Cazwilkins Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 So my fiancée and I (yes he popped the question at our leaving do back in April) are due to land in Australia next month to start a new chapter of our lives. We are under strict instructions to wed back in the uk, which is fine by us as that is where all of our friends and family are. We are both British nationals. However, I hear along the grapevine it is a ball ache to give notice to get married back home? I seem to be finding mixed opinions and advice and am really confused about the process. We only want a ceremony in a registry office, not a church or anything as not religious. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 You still need to give notice and all that. However you can apply to have the time reduced down to 15 days if you reside overseas. Read the Go.pv info in full. It has it all there. https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/overview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazwilkins Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 Oh wow. So we will likely have to hang fire for a honeymoon as no way will we be given 4 weeks off work! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 So my fiancée and I (yes he popped the question at our leaving do back in April) are due to land in Australia next month to start a new chapter of our lives. We are under strict instructions to wed back in the uk, which is fine by us as that is where all of our friends and family are. We are both British nationals. However, I hear along the grapevine it is a ball ache to give notice to get married back home? I seem to be finding mixed opinions and advice and am really confused about the process. We only want a ceremony in a registry office, not a church or anything as not religious. Any help would be greatly appreciated! I know someone who did this but have no idea what the process was... I think they contacted a couplee of register offices in their area of choice and liaised with them direct about what was needed. List of register offices here: https://www.gov.uk/register-offices Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 The other thing you could do is have a ceremony in England but marry in Aus beforehand. Only don't celebrate on that day or anything, have the celebration and another ceremony of your preference in the UK later. People do this quite often nowadays and it's a solution for them to just get the official side done but have the actual 'wedding' elsewhere at a later date. Depends how you view getting married and if you are open to it. I think it's a good thing if people are happy to do it this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazwilkins Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 That's actually not a bad idea at all. Perhaps the British embassy in Sydney as I've heard you can get married there. Just a couple of witnesses and then a big party back home. Thanks for the tip. We hadn't thought of that :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooBooBear Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 (edited) We only want a ceremony in a registry office, not a church or anything as not religious. Most UK registry offices require a notice, usually about 28 - 30 days. You go along, fill out the paperwork, show your birth certificate, pay the fee and book a date. Somebody may be able to do this on your behalf by proxy? You would need to check this. Then return 28 - 30 days later to marry in your allocated spot. Bit clinical. Not very romantic. Some places require you to live in the area for some or all of those 30 days. Some don't. You will need to find out what the rules are in your borough. Maybe this suggestion is a bit radical; but I would do it. Get married in somewhere like Bali of Fiji by yourselves. Bit of romance or luxury. Both are close to Australia with cheap flights. A non-religious ceremony on the beach or near a tropical waterfall. Lovely memories for you both. You could combine it with a short holiday in either country. Then when you return to the UK, have another wedding at a registry office to keep the family happy. A friend recently had five weddings to please herself and fiance, and to keep the family and friends happy. One in India. One in France. One in Wales. One in Canada. One in Australia which I went to. The Australian one was on the beach. Very casual. More like a blessing really. Had a BBQ afterwards. There was also one at a winery and in a stately home I think. It was all too confusing for me. Yes it is completely over the top. But she is rich and so are her relations. So none of my business what she does with her money. Still everyone was happy and felt satisfied in the end. Edited August 13, 2016 by BooBooBear Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy053 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Hi, We got married in the UK (fife) having lived in Sydney in the lead up. I can't remember all of the ins and out of giving notice however it was no problem for us. Either my parents picked up the form or we requested it to be sent to them. They filled it out and sent it back (or they send it to us to do and then send back) with birth certificates. As long as this was back to allow for the correct amount of notice time then thats fine. About 4 days before our ceremony we went to pick up the actual marriage certificate - this was the part we had to do in person. After the ceremony we dropped the signed certificate back at the registry. Our marriage certificate (and extra copies) was sent to us in Sydney a few weeks later. Sorry some of the details are not super clear, I just wanted to reassure you that you it can be done and you won't need to be back in the UK for weeks before the wedding. I'd recommend contacting the registry direct. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 (edited) Hi, We got married in the UK (fife) having lived in Sydney in the lead up. I can't remember all of the ins and out of giving notice however it was no problem for us. Scotland and England have different rules. There's no residency requirement in Scotland, so that might be a solution for the OP - get married at Gretna Green maybe! The other solution, as someone else suggested, is to get married legally in Australia and then have a blessing in the UK. We did something similar and it worked out really well. Originally we planned to just get hitched at the registry office in Sydney, but when my oh went to arrange it, he rang me and said it was a dingy horrible place! So we booked a celebrant and chose a local park to get married in. Then we thought we might as well invite a few friends to come along, and then we thought, "why not let's all go across the road to that nice Italian restaurant afterwards?" So in the end we had the Sydney civil ceremony on a beautiful sunny day in the park, and then had a terrific party with all our Aussie friends. It was very informal and great fun. And then we went to Greece and did it all over again at a lovely resort and some of my family came over and we had a great holiday together. (I should say that we'd been living together for a while before we got married, so having family around on our honeymoon wasn't the damper you might think!!). Edited August 13, 2016 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudmuminUK Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 My daughter and her fiancé came back to UK to get married last October. The local Register Office was adamant that they had to be in the country 15 days before the ceremony, which was impossible due to work commitments in Sydney. So we checked out with the local vicar, and tbh the Church of England were brilliant. I'm not church going whatsover, but they couldn't have been more accommodating. The vicar subscribed to Skype so she could speak to the pair about their wedding, and sorted out a Special Licence with the Archbishop which negated the need for Banns to be read... When K&J arrived back in the UK a week before the wedding day, they met with Sue, and because the ice had already been broken through their chats on Skype it was like meeting up with an old friend...music, readings etc had all been sorted out already, so it just left the rehearsal. They received the special licence too, which turned out to be a beautiful document worth framing! The other plus side is the wonder of Internet, K sorted out all her flowers, makeup, hair etc etc by contacting and speaking with contacts online....she even ordered all the bridesmaid dresses after seeing the one she liked, sending her best friend to try it on, then ordering them all online. They relied on me and OH to attend the wedding breakfast Taster meal, and we sent them photos of the empty plates after we'd finished eating! They contacted Emirates before they flew, and her dress was booked into Business Class, and had its own hanging space. The hostesses even drew a Congratulations card which was signed by the crew! Little touches go a long way! So, yes it was very strange at times organising a wedding with K&J overseas, they both managed it exactly how they wanted it, and I did some running around on their behalf... In the end it was a fabulous day attended by family and friends who would never have been able to witness their wedding if it'd been done any other way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitescargot Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) It's 28 days notice to get married in the UK unless it's a church ceremony in which case there no legal requirement for the notice period. The notice period increased from 15 days to 28 days a couple of years ago because of issues with sham marriages in the uk. And here's the kicker, you have to be resident in the UK for 7 days before you can give notice (they'll want proof of address or a passport stamp) so you effectively need to be in the country for 35 days before the ceremony. We got engaged in March and I desperately wanted to get married back in the UK but after a lot of research we've decided to have a ceremony here. The reduction of the notice period to 15 days is only in very exceptional circumstances, and you have to give notice in person. My partners a teacher so we also have added complication of trips back to the uk being limited to the length of school hols. It's so frustrating! Edited August 15, 2016 by petitescargot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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