Getting married (no church)

Johnny Nothumbs

We are looking to get married in Ireland in 2016, we want to get married at my family home but can't figure out if we are aloud...the wife to be is English and has been divorced and neither of us are religious.

Can we get married at my family home by a registrar or will there be an issue there? I have read a lot of stuff on google about the venue having to be open to the public etc etc, has anyone here actually got married in a non church venue?

Thanks.

Peregrinus

Johnny Nothumbs wrote: »

We are looking to get married in Ireland in 2016, we want to get married at my family home but can't figure out if we are aloud...the wife to be is English and has been divorced and neither of us are religious.

Can we get married at my family home by a registrar or will there be an issue there? I have read a lot of stuff on google about the venue having to be open to the public etc etc, has anyone here actually got married in a non church venue?

Thanks.

Under the Civiil Registration Act, the place where a wedding is celebrated needs to be approved, and it needs to be a place that is open to the public. Because your family home is not open to the public, you won't be able to get it approved. There are lots of hotels, public buildings, etc that are approved.

What you can do, if you wish, is to have a simple wedding at the registry office, followed (or preceded) by a ceremony to suit your own taste conducted wherever you like, and by whomever you like. You could do that at home.

pwurple

You could have a ceremony at your home, but not the civil part. That has to be conducted in a public place.

I got married in a nonchurch venue. We stepped into a building to sign the register.

Milly33

Well now a few things have changed so you can get married outdoors etc and what not. Id say first thing is ask the register think it is really up to them I cant see why they would have an issue that it is a non church venue as they do the service in hotels etc

Peregrinus

Milly33 wrote: »

Well now a few things have changed so you can get married outdoors etc and what not. Id say first thing is ask the register think it is really up to them I cant see why they would have an issue that it is a non church venue as they do the service in hotels etc

Yes, you can get married outdoors, but your outdoor locations still has to be (a) an approved place, and (b) open to the public.

Milly33

Yes that's why I said to ask the register

Peregrinus

Milly33 wrote: »

Yes that's why I said to ask the register

You can ask, but the registrar has no discretion. All he can do is read to you what the law requires, which is that the marriage be celebrated in "a building that is open to the public", or in "a courtyard, garden, yard, field or piece of ground that is open to the public and lying near to and usually enjoyed with" a building that is open to the public. Unless you live in a hotel or similar, your home is not a building that is open to the public.

Gatica

even if they ask the registrar, the legal wedding will not be allowed to take place outside of their home or in their home.
A non-church, non-register wedding can be performed at a public location approved by the registrar, this cannot be outdoors. Alternatively, you can get a non-civil wedding done by the likes of Humanists, SU or Unitarian church.... which can be done outdoors.

Peregrinus

Gatica wrote: »

A non-church, non-register wedding can be performed at a public location approved by the registrar, this cannot be outdoors.

Actually, the Oireachtas passed legislation last December to allow the use of an outdoor venue. Under the new legislation a wedding venue still has to be a "place that is open to the public", so it can't be the garden of a private house. But it could be the grounds of a hotel, for instance.

But that legislation hasn't been brought into force yet. It will come into operation when any necessary practical preparations have been completed - e.g. preparing forms for use when you want to register an outdoor venue, etc. So you can't use an outdoor venue just yet, but you will probably be able to very soon. The OP doesn't expect to marry until some time in 2016, so it's likely that by then the option of an outdoor venue will be available to him.

magicmushroom

I got married in a 'non-church' venue - the Heritage Centre in Carlingford, Co Louth to be precise.
What's lovely about it is that it used to be a church (medieval) so you still get the whole wedding-y feel of the stained glass windows, aisle etc.
We had a registrar come out to us from Dundalk.
We chose to do it this way as I'm not religious so I didn't want any religion in the ceremony at all, it was a civil ceremony.

There are lots of places you could get married - maybe if you tell us where you are based we could give specific places?

Milly33

Gatica wrote: »

even if they ask the registrar, the legal wedding will not be allowed to take place outside of their home or in their home.
A non-church, non-register wedding can be performed at a public location approved by the registrar, this cannot be outdoors. Alternatively, you can get a non-civil wedding done by the likes of Humanists, SU or Unitarian church.... which can be done outdoors.

I was just going to say it has been passed now that you can have the ceremony outside (legal civil) and also sure if it was non religious sure of course it could be held outside

Johnny Nothumbs

Sorry guys my email notifications were turned off...thanks for the comments.

I forgot to mention that my house has been running as a B&B since all us sprogs moved out as well as there being an equestrian centre attached to the house and technically our land is open to the public because we have a river running through it so people have a public right to fish in it...doesn't this make a difference?

Also is a 'huminest' wedding binding in the same way?

Gatica

You can apply for it, but every venue has to be approved for every wedding every time. Previous approval isn't always a guarantee that it will be approved again (but usually is).
Even if they change the rules about outdoor locations, there's other requirement such as being considered dignified, etc...
see here:
https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Getting_Married.aspx

While I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your B&B or equestrian centre, a registrar may not consider it an appropriate location.

mayway

If it's not in a church it's not a marriage so I can't see the point of bothering to be honest.

Smartguy

Edgy poster alert!

realdanbreen

Johnny Nothumbs wrote: »

Also is a 'huminest' wedding binding in the same way?

I guess if there is a register there to be signed then it is. I think you are doing the right thing by staying out of the church if you are a non believer. There are too many out there who only turn up in church for weddings and funerals and really if you don't have a faith then you have no business in a church.

ShoulderChip

mayway wrote: »

If it's not in a church it's not a marriage so I can't see the point of bothering to be honest.

cause of jebus?

Toots

mayway is now taking a 2 week holiday from the forum.