Civil Wedding Venues

Countdown1982

Hi

Looking for suggestion please for Civil Wedding Venues preferably in southwest Donegal but open to suggestions, also preferably not a hotel.
Thanks alot...

muffler

The Health Centre in Stranorlar is worth checking out.

Countdown1982

Apologies as i am not familiar with Stranorlar:o, but is this a valid suggestion or meant as a joke?
What is speacial about Stranorlar Health Centre??

Thanks

Firblog

What do you mean by venue? A place to be married & then go to reception somewhere, or to do both in the one place?

Countdown1982

A venue for the civil wedding ceremony only, will go to hotel for reception afterwards.

Thanks

muffler

Countdown1982 wrote: »

Apologies as i am not familiar with Stranorlar:o, but is this a valid suggestion or meant as a joke?
What is speacial about Stranorlar Health Centre??

Thanks

Oh its a valid suggestion. The building houses 2 doctors surgeries and HSE offices on the first floor together with a civil registration office.

I just suggested it as its quite central and easy to access - see here

donegal_man

Given the list of conditions a venue has to meet to be approved for the conduct of civil wedding ceremonies you'll probably find that outside of the registrar's office hotels are only places able to reach the standard.

Guidelines for the selection of a venue for Civil Marriages in Ireland

1. The venue must be seemly and dignified.
2. The ceremony room must have adequate capacity to accommodate, comfortably seated, the numbers attending the ceremony.
3. Only venues that allow unrestricted public access without charge will be considered for approval, subject to normal security and health and safety considerations.
4. The venue in which the ceremony room is situated must conform to all the requirements of any venue open to the public in respect of planning permission, certificate of fire safety, and must meet all relevant health and safety requirements.
5. The ceremony room, and the venue in which it is situated must have adequate public liability insurance cover.
6. The ceremony room must be accessible to all, in particular to persons with disabilities.
7. The venue must have no recent or continuing connection with any religion, religious practice or religious persuasion which would be incompatible with the use of the venue for the solemnization of civil marriages.
8. The place in which marriage may be solemnized must be a fixed structure that is clearly identifiable by description and location as a distinct part of a venue.

The requirement that the marriage be solemnized in a fixed structure that is open to the public precludes marriages being solemnized in the open air, a tent, marquee or other temporary structure, or a private dwelling.

Source: HSE, Getting Married In Ireland full page here

Ayla

Here's one I just found by a quick google search....can't beat the location!

http://www.castlemurray.com/site/content.aspx?ID=22

homer simpson

Not really southwest Donegal but I have seen a few photo's from a civil ceremony up in Grianan Ailigh, I thought it was a fantastic setting for it.

Senna

homer_simpson wrote: »

Not really southwest Donegal but I have seen a few photo's from a civil ceremony up in Grianan Ailigh, I thought it was a fantastic setting for it.

Don't think it would be a proper civil ceremony if it was up there, the registrar's are very strict on were is suitable for a ceremony and it has to be inside a building.
OP you could get in contact with the Humanist Association of Ireland (LINK), they will perform ceremonies where ever you want, but you have to do the legal side separate.

donegal_road

a friend of mine took this couple out on a boat on Donegal bay last week and conducted a civil ceremony (not official).. they did the official ceremony at the registery office earlier. They were visiting from the US and wanted to do something unique for their wedding

Countdown1982

Thank you all for the suggestions and please keep them coming

I was thinking along the lines of Donegal Castle, but they don’t allow Ceremony to take place there but will permit it's use for photos.

Gleveveagh National Park would be lovely, but would like to get somewhere nearer to southwest.

Durnish

I have been to two civil and totally legal marriage ceremonies in The Lake House Hotel in Portnoo. The registrar is indeed very strict, as she should be, and actually does a greeting in Irish. The setting there is lovely.

Firblog

Durnish wrote: »

The registrar is indeed very strict, as she should be.

Quite frankly don't understand why it is so strict, what is it to the registrar where you get married, so long as (s)he is not put in danger (fire escapes etc), why does the venue have to be open to the public? Is there a dress code?

Senna

Firblog wrote: »

Quite frankly don't understand why it is so strict, what is it to the registrar where you get married, so long as (s)he is not put in danger (fire escapes etc), why does the venue have to be open to the public? Is there a dress code?

Its tied up with a pile of red tape, the registrar's themselves are very nice but they have to stick to the letter of the law.
Best thing to do is registrar beforehand officially then get a friend to do the ceremony where ever you want.

echo beach

Firblog wrote: »

Quite frankly don't understand why it is so strict, what is it to the registrar where you get married, so long as (s)he is not put in danger (fire escapes etc), why does the venue have to be open to the public? Is there a dress code?

Getting married is a serious business and the intention is that it isn't treated frivolously.
The venue has to be open to the public because you are making a public vow, which must be witnessed by at least two people. The requirement ensures that you can't 'secretly' get married.
This is no dress code.

Firblog

echo beach wrote: »

Getting married is a serious business and the intention is that it isn't treated frivolously.
The venue has to be open to the public because you are making a public vow, which must be witnessed by at least two people. The requirement ensures that you can't 'secretly' get married.
This is no dress code.

That may be the intention but it's idiotic... you could turn up dressed as Fred & Wilma Flintstone if you wanted. Having to hold it in a public building only really serves to increase the cost, as you'd most likely have to hire it.

A suggestion for the OP is the lighthouse at St John's point public? Would deffo be an unusual place to get hitched...

Senna

Firblog wrote: »

That may be the intention but it's idiotic... you could turn up dressed as Fred & Wilma Flintstone if you wanted.

Registrar can refuse to hold ceremony if he/she doubts the creditability of a union, which would happen if you dress as the Flintstones.

Firblog wrote: »

Having to hold it in a public building only really serves to increase the cost, as you'd most likely have to hire it.

You can hold it in the HSE's ceremony rooms which cost no extra.
To have it in a church probably costs more as you have to "give" the priest something and still registrar the wedding.
In total its about €120 (i think), hardly a rip off.

Durnish

It's a legally binding event, citizenship, property rights, pension rights, all these things can require a legal union, so it has to be done "proper".

Also, weren't some marriages held in Dublin embassies (presumably not a public venue) deemed to be null and void a few years ago?

DrPhilG

As others have suggested, just get married legally whenever suits and then have the ceremony wherever you want.

I got married in Harvey's Point, or at least that's what it looked like. In actual fact we got married in the Guildhall in Derry 2 days previously with just my best man and his missus there. We were in jeans and t-shirts, and I got a feckin parking ticket while I was in!

Funnily enough I got a speeding ticket the day of the wedding at Harveys too!

Firblog

DrPhilG wrote: »

We were in jeans and t-shirts,

:eek: Were you not taking it seriously??

Graces7

About dress codes for weddings... We had some freinds from the US visiting last year and were at Gougane Barra. Saw a wedding there; they use the chapel there for small weddings.

The bride was.. well kind of.. wearing a ?? dress? Her bouquet was bigger than the dress... low, low low and high, high, high...Friends said she looked like a s**t.. or was it a t**t?

I was there last week and met a priest about to do a wedding there so I asked him about dress code, describing what we had seen.. said it must have been very.. distracting..

He blames it on women's lib..

But the day you can wear a glorious flowing gown and sweep down the aisle..