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.

🇨🇾 Cyprus and 2 moreMarriage in Cyprus A destination for civil and religious weddings that allows interfaith couples to marry outside their home laws.Vow · The ceremony 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCivil ceremony A secular marriage rite performed by a government official at a licensed venue.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 🇲🇹 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 🇫🇮 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 🇵🇹 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 🇺🇸 Hawaii, United StatesCommon-law marriage in the United States A legal union formed by mutual consent and public presentation without a license or ceremony.Vow · 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

🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreDower A share of the husband's property set aside to secure a woman's life if he dies first.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal 🇺🇸 United StatesSelf-uniting marriage A wedding where the couple marries each other without a third-party officiant.Vow · 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 🇫🇷 FrancePosthumous marriage in Francemariage posthume A legal union with a deceased partner, authorized by the French President for serious reasons.Vow · The ceremony 🇨🇳 ChinaJiaobeijiu交杯酒 The ancient Chinese rite of sharing wine from linked cups to seal a marriage.Rite · The ceremony

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreRing fingerdigitus annularis The fourth digit of the hand where wedding and engagement rings are traditionally worn.Attire · 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

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

🇺🇸 Las Vegas, United StatesLas Vegas weddings Quick civil or religious ceremonies held in Las Vegas due to easy licensing and diverse venues.Setting · Engagement and betrothal

🇪🇪 Tallinn, EstoniaSame-sex marriage in Estonia The legal recognition of same-sex unions in the Baltic state, following registered partnerships.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 🇸🇮 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

🇬🇷 Athens, GreeceSame-sex marriage in GreeceΟμοφυλοφιλικός γάμος (Omofylofilikos gamos) The legal recognition of marriage between two people of the same sex, effective since February 2024.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

🇫🇷 France and 4 moreMore danicodansk skik A Medieval Scandinavian marriage custom allowing polygyny and secular unions outside church control.Betrothal · 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 🇮🇩 IndonesiaSame-sex marriage in Indonesia The legal status and social reality of same-sex unions under Indonesian law.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 🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMarriage commissioner A civil official appointed to solemnize weddings outside of religious or standard court settings.Vow · The ceremony 🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandSchulze Registers The surviving records of secret marriages performed by a Lutheran minister in 19th century Dublin.Vow · 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 🇦🇺 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 the Isle of Man The legalisation of same-sex marriage on the Isle of Man, following civil partnerships since 2011.Vow · The ceremony 🇩🇪 GermanyBeilager A public ceremony in German-speaking lands where witnesses observed the couple entering the marriage bed to finalize theRite · The ceremony 🇬🇧 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 🇳🇱 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.

Same-sex marriage in Greece: Mzimu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Same-sex marriage in Thailand: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dower: Pvasiliadis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
First same-sex marriage in Spain: Jglamela, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
More danico: Edward Burne-Jones, Public domain, source
Same-sex marriage in Iceland: Stanko Gruden/STA/Predsednik Republike Slovenije, CC0, 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 in Australia: Mikeybear, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ring finger: RAPMOODDE, 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
Las Vegas weddings: Henrickson ( talk ) ( Uploads ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Same-sex marriage in Estonia: Märt Põder, CC BY-SA 4.0, source