Perhaps one of the simplest ways to get married is to complete your legalities at your local registry office where you can generally hold a ceremony from as simple as just signing the register and making your legally binding vows through to a full ceremony complete with readings and all the trimmings! But is the simplicity of a registry office wedding the best way to go or are you better off holding a civil ceremony out at another venue? Time to explore the pros and cons and fight it out!
In the Red Corner, fighting for the ceremony to be completed out on location at another venue, she had the best of both worlds for her own wedding, holding a registry office ceremony in the UK and destination church wedding abroad, it’s Dom “The Tog Bride”.
In the Blue Corner, fighting the registry office’s cause… well they did offer him a cup of tea once! It’s Matt “The Gormless Groom”
Registry Office Vs Alternative Civil Ceremony Venue
FIGHT!!!
.jpg)
Dom: Registry office’s do so many weddings in a day that they can sometimes feel like they’re just trying to get you in and out as quickly as possible which can leave your ceremony feeling stressful rather than enjoyable as it should be.
Matt: With a registry office you’re only really paying the fee for the registrar rather than the often huge additional venue costs making the registry office a very budget-friendly option and meaning you can spend more on the rest of the day if your budget is tight.
Dom: Registry office’s are often far from the grandest of venues and with some of the smaller ones it can feel like you’re just getting married in someone’s living room. It’s also rare that you’re able to add any of your own personal decoration. Your ceremony is the most important part of the day and you should hold it in a setting befitting the occasion.
Matt: Some registry office’s may be less grand than others but many are in beautiful locations like historic town halls and Guild Halls. As long as you give plenty of notice it’s quite possible to choose which registry office you would like to be married at.
Dom: Registry offices are usually quite small venues so you can usually only have a very limited number of guests to watch you tie the knot!
Matt: But for many people the size of a registry office is perfect if you just want your family to join you for a very intimate ceremony, after all with so few people is it worth paying extra for a grand venue or should the focus of the ceremony simply be on you? You can always invite more people to celebrate with you at a bigger reception later at another venue.
Dom: With registry office’s you’re often asked not to arrive more than 15 minutes before the ceremony, meaning you miss out on all the exciting build-up as you await the arrival of the bride.
Matt: Not every venue is licensed for a civil ceremony but there’s always the option to complete the legalities at a registry office and then have a humanist or other (non-legally binding) ceremony at your dream venue so that you get to have a ceremony that’s all about you rather than about completing legalities.
Dom: At a registry office, particularly one where there’s more than one ceremony room, you’re likely to see other brides and grooms arriving and departing which takes away some of that sense of it being YOUR big day. At other venues you can usually ensure that you’re the only couple getting married there that day.
Matt: At the end of the day though the ceremony really is just about making that commitment to one another and nothing else really matters. The reception is where it’s easier to really make the space your own and celebrate in style!
So those are our arguments but where do you stand? Leave your comments to join the debate or place your vote in our poll below!
[yop_poll id=”43″]
