Hidden away in the heart of rural Staffordshire, Alrewas Hayes is a historical 100-acre country estate where exceptional event experiences happen. Alrewas Hayes is available to hire on an exclusive use basis seven days a week, throughout the year.
One of Staffordshire's finest Stately Home Wedding Venues, complete with a Victorian Orangery. Surrounded by acres of parkland, with a license for ceremonies in the Dining Room and Music Room.
Sandon Hall is one of the most sought-after wedding venues in the heart of the Midlands. The country mansion’s magnificent interior and picturesque gardens make it the perfect location for a wedding, civil partnership ceremony or reception.
Stunning Wedding Reception Venue in Staffordshire. Rodbaston Hall is a beautiful 19th century country house set in magnificent landscaped gardens. It has recently been renovated and is available on an exclusive basis to couples and their guests.
An elegant Grade II listed, civil licensed, Georgian Country House wedding venue near Burton on Trent. Stunning grounds overlooking the River Dove offering picturesque Staffordshire countryside as a backdrop to your wedding photography.
Looking for a wedding venue in Lichfield, Staffordshire? Discover your perfect wedding day at The George, where you can relax and enjoy the company of your guests while we take care of the rest…
Swinfen Hall is the venue dreams are made of – the beautifully restored Georgian Manor is nestled in 100 acres of Staffordshire countryside, offering award winning gardens and a stunning setting for your wedding day.
Blakelands Country House offers a historic setting, exclusively for the wedding of your dreams, all bought to you from our own in-house teams, offering catering, accommodation & civil ceremonies.
If you are looking for a great value wedding reception or evening party venue in Lichfield with friendly service and lots of character, then The Cathedral Hotel is the place for you!
Rustic sandstone barns, exposed brickwork, oak beams and log burners meet modern luxuries and contemporary features at Heaton House Farm, an exclusive countryside venue and working farm in Cheshire, with stunning rural views across three counties.
Wedding venues licensed for civil ceremonies are the most popular.
If you want to have your marriage ceremony and reception all in one venue in Staffordshire, 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.
If your dream wedding venue isn't licensed for civil ceremonies, there's other options in Staffordshire. 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.
We're here to answer all of your questions on wedding venues licensed for civil ceremonies below...
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. It costs wedding venues money to apply for a license, so some just host humanist or spiritual ceremonies, or simply host wedding receptions rather than ceremonies.
Every venue in Staffordshire 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. The legal elements of the ceremony must also take place in a fixed and permanent structure, such as a wooden gazebo or pagoda. This means that you can’t legally marry under a floral arch, on an open beach or in woodland, for example. 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 Staffordshire.
The law does not consider marquees to be permanent structures, even ones that are up all year round. If you want to hold your wedding in a marquee, it's best to get married in a nearby church or licensed venue indoors before the reception. 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 Staffordshire 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 Staffordshire. If you would like to include religion in some way, you can have a religious blessing after your civil ceremony.
The above requirements only apply to weddings in England and Wales. In Scotland, humanist ceremonies are legally binding, so brides in Scotland have more flexibility when choosing their wedding venues. Unlike civil ceremonies, humanist weddings do not require specific wording, or for the ceremony to be under a permanent structure. If you're wanting to have religious elements to your ceremony, whether that be a song or a reading, a humanist ceremony would work perfect for you in Scotland. Speak to a few venues around you to see what ceremonies they can offer and what would work for you
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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.
