How many styles of wedding venues are out there?

A few years back, the choice was simple; couples either married during a religious church wedding, or a non-religious civil ceremony. To some extent this still goes, however in recent years an increasing amount of varied venues have obtained marriage licenses, making the choice a lot trickier!

Ideally, your chosen ceremony venue should be special to both your and your partner, and be located somewhere that isn’t too hard for your guests to reach. In the UK, by law, marriages must take place between the hours of 8am and 6pm, and the register must be signed underneath a ‘stable roof’.

Religious Venues

Traditional religious ceremonies tend to take places in churches, chapels, abbeys or cathedrals. Depending on the vicar, some religious venues may require that you hold a close family association with the venue before allowing you to marry there. Religious venues tend to simply cater for the ceremony itself, and you will usually need to search for a nearby venue to move on to for the reception.

Civil Ceremonies

Civil ceremonies can take place in any venue that holds a valid marriage licence, this could be a hotel, castle, registry office, country club, pub, and more recently even barns and zoos! Councils usually ensure that registry offices are placed in picturesque locations with easy access to grounds appropriate for wedding photographs. Unfortunately, in most parts of the UK it is illegal to marry outside, although couples could consider holding a brief ceremony in a local registry office and then continuing the celebration with an outdoor blessing. In Scotland however, couples are able to marry in any venue (indoor or out) which is licensed.

Once the ceremony is decided upon, it will be time to consider where you will hold your reception. A benefit of holding a civil ceremony in a large venue such as a hotel or country house is that you will most likely be able to hold your ceremony and reception in the same place, making the day a lot simpler!

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