Secular and civil wedding traditions

A secular or civil wedding is one conducted by the state or a celebrant rather than a religious body.

A secular or civil wedding is one conducted by the state or a celebrant rather than a religious body. It can be a five minute visit to a registry office or a long and personal ceremony in a garden, and it is now the most common form in many countries.

What the law requires

Most countries require a declaration of consent, witnesses and a record. In France and Germany a civil wedding at the mairie or the Standesamt is the only legally binding act, and a religious one may come after. In England and Wales a civil ceremony may be held in any licensed venue. In the United States the officiant may be a judge, a clerk or an ordained friend. In Scandinavia, Humanists and the state church both conduct marriages.

Humanist and celebrant weddings

Humanist and independent celebrant ceremonies have grown fast. They may be written entirely by the couple, with readings, music, a unity ritual such as sand or tree planting, and no religious content. In Scotland, Humanist weddings were legalised in 2005 and have since become very popular, and in Ireland they were recognised in 2012.

Why it matters

Civil marriage opens a wedding to people who are excluded or unwelcome in religious ones: interfaith couples, same-sex couples, divorcees and the unbelieving. It also protects spouses by giving legal rights, which a purely religious wedding may not do. Many couples choose a civil wedding for law and add a cultural one for family.

About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Secular and civil (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇫🇮 FinlandSame-sex marriage in Finlandsukupuolineutraali avioliitto The legal recognition of same-sex unions that took effect in Finland on 1 March 2017.Modern · Engagement and betrothal

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHumanist wedding A non-religious marriage ceremony led by a trained humanist officiant, celebrated in many countries worldwide.Rite · The ceremony

🇮🇸 IcelandSame-sex marriage in Icelandsamkynja hjónaband The legal union of two people regardless of gender, established in Iceland in 2010.Modern · The ceremony 🇲🇹 MaltaSame-sex marriage in MaltaŻwieġ bejn persuni tal-istess sess The legal recognition of same-sex marriage and civil unions in Malta.Modern · Engagement and betrothal 🇺🇸 United StatesSelf-uniting marriage A wedding where the couple marries each other without a third-party officiant.Vow · The ceremony 🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSame-sex marriage in SwedenSambolydning i Sverige The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Sweden since 2009.Modern · Engagement and betrothal 🇫🇷 FranceCivil solidarity pactPacte civil de solidarité (PACS) A French civil union contract that offers legal rights to couples without the full status of marriage.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇵🇹 Lisbon, PortugalSame-sex marriage in PortugalCasamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo The legal recognition of marriage between two people of the same sex in Portugal.Modern · Engagement and betrothal

🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandSame-sex marriage in Thailandสมรสเท่าเทียม (Somrot Thaothiam) The legal recognition of same-sex unions that took effect in January 2025.Modern · The ceremony

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreCollective wedding A single ceremony where many couples exchange vows and become married at once.Modern · The ceremony

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreNude wedding A ceremony where the couple or guests participate without clothing.Modern · The ceremony

🇮🇳 IndiaChild marriage in India A contested practice where minors marry, defined by law as unions involving a bride under 18.Modern · Engagement and betrothal

🇧🇪 Kapellen, BelgiumSame-sex marriage in Belgiumhomohuwelijk / mariage homosexuel The legal union of two people of the same sex, available since June 2003.Modern · The ceremony

🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaSame-sex marriage in Australia The legal recognition of marriages between two people of the same gender in Australia.Modern · The ceremony

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomSame-sex marriage in the United Kingdom The legal recognition of same-sex unions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.Modern · The ceremony

🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsSame-sex marriage in the Netherlandshuwelijk tussen personen van gelijk geslacht The first national law to allow two people of the same sex to wed.Modern · The ceremony

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Denmarkægteskab mellem personer af samme køn The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Denmark since 2012, following a pioneering partnership law from 1989.Modern · The ceremony

🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands and 5 moreSame-sex marriage The legal union of two people of the same sex or gender, recognized in dozens of countries.Modern · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandSame-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland The legal recognition of same-sex marriage following a national referendum in 2015Modern · Engagement and betrothal 🇳🇿 Wellington, New ZealandMarriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 The 2013 New Zealand law that changed the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.Vow · The weeks before 🇿🇦 South AfricaCivil partnership in South Africa A legal union in South Africa that grants same-sex and opposite-sex couples the same rights as marriage.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 1 moreCivil partnership in the United Kingdom A legal union for same-sex and opposite-sex couples in the UK, offering rights equal to marriage.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Guernsey The legal recognition of same-sex unions across the Bailiwick of Guernsey and its dependencies.Modern · The ceremony 🇮🇩 IndonesiaSame-sex marriage in Indonesia The legal status and social reality of same-sex unions under Indonesian law.Modern · The ceremony 🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaCivil partnership in Latviacivilā partnerība The legal framework for same-sex couples in Latvia that grants most marital rights without adoption or inheritance.Modern · Engagement and betrothal 🇦🇹 Vienna, AustriaSame-sex marriage in Austria Civil marriage and partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples in AustriaVow · The ceremony 🇦🇩 AndorraSame-sex marriage in AndorraMatrimoni entre persones del mateix sexe The legal recognition of same-sex unions in the Pyrenean principality since 2023.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇱🇮 Vaduz, LiechtensteinSame-sex marriage in Liechtenstein The civil union that grants equal marital rights to all couples in the Alpine principality.Modern · The ceremony 🇸🇮 SloveniaSame-sex marriage in SloveniaZakonska zveza istospolnih partnerjev The legal recognition of same-sex unions that evolved from limited partnerships to full marriage rights.Modern · Engagement and betrothal

🇳🇿 Wellington, New ZealandCivil union in New Zealand A legal partnership for same-sex and opposite-sex couples established by statute in New Zealand.Vow · Engagement and betrothal

🇪🇸 A Coruña, Spain and 2 moreFirst same-sex marriage in Spain The 1901 union of two women in Galicia that preceded legal recognition by over a centuryModern · The ceremony 🇨🇦 CanadaCivil union in Quebec A legal partnership in Quebec that grants same rights to opposite and same-sex couples as marriage.Vow · Engagement and betrothal 🇦🇺 Australia and 5 moreCelebrancy A profession of secular officiants who create personalised life ceremonies for people outside traditional religious or sModern · The weeks before 🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha The legal recognition of same-sex unions across the three island groups since 2017.Modern · The ceremony

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Same-sex marriage in Thailand: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Child marriage in India: Baijayant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Civil union in New Zealand: Helen Robinson, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Same-sex marriage in Belgium: flamenc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
First same-sex marriage in Spain: Jglamela, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Nude wedding: Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, source
Collective wedding: Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Pará, Public domain, source
Same-sex marriage in Iceland: Stanko Gruden/STA/Predsednik Republike Slovenije, CC0, source
Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom: blavoulondon - blavou.co, CC BY 2.0, source
Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands: Jeffpw, CC BY 3.0, source
Same-sex marriage in Denmark: PavelStotsko, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Same-sex marriage: Stefano Bolognini, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland: Kaihsu Tai, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Humanist wedding: User:m5 , Hans Bernhard ( Schnobby ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Same-sex marriage in Australia: Mikeybear, CC BY-SA 3.0, source