Best Western Normanton Park Hotel is the perfect wedding venue & offers a beautiful setting for your wedding day. Situated in 5 acres of stunning gardens & parkland overlooking Rutland Water, offering you a fantastic backdrop for your wedding photos.
Deene Park Estate, with its stunning views of the house , 500+ acres of listed parkland, lakes & formal gardens offers you a breathtaking backdrop for your truly exclusive wedding experience.
Exton Park, Rutland, Leicestershire stunningly beautiful setting for a wedding. Exclusive use with own private chapel for your wedding ceremony.
Large Hotel wedding venue in Rutland, & is licensed for Civil Ceremonies. The hotel is set in stunning parkland overlooking Rutland Water. This unique elegant wedding venue provides the perfect backdrop to your day.
Hambleton Hall is the perfect setting for an intimate wedding. Licensed for civil ceremonies with a maximum capacity of 60. For a memorable and captivating event, the team at Hambleton Hall can help you have the perfect wedding day.
Barnsdale Lodge is beautifully converted 17th Century farmhouse wedding venue in Rutland. This stunning venue is licensed for civil ceremonies & can accommodate upto 180 guests. You are also able to decorate and personalise the space for your theme
Historic wedding castle, in Rutland. Licensed for Civil Ceremonies. Perfect for traditional weddings, and ideal for couples wanting a specially themed wedding. We are conveniently situated in Oakham town centre, yet sit in our own peaceful grounds
16th Century Coaching Inn Hotel in the heart of Uppingham, Rutland. Wedding reception venue licensed for civil ceremonies.
A Waterside, wedding venue in Rutland. Licensed for Civil Ceremonies
What does it mean to be a licensed venue for civil ceremonies?
Having a civil ceremony is the perfect option for those of you who want a legal ceremony but without having to get married in a church or with a religious connection, and you’re getting married in England or Wales, then a civil ceremony is the best match for you. You can either get married in a register office, or you can have a civil ceremony at an approved wedding venue. To be an approved civil ceremony venue, wedding venues need to apply for a civil ceremony license.
There are hundreds of wedding venues in Rutland with a civil ceremony license, but it’s important to check that your dream venue has one if you’re wanting a legally-binding ceremony. The alternative is marrying in a humanist or spiritual ceremony, which will allow you to marry in any venue (or in an unlicensed part of an otherwise licensed venue, such as a garden or private beach), but will need to be followed by a legal civil ceremony in a register office at another date.
Take a look at our FAQ below for everything you need to know about your civil ceremony licensed wedding venue.
Not just traditional wedding venues have civil ceremony licenses. Some more unique venues including safari parks, tree houses and beach venues have this license. If they’re on our civil ceremony venue list, then you can legally marry there. However, don’t assume that more traditional venues always have a civil ceremony license. Some you can only have your wedding reception at but you will have to check with the wedding venue itself. Take a look at our range of civil ceremony licensed venues in Rutland.
Every venue in Rutland is assessed and researched before they are approved for civil ceremonies. This is done by the local council in which the venue is based. This includes whether or not they’re in a safe and reasonable state for members of the public, and if they meet fire safety regulations. If you're wanting to have your wedding in a private home or in gardens, you will be unable to do this. The venue needs to be open to the public regularly. If you’re hoping to marry on private land, in a back garden or a large home that isn’t available to the public, you’ll need to hold your legal ceremony in a register office instead.
If you want to tie the knot in an outdoor wedding ceremony, then your wedding venue will need a separate civil ceremony license for this. Due to the law, if you get married outside it still needs to be under a fixed permanent structure. Don’t presume that any permanent fixture in a wedding venue’s garden will be automatically covered by a civil ceremony license. Venues need to purchase licenses for separate structures. If you want to know if you can get married in a garden, search our ‘Outdoor wedding ceremony’ filter or simply enquire with your chosen wedding venue in Rutland.
The law does not consider marquees to be permanent structures, even ones that are up all year round. One way to get around this is to have your ceremony over the threshold of a doorway. This way, your guests can be seated in the marquee while you are technically indoors.
A civil wedding ceremony has certain legal requirements. You must have two witnesses over the age of 18, and you will need to exchange contractual words of marriage. One advantage of a civil ceremony is there's the option to say what you wish as part of your wedding vows. There are some things that need to be legally stated for it to be legally binding but you can work around this. Find an abundance of venues licensed for civil ceremonies in Rutland on Guides for Brides.
By law a civil ceremony cannot include any religious element, including readings or music. You also cannot hold a civil ceremony in a religious building in Rutland. If you would like to include religion in some way, you can have a religious blessing after your civil ceremony.
If you wish to get married in Scotland, there's many more venues that you can do this is. This is because in Scotland, humanist ceremonies are legally binding and in a humanist ceremony there's a lot more flexibility on what you and your partner can say. Unlike civil ceremonies, humanist weddings do not require specific wording, or for the ceremony to be under a permanent structure. You can also include religious elements in your humanist ceremony. If you’re a bride in Scotland, ask your wedding venue about what kind of ceremony would work best for you.
Elaine has over 8 years of experience working with wedding venues, and advises many of the top hotel and venue brands on their wedding marketing. She has a deep understanding of statistics that can accurately predict the online populaity of a particular venue and she is happy to share that knowledge with wedding couples and venues.
