For
many couples nowadays, the traditional church wedding doesn’t suit and
they are turning to secular civil partnership ceremonies instead. This
has meant that a far wider assortment of locations can act as the backdrop
for this special commitment ceremony. Barns, halls, old houses…all sorts
of exciting venues might now be possible and so the advice for couples
is to seek a special venue for a special day where your civil ceremony
poems and readings can be in harmony. The ceremony itself is short, non-religious
and presided over by a registrar/celebrant usually wearing smart ‘day’
clothes – so the romance of the day doesn’t lie in these aspects but more
in the surroundings, words and music chosen. Thus, civil ceremonies can
require beautiful locations to turn them into a romantic civil ceremony
setting. So if it is ideas for civil ceremonies that are needed, a unique
event venue with immense character such as Pledgdon Barn is a very popular
choice.
Like all such venues that hold a current Civil Ceremonies Licence under the Marriages (approved premises) Regulations Act 1994/5, Pledgdon Barn, an event location in Essex, has been inspected by all the relevant authorities (fire, council etc) and approved. It makes an ideal setting for personalised, romantic civil wedding ceremonies and civil union ceremonies.
Thus, when planning their event, the wedding couple not only need to ensure
that their chosen venue is available for the date of their choice – and
licensed to hold the ceremony there - but that, additionally, the associated
Registrar is also available on that date. Every venue will have a link
with a particular Registry Office and will be able to give you contact
details.
The example of Pledgdon Barn, a stunning ancient barn that makes a beautiful civil wedding ceremony location, is on the Essex/Herts border. If you made an appointment to visit and decided that this was indeed the perfect setting for your Big Day, and the date was available, that’s Step One. Step Two would be to contact the Registrars at Saffron Walden (the Registrars associated with this particular venue) and find out what time slots they have available on that day too. Currently, you can only book up to a year in advance, so if you really are early-birds, then do just that – ring 365 days in advance, to maximise your chance of booking the exact time of day you most want for your ceremony.
After
that, on your To Do List, will be the choosing of appropriate words to
say to each other, perhaps selecting civil ceremony poems and readings
- plus non-religious music for the time when the bride walks in and another
piece for after the ceremony too. No hymns are allowed and the music must
be secular at these civil wedding ceremonies. Some choices are more unusual
or humorous than others and these have included heavy rock and roll…and
even “There May Be Trouble Ahead”!
Pledgdon Barn, like other romantic civil ceremony licensed venues, knows
the criteria that have to be fulfilled, such as a separate room for the
bride and groom (or same-sex couples) and celebrant to have a private discussion
– and also that no bar and drinks equipment is visible or being used before/during
the ceremony! However, the ceremonies usually last just 10-15 minutes,
so guests can soon enjoy a drink and raise a glass to toast you, after
witnessing and sharing the joy of your special ceremony. Cheers and congratulations!
For more information on romantic civil ceremonies, weddings at Pledgdon Barn, ring 01279 876661 or visit the Pledgdon Barn website.