People love weddings – a great party, free food and drink and hanging out with your friends and family.  But if it’s you getting married there’s more to it than that – like committing to stay together for the rest of your lives for a start! 

Here’s some information about getting married or having a civil partnership.

Marriage

One of the first things to note is that are only a few things you ‘have’ to do – you don’t ‘have’ to have a big engagement party, you don’t ‘have’ to wear a white dress and you don’t ‘have’ to spend a fortune. Remember though that your families (and even friends) may have different ideas on what you ‘have’ to do. If this is your situation a bit of tact and careful discussion can help.

The General Register Office for Scotland have a great section on their website which tells you the things you ‘have’ to do to get married:

• You need to be 16 or over.
• If you have already been married or in a civil partnership you need to prove that this has legally ended.
• You can’t be the same sex (but if you are you can have a civil partnership, see below)
• There are laws regarding couples who are related to one another (see the website).
• You need to understand what marriage means and consent to taking part, but just about everyone is able to do that.
• The other ‘haves’ are to do with filling in marriage notices and taking them to the registry office in the area you are going to get married in. The General Register Office for Scotland site tells you all about this.

Where to get married?

There are lots of different places you can get married:

Places of worship
Many religious people opt for their place of worship. If the leader (for example a minister at a church) here is registered to conduct marriages you can ask them to marry you anywhere you want in Scotland, as long as they feel it is appropriate. Included in this are Humanists, who are given the same rights as religious leaders but do not have religious beliefs.

If you don’t want a religious wedding you can still get married anywhere you want in Scotland, again the as long as the person leading the ceremony (celebrant) feel it is appropriate.

Registry Office Weddings
You can also have a registry office wedding, which is another option if you don’t want a religious wedding. Or you can get married at an ‘approved venue’. These include hotels, museums, halls and universities where a registrar will come along to marry you.

How much does it cost to get married?

There is no one definitive answer to this one. Wedding generally aren't cheap but it is possible to get married without breaking the bank or selling the family jewels. You could be creative about where you hold the reception or ask friends to help out with catering.

There are lots of different costs to take into account with a wedding. You've got the obvious things like the dress and the flowers but there are small things like table decorations or presents for the bridesmaids that all add up.

Good planning is essential if you want to do a wedding on a budget. Adding up to a lifetime is a handy website with lots of practical information and advice on financial matters you face in real life. In ther relationships section they have practical information and activities that can help you think about the financial side of getting married.

Inspiration and Ideas

You’ll find there are loads of magazines, websites, books and people out there telling you what you need to do to plan a wedding. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first but there can be some useful ideas and information – just remember that it’s your day and you can do what you want (within reason…)!