Wedding Legality

BlondePrincess

Can anyone tell me is it possible to get married outdoors in Ireland, or in a building such as a castle, is this recognised legally. i understand that it isn't recognised by the catholic church?

seamus

It's not possible to be married outdoors.

It is possible to be married in places other than a church or registry office, but these must be approved by the marriage registrar in advance.

http://www.groireland.ie/guidelines_for_venues.htm

This is a newish rule and only a handful of places have thus far taken the step of getting their venues certified by the registrar. If the place you want hasn't been certified, you'll have to pay for this yourself - most hotels and castles won't pay for it.

In addition to this, the person who performs the marriage must be a registered solemniser. By and large, the only registered solemnisers are religious priests/Rabbis/etc and the civil registrars. Since clergy won't marry you outside of a church and registrars only work Mon - Fri, you are limited to getting married during the week if you wish to do it somewhere other than a church.

The "loophole" is that you can have a marriage ceremony whereever the hell you like, but it won't be recognised legally. My brother got legally married in the civil registry and then had a marriage ceremony on the grounds of the hotel. It worked out great by all accounts.