Congratulations you are getting married❤️ What do you do next?

Congratulations you are getting married.  What do you do next ?

Step 1. State Notice

For a legal marriage in Ireland, every couple must Register  *Your Intent To Marry with the HSE at least 3 months prior to your wedding date.

A fee of €200 is payable to the state registrar for “Notification of your intention to marry”. Full details of the registration process are available on the  *HSE Website.

Step 2. Book your Venue

In choosing your venue remember that for legal solemnising your venue must have an identifiable address and be open to the public. Your ceremony can be outdoors providing the venue meets this criteria.

So in short, you cannot get legally married in your parents back garden, your favourite park, beach or your granny’s beautiful big house !!!!  

Step 3. Book your Celebrant

A Ceremony held by an Interfaith Celebrant is the option for people of all faith paths or none who want to be legally married regardless as to their beliefs or orientation. Interfaith Ministers have been professionally trained in the creation of bespoke legal ceremony. Your ceremony is created with you ensuring that it reflects your beliefs and wishes. They can perform your ceremony at your location on any day of the year. Interfaith Celebrants are independent and you book them directly not centrally. 

A Humanist Celebrant creates a ceremony which is completely secular (ie 100% non‐religious, with no facility for inclusion of hymns, prayers or bible readings, mention of God or the afterlife). A humanist can marry you legally at your chosen location. Humanism is a religion in its own right.

A Spiritual Celebrant creates a wedding ceremony in which couples invite those from the spirit world to be present with them to share their special day. Spiritualism is a religion in its own right and Spiritual beliefs include the relationship to a superior being and an existential perspective on life, death and the nature of reality. In Ireland Spiritual Celebrants are centrally allocated when you submit your request for a Spiritual Celebrant.

And then there are Independent Celebrants who preside over a ceremony but cannot legally marry you. They can perform a commitment ceremony only, in your chosen location on any day of the year.  In Ireland Celebrants are independent and you book them directly not centrally.