The beauty of Grittleton House Wiltshire is that as a family owned house it comes with the ultimate flexibility. We want your wedding day to be unique, like no other. With your vision & our expertise we can work together to make your dream a reality
Gray Manor is a brand new unique boutique wedding venue & hotel set in the heart of the countryside on the Hampshire/ Wiltshire border. If you’re looking for the perfect beautiful & romantic location for your big day, Gray Manor is the perfect.
The Manor House is a Wedding Venue licensed for Civil Ceremonies. Set in the charming village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, the hotel is an idyllic 14th-century manor house - a perfect, magical venue for your wedding day celebrations.
An award winning country house hotel set in the stunning Marlborough Downs in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside. Micro intimate smaller weddings available for a covid friendly ceremonies.
The Club house, is a unique and exclusive wedding venue in Wiltshire. With a licence for civil ceremonies and also able to accommodate your wedding guests.
Set in 20 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens. Alexandra House is one of Wiltshire finest wedding venues. With a license for ceremonies, plenty of guest accommodation and a dedicated wedding team, we aim to make your wedding day perfect.
Beautiful Wedding Venue in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Stunning views and picture perfect backdrop for your special day.
Wrag Barn Golf & Country Club licensed to hold Civl Ceremonies and Civil Partnerships, is the ideal venue for your truly memorable Wedding Reception.
The Stones Hotel is set in the Wiltshire Countryside on the outskirts of the City of Salisbury. We are a fully licensed venue and can accommodate up to 300 guests. We offer a range of Wedding Packages or can also create you a bespoke package.
Bake Barn is restored shooting lodge hidden on the Fonthill Estate in Wiltshire. Available to dry hire, it is a rustic, rural and romantic space. Surrounded by rolling fields, Bake Barn is in a secluded area with no neighbours and no curfew.
The Longhouse is a family run Somerset wedding venue with three romantic licensed ceremony locations to choose from & incredible views of the Somerset countryside. We can cater for up to 140 guests and guarantee a very personal service.
Whether you require a Civil Ceremony, partnership, same sex marriage or a reception, wedding breakfast and evening party Wick Farm will make your day and exceed all your expectations.
Civil ceremony wedding venues are hugely popular throughout the UK. However, what exactly does it mean to be a licensed wedding venue?
If you want to have your marriage ceremony and reception all in one venue in Wiltshire, 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.
So many wedding venues in Wiltshire have a civil ceremony license, but just double check they do before booking them. If they don't you will have to find another way of getting a legally-binding marriage. 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...
It’s not just mansion houses or castles that can be approved wedding venues - approved premises can include everything from hotels and restaurants to zoos, aquariums, treehouses and caves! 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 Wiltshire 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. Due to the venue needing to be regularly open to the public to be an approved venue, you aren't able to legally marry in a private home or estate. 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 Wiltshire.
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. What you say during your ceremony can be changed to a certain degree. Ask your registrar about what needs to be included and work around that to make your own words and promises.
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 Wiltshire. 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. 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.
