Read our Handy Guide on Booking and Arranging your Legal Wedding Ceremony at The Woods at Oakley Below
Since April 2022, legal marriage and civil partnership ceremonies can take place in approved outdoor spaces at approved venues through Wiltshire Council. Here at The Woods at Oakley in Wiltshire, UK, we are one of those approved venues! This means we are a licensed wedding venue through Wiltshire Council, and you can legally get married under our beautiful canopy of trees in our ancient woodland. This blog will guide you through the process of organising your legal wedding ceremony at The Woods at Oakley and answer any questions you may have.
Is a Legal Wedding Ceremony at The Woods at Oakley Different from a Registry Office Ceremony?
Yes! Having your legal wedding ceremony in the woods means the celebrants can offer enormous flexibility to help you create a ceremony that truly reflects your feelings for each other – a memory that will stay with you forever! Your official ceremony can have traditional, modern or even quirky elements – the sky is the limit. Working with your celebrant, you can discuss your thoughts and ideas to create a truly unique and personalised ceremony from start to finish.
The price to have your official ceremony in the woods is higher than a registry office ceremony but it allows you to make your ceremony truly your own. Alternatively, you could consider a registry office marriage, which is a shorter, more basic and less personalised ceremony, and then ask a friend to be the celebrant in your woodland celebration! For a list of Wiltshire Ceremonies’ fees, click here.
How Do We Book Our Ceremony?
Once you’ve secured your date for your dream woodland wedding at The Woods at Oakley, contact Wiltshire Ceremonies by calling them on 0300 003 4570, where a team dedicated to making bookings will advise you on availability and will be able to book the date for you. You are welcome to book well in advance, even though you will only be able to complete the legal preliminaries within 12 months of your ceremony.
Once you have booked the date and time for your wedding, Wiltshire Ceremonies will then send you a ceremony booking form, advising of the timescale within which you must give your legal notice of intention of marriage or civil partnership.
What is a Notice of Marriage?
A notice of marriage / notice of civil partnership is a legal declaration that you are both free to marry, which must be given individually by each of you in person. Notices can be given up to one year in advance, but not less than 30 days before your ceremony date. A notice is venue specific and valid for 12 months from the date the notice is given, so before booking an appointment you need to have booked your wedding date with us and your ceremony time with Wiltshire Ceremonies. If, after giving notice, you change the date of your wedding beyond 12 months from the date of your appointment, you must give a new notice and pay the fees again.
You can each give your notice of marriage or civil partnership at the Register Office in the district where you have lived for a minimum of seven clear days before giving notice. If you both live in Wiltshire you can book a double appointment and attend together. To book a notice appointment at one of the Wiltshire Registration Offices, book online at www.wiltshire.gov.uk or telephone 0300 003 4570. The nearest register office to The Woods at Oakley is in Salisbury.
Once you’ve had your appointments, your notice will be displayed publicly for 28 clear days before your legal paperwork can be issued. After this time, your marriage or civil partnership schedule will be issued which means that your legal ceremony can take place.
What Happens at the Notice of Marriage Appointments?
You will each need to provide evidence of your name, age and nationality, evidence of your home address, any evidence related to a change of name and evidence that you are now free to marry if you have previously been married or in a civil partnership. Nationality is most easily proven with a passport, which also proves name and age. Address can be proved with a photocard driving licence, or recent bank statement, council tax or utility bill. Change of name deeds should be brought if appropriate, and a decree absolute or decree of dissolution if you are divorced or death certificate if you are widowed. All documents should be originals (not photocopies), valid and in date.
The registrar conducting your Notice of Marriage interviews is there to make sure that you are both free and consenting to marry each other. They will confirm your identity, your partner’s identity, that you have the legal right to marry in the UK and that there is no legal impediment preventing you from marrying each other. Don’t worry – they’re not trying to catch you out and there’s no need to feel nervous.
How Do We Plan Our Ceremony?
Once you have been approved to marry, Wiltshire Ceremonies will send you a link to your online ceremony arrangements planner, where you can carefully curate your ceremony to make it personal to you. You can decide if you would like a simple ceremony or a more elaborate one; or something in between. All the usual options are available to you, such as being ‘given away’, reading your own vows, having readings of your choice, recorded or live music of your choice, exchanging rings and choosing your witnesses (Wiltshire Ceremonies have a useful list of readings and song suggestions here if you’re stuck for inspiration). You will be able to choose between lots of different wordings for each part of the legal ceremony, or you are welcome to write it in your own words. There are also ceremony enhancements you can add on, including:
Fisherman’s Knot – Also known as a true lover’s knot, two separate ropes or cords are brought together and tied as one. The two cords represent the joining of your two lives together and the knot itself symbolises the future with its strong bond.
Hand Tying – Tying of the hands is one of the oldest matrimonial traditions that has been used around the world. The hands of the couple are clasped and tied together with a cord, scarf or similar after their vows are made to one another. The wrapping of the cord forms a symbol of infinity and oneness between the couple.
Sand Ceremony – The pouring of different coloured sands into a glass container to represent the beauty and complexity of an unbreakable bond created when the individuals join as one family.
Unity Candle – The lighting of a unity candle represents the coming together of two families. One person from each of the couple’s family will light a taper candle, and this is then used by the couple to light the larger Unity candle together.
Other Alternatives – If you want to find something a bit different, Wiltshire Ceremonies welcomes couples to do some research of your own. Alternatives might include Tree Planting, Wine Box, Time Capsule or Wishing Stones. Wiltshire Ceremonies are happy to discuss your ideas with you, and the only restriction is that it can’t include anything of a religious nature.
For more inspiration on choosing the perfect readings for your woodland wedding ceremony, read our dedicated blog here – it features our team’s favourite readings!
What Happens on the Day?
The registrar and celebrant will arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start of your ceremony. It’s a legal requirement for the registering officer to see both of you for a few minutes on the day to complete the legal preliminaries, either together or separately. You must ensure that you are both at the venue at least 20 minutes before the time arranged for the start of the ceremony. If you wish to be seen separately it’s helpful if one of you can be there at least 30 minutes beforehand. At The Woods at Oakley, the registrars usually see the bride first in our on-site accommodation, The Nissen Hut, and then the groom in the Hazel Bower, which is the ceremony area.
Your guests must be seated at least 15 minutes before the start of your ceremony and the ceremony must start on time – it’s a good idea to have a seating plan with reserved signs for the front rows and ushers who will ensure guests attending the ceremony are in place promptly.
Wiltshire Ceremonies are very happy for your ceremony to be photographed and video recorded and are happy to re-stage the signing of the schedule for your photographer and guests to take pictures at the end of the ceremony. Your celebrant will be happy to suggest a suitable vantage point for your photographer and videographer and work with them to ensure they are able to capture your special day. If you have guests who cannot make it, you are also welcome to set up a live webcast of your ceremony, however you will need to ensure you have an internet connection and that the volume is muted in the Hazel Bower to avoid any interruptions.
Your order of ceremony will vary depending on your choices but will look a little something like this:
- Background music playing as your guests are seated (recorded or live)
- Processional music for the arrival of the wedding party (recorded or live)
- Welcome and introduction by the celebrant (this is a good place to get your celebrant to let guests know if you want your ceremony to be phone free)
- Optional reading
- The marriage
- Optional reading or ceremony enhancement
- Exchange of rings
- Alternative option for ceremony enhancement or a further reading
- Formal announcement of the marriage
- Signing of the Legal Marriage Schedule
- Opportunity for all guests to take photos
- Optional reading
- Exit of the newly married couple followed by their family and friends
Your celebrant will guide you through every part of the ceremony and you will not need to memorise any of the words that you choose, and you will be able to repeat after the celebrant throughout. You may choose to write your own personal promises to each other, and you may feel that it is more personal to read these from a small card during the ceremony – the choice is yours!
If you’re looking to have your legal wedding ceremony in an ethereal woodland setting, book in a viewing with us by emailing enquiries@thewoodsatoakley.co.uk. In the meantime, you can view a virtual tour of The Woods at Oakley here and start envisioning your dream woodland wedding! We hope that this blog has been useful but, if you need any more information about having your legal wedding ceremony with us, contact Wiltshire Ceremonies or read their FAQs here. If you’re looking for more inspiration and top tips, read our blog on how to plan your dream woodland wedding ceremony here.
For more information on our woodland wedding packages, read our brochure here.