Lynott Tours Inc Getting
married in Ireland We are pleased to assist with your wedding
plans. We can arrange weddings, receptions, or just the guest's travel to
Ireland, for a minimum of 6 persons. Weddings in Ireland are
legal in the US.Getting married in Ireland is complicated, but possible. Here are some tips to help you get through the formalities from a distance.
Three months' notice To marry in the Republic of Ireland, three months' written notice of the parties' intention to wed must be given to the registrar for the district in which you wish to be married. If you are to be married in a Catholic or Anglican (Church of Ireland) church ceremony there are no residency requirements. As a result, the majority of overseas couples who chose to have a wedding in Ireland get married in a church. Written notification must be provided 3 months before to the Registrar but there are no residency requirements to be fulfilled. Occasionally, exceptions are given, but they must be applied for at the Circuit Family Court Office or the High Court Office. There is no cost for this service.  Residency It
is worth noting that there are residency laws applicable for couples who
wish to marry in a registry office in Ireland but are not living here.
The residency laws do not apply if you marry in a
church. Residency is a must, for civil marriage, and requires at least
one visit to Ireland prior to the actual ceremony to complete all the
administrative duties. Both parties must be over eighteen years of age on the
actual wedding day to be married in the Republic of Ireland. To establish
residency qualifications for marriage by license, one of the parties needs
fifteen full days of residency, the other party need to reside in the area
seven days before notice is served, and then the wedding can take place eight
days later. If either party has been married before, proof of divorce is
necessary, and a civil ceremony can be done. If the parties choose to get
married without a license, the residency requirement is shortened (seven full
days for each party), but the waiting period is much longer. Notice is served
on the eighth day, but the marriage cannot take place until twenty-two days
later.These requirements apply to the county of Dublin. Interested parties planning to be married elsewhere need to ask about the residency requirement in the district of their choice.  Recommendation Some
couples choose to getting married in the US quietly before departure and have a
"renewal of vows" ceremonyor a blessing in a church in Ireland, with
invited guests. Registrars In all cases of civil weddings, both parties must make an appointment with the registrar in their county of choice and produce all necessary documents which might include: Birth Certificates, if divorced, a copy of the Divorce Absolute (in English) and Birth Certificate. There are two sets of registrars, one for Roman Catholic marriages and another for Protestant and civil marriages. A list of registrars for the former is obtained from the health board of the area concerned, while the other is made up of a list of solicitors in each county. (Ask for form FLA.1.96.) Both lists are available from: The General Register Office Joyce House, 8/11 Lombard Street East Dublin 2, Ireland After making the registration, the planning of the ceremony may commence.  For marriage in a Catholic
church, it will be necessary to establish some linkage with that particular
parish and church. Immediately after the registration is made would be the time
to contact the parish priest who will know details of any other diocese
qualifications. Of particular importance is the fact that divorced persons
may not marry in a Roman Catholic church; however a Church annulment
permits a ceremony in the Church. Marriages in a Roman Catholic church proceed
by one of four means: by Episcopal license; after the publication of banns; by
ordinary eccliastical license, or on production of a certificate from a
register of civil marriages. The process is a bit different for Church of Ireland marriages where at least one of the parties must be Protestant Episcopalian. It should be noted that the Church of Ireland strongly discourages persons coming from abroad just to get married in Ireland. A civil ceremony is an alternative to a religious ceremony and is more administratively convenient, if lacking in atmosphere. Aside from the three months' notice of intent to marry, the residency requirements for the area in particular must be met. Cost of the ceremony is relatively cheap. This applies to both civil and religious ceremonies. If either party has been married before, proof of divorce is necessary, and a civil ceremony can be done.  Can we get married in a hotel/a castle/on
a beach/up a mountain etc. etc.? Churches and registry offices were the
only places licensed to perform legal marriage ceremonies in Ireland, and
remain the only place for a religious ceremony. As Wedding venues must have an
individual inspection for each and every on site civil marriage
ceremony, the Health Service Executive prohibits establishments from
advertising the fact they have been generally approved to hold such ceremonies.
However if you wanted to have a blessing, exchange of vows etc... outdoors this
can be arranged. One we recommend is: Rathsallagh House Exclusive Private Venue for your Wedding Day Ireland's Exclusive and Private Wedding location. Voted No. 1 Location & Country House Feel 2006 Top 3 Wedding Venues in the World March 2006. One hour south of Dublin airport and Dublin City center in West Wicklow on the Kildare border less than, 20 minutes from Naas, Newbridge Kildare or Carlow. Rathsallagh is exclusively yours on your wedding day, with its 300 year old walled gardens and parklands, open log and turf fires, luxurious dining room, bed rooms and drawing rooms Rathsallagh is your very own private luxury Country House venue for your special day. Weddings at Rathsallagh can start from as little as $100 USD for large wedding. per guest for an incredible menu prepared to your own specifications. In addition there is no charge for exclusive use or room hire, and the bride and groom get to stay with compliments.  Can we renew our marriage vows in
Ireland? A married person cannot get married (even if it is to the same
person!) and, as your first marriage will probably be civilly recognized in
Ireland, we would not be involved in any ceremony you might wish to have in
Ireland. However, there is a long tradition of "church blessings" in
this country where Irish people who have married in civil ceremonies in the
U.K., the U.S.A., Australia etc. marry in a religious ceremony the next time
they are home. You should contact an appropriate local clergyman who should be
able to put you in touch with a counterpart in Ireland. For more information: http://www.groireland.ie/faqs.htm Here are some Irish customs: Handfasting is an ancient Celtic custom, especially common in Ireland and Scotland, in which a man and woman came together at the start of their marriage relationship. Their hands, or more accurately, their wrists, were literally tied together. This practice gave way to the expression "tying the knot" which has come to mean getting married or engaged. Handfasting survives in several forms today. It is present in part in many Western religious and secular ceremonies as the celebrant asks, "Who gives this woman to be married?" The giving of the bride's hand to the groom is reminiscent of the handfasting ceremony.  *Bunratty
Mead is a honey wine that's served at the Bunratty Castle medieval
banquet. It's from a recipe based on the oldest drink in Ireland and if you've
never tasted it, it's well worth trying. In the old days, it was consumed at
weddings because it was thought that it promoted virility. (If a baby was born
nine months after the wedding, it was attributed to the mead!) Couples also
drank it from special goblets for a full month following the wedding, which is
supposedly where we get the word honeymoon. This was to protect the couple from
the fairies coming to spirit the bride away.Lucky horseshoe. Irish brides used to carry a real horseshoe for good luck. (Turned up so the luck won't run out). You can get porcelain horseshoes which most Irish brides carry these days, or one made of fabric which is worn on the wrist. Magic Hanky. This charming custom involves having the bride carry a special hanky that with a few stitches can be turned into a christening bonnet for the first baby. With a couple of snips it can be turned back into a hanky that your child can carry on his/her wedding day. Make-up bells. The chime of bells is thought to keep evil spirits away, restore harmony if a couple is fighting, and also remind a couple of their wedding vows. Giving a bell as a gift has become an Irish tradition.  Irish Dancers. Consider hiring a
group of Irish dancers to hand out your programs before the ceremony. Dressed
in their full regalia, it would add a wonderful touch of pageantry and color.
They could also dance at the reception later. Music There's so much wonderful Irish music available, you'll have no problems in finding appropriate selections for both the ceremony and the reception. The difficulty will be in deciding which pieces to play! Ancient custom: When a couple is dancing, the bride can't take both feet off the floor because the fairies will get the upper hand. Fairies love beautiful things and one of their favorites is a bride. There's many an Irish legend about brides being spirited away by the little people! For the same reason, it's bad luck for a bride to wear green. It's also bad luck for a bride or the groom to sing at their own wedding. An Irish Wedding Toast: May your glasses be ever full. May the roof over your heads be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead. |
You can be married in Scotland by either religious ceremony or by civil ceremony. A religious
marriage, whether Christian or non-Christian, can only be solemnized by a
minister, clergyman, pastor, priest or other person entitled to do so under the
Marriage (Scotland) Act, 1977. 
Giving
Notice You both need to complete and submit a marriage notice to the
Registrar for the district in which your marriage is to take place. Notice must
be given in the three month period prior to the date of your marriage and not
later than 15 days before the date of your marriage. It is usually possible to
make a provisional booking with a Registrar before the three month period prior
to your marriage date but you will still need to give formal notice within the
permitted time period. Your marriage notice must be submitted early enough to
allow the Registrar sufficient time to satisfy himself that you are both free
to marry one another. Normally notices should be with the registrar about four
weeks before your marriage but if either of you has been married before or are
traveling from overseas, the notices should be with the Registrar at least six
weeks beforehand. 
Arranging Your
Marriage Ceremony It is important to make early arrangements for the
venue and for the date and time of your marriage. If you are having a religious
ceremony, arrange to see the minister who will be conducting your service
before completing the notice forms. If you will not be having your religious
ceremony in a church, you should not book a venue until your minister has
agreed to officiate. For civil ceremonies, make early arrangements with the
Registrar, particularly in cities or towns or cities where large numbers of
people want to be married at popular times of the year.
The Marriage
Schedule When all the required documentation has been received and
the Registrar is satisfied that there is no legal impediment to your marriage,
he will issue a marriage schedule. No marriage can proceed in Scotland without
a marriage schedule, which must be presented to the person performing your
marriage before the ceremony commences. If you are having a religious ceremony,
the marriage schedule will be issued to you personally within seven days of the
marriage date. It cannot be issued to anyone other than the prospective bride
or bridegroom. Immediately after the ceremony, the marriage schedule will be
signed by both parties and the person performing the marriage ceremony. The two
witnesses will also add their signatures. The schedule must then be returned to
the Registrar within three days so that the marriage can be registered. If you
are having a civil ceremony, the schedule will not be issued but the Registrar
will have it available for signing after the ceremony. After your marriage has
been registered, you can obtain a copy of the entry in the Registrar's book of
marriages (your marriage certificate) from the Registrar on payment of the
appropriate fee..jpg)
Getting Married in
Gretna Green Gretna Green in Dumfriesshire, with a population of
about 3,000, is probably the world's most famous wedding venue. Since the
eighteenth century, the minimum legal age for getting married in Scotland has
been 16 years of age, with no requirement for parental consent. However, in
England at that time, parental consent was required for people under the age of
21. Consequently, the small Scottish town of Gretna, which was the first
stagecoach stop over the English/Scottish border, became very popular by young
eloping English couples wishing to get married without their parents' consent.
Furthermore, until 1940, any responsible adult could conduct a wedding ceremony
in Scotland and since Gretna's blacksmith was usually on hand, wedding
ceremonies over the anvil became a common occurrence. Gretna's blacksmith
became fittingly known as the 'anvil priest'. Today, Gretna is still a very
popular venue for couples from all over the world to get married by either
religious ceremony over the anvil in the old blacksmith's shop or by civil
ceremony in Gretna's register office. However, the legal requirements and
procedures for getting married in Gretna are no different to anywhere else in
Scotland. .jpg)
For further information and advice about getting
married in Scotland or to obtain an information pack containing marriage notice
forms and a list of all register offices in Scotland, please telephone the
marriages section of the General Register Office for Scotland on +44 (0)131-314
4447. Alternatively, you can fax the marriages section +44 (0)131-314 4400 or
e-mail them at marriage@gro-scotland.gov.uk If you wish to write to the General
Register Office, their address is: General Register Office, Marriages Section,
New Register House, Edinburgh, EH1 3YT, Scotland. 
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