Can you have a religious ceremony outside of a church?

The vicar won't be able to marry you but it might be possible for a vicar to perform a blessing after the civil ceremony has taken place.

This will be down to the registrar and if you can find a vicar that's happy to do it.

Exactly what Kharvo said.

We found a venue that we utterly adored but we had no connections to a local church, nor did we want a civil ceremony. As much as we loved that venue, getting married in a church that meant something to us was a big thing, so the search went on, and we ended up with a venue we love.

Can you marry at a church local to the venue then move on to the reception venue you love?

A friend of mine got married in a registry office but said they were given the choice of a religious or non-religious ceremony. I'm not sure how that works as I was never offered a choice, simply told that a civil ceremony cannot legally have any religious content in it.

Otherwise, what Kharv and Kirsta said!

My understanding was that if you marry in a civil venue (ie registry office or other approved premises such as a hotel) then the service cannot contain any religious content at all, not even a song such as Angels by Robbie Williams! So as others have said, you'd need to get married in a church if that was what you wanted. But AB's friend seems to have been offered a choice... strange.

Thanks Ladies we've had a chat and are going to get married in a local church and then have our reception at the Hotel as we do really love the venue. The church we have chosen means a lot to him as his grandads are buried there and his nans ashes are also scattered there, plus it is a really lovely little church. x

That sounds really lovely, and absolutely perfect.