Giving notice
Once we are within 12 months of the ceremony date, we can give notice to the district registrar which is a legal requirement for all couples wishing to marry in Northern Ireland. Notice can be served anytime from 12 months up to a minimum of 28 days before the ceremony. There is normally a fee of £22 each which is payable to the registrar. To complete this step, I will email you the signed forms you will need in order to give notice. You will need to print these forms (one set each) and then complete the relevant sections.
Your completed forms then need to be sent to the registrar of the district where the ceremony will be taking place - along with any supporting documents such as birth certificates etc. (It’s best to check first, but registrars will normally accept photocopied/scanned forms and ID documents for giving notice. However, they will need to see the originals when you go to collect your Schedule of Marriage, as explained below).
Having received your notice forms, the registrar will perform the necessary checks and then produce a Schedule of Marriage document around 10 days before your wedding date. This document must be collected in person by one of the intended parties to be married. The Schedule of Marriage must be brought to the ceremony by one of the parties to be married, and it is then signed during your wedding by yourselves, two witnesses (who can be anyone over the age of 16) and by myself.
The next step is to arrange an informal chat about your ceremony. Most couples find a video call convenient, but meeting in person is also possible. This would usually happen a few months before the ceremony, but allowances can also be made for short-notice weddings where appropriate.
The purpose of our conversation is to discuss the ceremony options and any specific ideas you may have. For example you may wish to think about:
Would you like background music for arriving guests as they wait for the ceremony to begin?
Would you like music for the processional, during the signing of the marriage documents and/or for the recessional?
Would you like any readings or addresses, and who you would like to present these?
Will you be exchanging wedding rings?
Have you thought about your marriage and ring vows and whether you would like to use traditional or contemporary ones, or even write your own?
Have you thought about who your legal witnesses will be?
Are there any religious elements you would like included such as prayers, blessings or hymns?
Is there anything you definitely don’t want?
After we chat I should have everything I need to put together a personalised ceremony for you and it’s then just a case of waiting for the big day itself. In the meantime feel free to get in touch if any changes need to be made.
Payment and Contacting me
The balance is payable at any stage after our first meeting, up to seven days before the ceremony itself. Throughout the process, you are of course welcome to ask any questions or if you need any advice along the way. We can stay in touch by email or phone.