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.
🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaSame-sex marriage in Australia
The legal recognition of marriages between two people of the same gender in Australia.Modern · 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
🇬🇧 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
🇺🇸 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
🇳🇱 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
🇳🇱 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
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWedding veil
A cloth covering the head or face worn by brides and grooms to mark marriage.Attire · 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
🇩🇪 GermanyBeilager
A public ceremony in German-speaking lands where witnesses observed the couple entering the marriage bed to finalize theRite · 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
🇫🇷 France and 4 moreMore danicodansk skik
A Medieval Scandinavian marriage custom allowing polygyny and secular unions outside church control.Betrothal · 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
🇦🇩 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
🇬🇧 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
🇦🇺 Australia and 5 moreCelebrancy
A profession of secular officiants who create personalised life ceremonies for people outside traditional religious or sModern · The weeks before
🇬🇷 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
🇬🇧 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
🇪🇪 Tallinn, EstoniaSame-sex marriage in Estonia
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in the Baltic state, following registered partnerships.Modern · 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
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Jersey
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the Crown Dependency of Jersey since 2018.Modern · The ceremony
🇩🇰 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
🇮🇩 IndonesiaKawung batikBatik Kawung
A traditional Indonesian textile pattern inspired by the kawung fruit and lotus flower.Attire · 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
🇳🇱 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
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
- 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 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 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
- Kawung batik: Alteaven, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wedding veil: David Ring, CC0, source
- Las Vegas weddings: Henrickson ( talk ) ( Uploads ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands: Jeffpw, CC BY 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Estonia: Märt Põder, CC BY-SA 4.0, source