What are the different types of wedding ceremony available in the UK?

Short answer

You can marry in a register office, an approved venue, or a registered religious building, with civil, humanist or religious options depending on where you live. Legal rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Your main choices depend on where you are getting married and what you want the day to feel like. A civil ceremony takes place at a register office or an approved venue, including outdoors in grounds since 2022. These cannot include religious content such as hymns, prayers or religious readings, but poems, songs and non-religious readings are fine if the registrar agrees.

Religious weddings follow the rules of your faith. Church of England and Church in Wales ceremonies usually need banns read or a licence. Many faiths have their own buildings registered for marriages, and a ceremony there can be legally binding if an authorised person is present.

Humanist ceremonies are not legally binding on their own in England and Wales, so couples usually add a separate civil ceremony. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, humanist celebrants can conduct legal weddings. Same-sex couples can marry in all four nations, though each religious organisation decides whether it holds same-sex weddings. If your plans do not fit these categories, check with your register office or place of worship.