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.
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.
🇬🇧 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
🇧🇪 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
🇮🇸 IcelandSame-sex marriage in Icelandsamkynja hjónaband
The legal union of two people regardless of gender, established in Iceland in 2010.Modern · The ceremony
🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSame-sex marriage in Sweden
The legal union for same-sex couples that began on 1 May 2009 after the Riksdag passed a gender-neutral law.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇹 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
🇫🇷 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
🇫🇮 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
🇬🇧 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, 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
🇳🇱 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
🇪🇪 Tallinn, EstoniaSame-sex marriage in Estonia
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in the Baltic state, following registered partnerships.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇸🇮 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
🇪🇸 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
🇱🇻 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
🇩🇰 DenmarkSame-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands
The legal recognition of same-sex unions that began in 2017 after years of parliamentary debate.Modern · The ceremony
🇱🇮 Vaduz, LiechtensteinSame-sex marriage in Liechtenstein
The civil union that grants equal marital rights to all couples in the Alpine principality.Modern · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Guernsey
The legal recognition of same-sex unions across the Bailiwick of Guernsey and its dependencies.Modern · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Jersey
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the Crown Dependency of Jersey since 2018.Modern · The ceremony
🇦🇹 Vienna, AustriaSame-sex marriage in Austria
Civil marriage and partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples in AustriaVow · The ceremony
🇬🇧 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
🇬🇧 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
🇨🇿 Prague, CzechiaRegistered partnership in the Czech Republicregistrované partnerství
The legal framework for same-sex couples in Czechia that grants marriage-like rights without the title of marriage.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇦🇩 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
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Legal same-sex weddings for British military personnel on the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus.Modern · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in the Isle of Man
The legalisation of same-sex marriage on the Isle of Man, following civil partnerships since 2011.Vow · The ceremony
🇳🇱 NetherlandsSame-sex marriage in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten
The legal right for same-sex couples to marry in the Caribbean constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.Modern · The ceremony
🇫🇷 Montpellier, FranceSame-sex marriage in Francemariage pour tous
The legal recognition of marriage for couples regardless of gender, established in France in 2013.Modern · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- First same-sex marriage in Spain: Jglamela, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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 Faroe Islands: Arne List, CC BY-SA 2.0, 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 France: Claude TRUONG-NGOC, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Humanist wedding: User:m5 , Hans Bernhard ( Schnobby ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Belgium: flamenc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands: Jeffpw, CC BY 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland: Kaihsu Tai, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Registered partnership in the Czech Republic: Martin Strachoň, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Estonia: Märt Põder, CC BY-SA 4.0, source