that they are not legally binding, and you will need to have a separate legal ceremony in order to finalise the marriage. The upside is that they can be conducted anywhere (health and safety and private property laws notwithstanding) and at anytime, and as well as being a great way to get married outdoors, they also mean you can have an indoor wedding ceremony in an unlicensed venue, which is a fabulous way to use an unusual venue for all parts of the day.

Katharine & Judd's wedding at Mc Motors
Katharine & Judd's wedding at Mc Motors

[Katharine & Judd had a humanist ceremony inside at MC Motors, which despite being a popular wedding reception venue, was not licensed for marriage ceremonies which meant they could hold the whole day there. The ceremony was performed by Zena Birch]

A humanist celebrant will take the time to get to know you, and help you create a bespoke ceremony that reflects you, your relationship and your relationships to your nearest and dearest. There are no restrictions as to what can be included, as long as it is right for you. Another thing I love about humanist ceremonies is that through the preparation process, and the time spent with your celebrant you get time to consider what marriage means to you as a couple. Which is a great substitute for those without religious beliefs for the preparation for marriage courses that churches sometimes offer.

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[Carly & Al’s Humanist ceremony at Fforest. Although one of the buildings at Fforest is licensed for civil ceremonies – they chose to have a beautiful humanist ceremony in the tipi]

You can find an accredited humanist celebrant here https://humanism.org.uk/ceremonies/find-a-celebrant/

Having a friend perform your ceremony

This has been quite a common theme in weddings I’ve shot recently. Again these ceremonies are not legally binding, but they can be deeply personal, especially when performed by someone close to you.

Similarly to humanist weddings, the only restrictions with these types of ceremonies are your own imagination. You can combine readings, poetry, singing, guests playing kazoos, close friends sharing their memories of your relationship, and all conducted by someone who knows you and cares for you.

If you have a theatrical friend, or just one who is great at public speaking, then asking them to lead your ceremony could work well, and gives you the opportunity to build the ceremony from the ground up.

Here are a few recent examples of weddings I’ve shot with friends conducting the ceremony.

lara & gav's cute and quirky back garden wedding.
lara & gav's cute and quirky back garden wedding.

[Lara & Gav’s wedding was a colourful explosion of emotion, fun, poetry and music, with each of their families giving readings and sharing thoughts]

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[Victoria & Ian’s wedding was conducted by a friend, and allowed them to continue their festival style wedding at a venue that had never held a wedding ceremony before]

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[Libby & Steve’s outdoor wedding was performed by their friend, which made it beautiful and personal]

Religious ceremony outdoors

Some religions will permit a blessing outdoors – Jewish weddings, for instance, can take place anywhere but they may not be legally binding depending on the exact circumstances of the wedding. The blog Smashing The Glass covers this is more detail here. In addition, I’ve also photographed outdoor Hindu wedding blessings, but again, you must be legally married in a separate ceremony.

So, would you like to get married outdoors, did you find this helpful? If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, then do get in touch and let’s talk!

You can also find more posts to help with your wedding planning process here

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