How to Prepare for Your Civil Ceremony — Tips for a Calm, Beautiful Wedding
Your civil wedding day is full of excitement, emotion, and anticipation. Even the most confident couples can feel nervous when they come to the parts of the ceremony that matter legally and emotionally. Preparation is the key to making the ceremony feel calm, meaningful, and effortless.
A civil ceremony is not the moment to improvise or joke. The registrar has a legal duty to ensure that both partners genuinely intend to marry. If one partner jokingly says they do not want to go ahead, or if someone in the room makes an inappropriate comment, the registrar can pause or even refuse to continue the ceremony until it is clear that both partners are serious and fully consenting.
Knowing the official wording in advance allows you to focus on each other, rather than worrying about the words themselves. The official wording — “I declare…” and “I do”. During the ceremony, each partner is required to say the following legal declaration: “I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment, why I (Partner 1) may not be joined matrimony to (Partner 2).
This language may feel old-fashioned or formal, but it is legally binding. Practising it beforehand is essential so that it can be said naturally during the ceremony.
Tips for practising the
wording:
- Read it out
loud together at home.
- Understand
what each phrase means.
- Know exactly
when you will say it, immediately after the registrar asks:
Please repeat after me: …- Keep a
printed copy for reassurance, just in case.
Rings, photography, and
videography. The ring exchange is a
highlight, and there are a few practical points to remember:
- Make sure the
rings are visible for photographers and videographers, but they
should be discreet and respectful during the civil ceremony. The
official moment should not be interrupted by power flash or posed photos.
- The first
official photos and videos usually happen after the ceremony, in a
dedicated session, so you can be fully present.
- Relax,
breathe, and focus on each other — the less you think about the
photographer, the more natural and beautiful your photos will be.
Other practical tips
- If wearing a
long dress, be aware that it can catch on the floor or corners when
turning to enter the room. Leave extra space to avoid mishaps.
- Give yourself
room to move freely and focus on each other — small details like spacing
and positioning make the ceremony feel smooth.
- Make sure the
venue allows confetti or flower petals if you plan to use them — some
locations do not permit them due to mess.
- Allow the
videographer and photographer a few minutes to set up for the exit
outdoors, especially if you plan to have confetti, petals, or other
celebratory elements.
Enjoy the moment
Preparation transforms the
ceremony from stressful to memorable. Knowing the legal wording, practising
your vows, arranging rings carefully, and being aware of small practical
details allows you to:
- speak
confidently and clearly
- have natural,
beautiful photos and videos
- focus
entirely on the emotional significance of the moment
At the end of the day, the civil
ceremony is about your love and commitment. When you are prepared, you
can say your “I do” with confidence and joy, creating memories that will
last a lifetime 🤍
Traditional Marriage Ceremony Script
Please see the script below, with the legal words that must be said in bold, and the optional words spoken by the couple in bold italics:
Welcome!
Good morning/afternoon everybody, and on behalf of (Partner 1’s name) and (Partner 2’s name) I would like to extend a warm welcome to (name of the venue).
My name is (Registrar’s name) and I am a deputy superintendent registrar for (venue location)
I will conduct the ceremony, and (Second registrar’s name), the registrar, will complete the schedule, which is the legal record of the marriage.
This ceremony will be in accordance with the civil law of this country. This requires the couple to declare their freedom to marry one another. They will then go on to make their marriage vows in which they promise to take each other as partners for life. These vows are a formal and public pledge of their love and a promise of a lifelong commitment to each other.
You have shared in and contributed to their lives in the past, and by witnessing their marriage ceremony today, (Partner 1) and (Partner 2) ask you to share in their future.
(Partner 1) and (Partner 2), marriage is a promise made in the hearts of two people who love each other. Within the circle of its love, it encompasses all of life’s most important relationships.
May you pledge to each other to be loving friends and partners in marriage, to talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate each other, and to respect and cherish each other’s uniqueness.
May you also pledge to support, comfort, and strengthen each other through life’s joys and sorrows.
This place in which we are now met, has been duly sanctioned, according to law, for the celebration of marriages, and we are here today to witness the joining in matrimony of this couple and to share in their happiness.
If there is any person here present who knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, then they should declare it now.
Before you are joined in matrimony, it is my duty to remind you of the solemn and binding character of the vows that you are about to make. Marriage in this country means the union of two people, voluntarily entered into for life, to the exclusion of all others.
I am now going to ask each of you in turn to declare that you know of no legal reason you may not be married to each other.
(Partner 1), Please repeat after me:
I do solemnly declare, that I know not, of any lawful impediment, why I (Partner 1) may not be joined matrimony, to (Partner 2).
(Partner 2), Please repeat after me:
I do solemnly declare, that I know not, of any lawful impediment, why I (Partner 2) may not be joined matrimony, to (Partner 1).
Now that you have both declared that you are free to marry, we have come to the part of the ceremony where you are about to make your marriage contract with each other. Please face each other for these words and hold hands.
I ask you now in the presence of this company:
(Partner 1), do you take (Partner 2) to be your wife/husband, and do you promise to stay true to him/her as long as you both shall live?
Partner 1: I do
(Partner 2), do you take (Partner 1) to be your wife/husband, and do you promise to stay true to him/her as long as you both shall live?
Partner 2: I do
(Partner 1), Please repeat after me:
I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, (Partner 1) do take thee, (Partner 2), to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.
(Partner 2), Please repeat after me:
I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, (Partner 2), do take thee, (Partner 1), to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.
RINGS (OPTIONAL)
A ring is the ancient and traditional way of sealing the contract you have just made. It is an unbroken circle, which symbolises unending and everlasting love, and is an outward sign of the lifelong promise you’ve just made to each other.
(Ring bearer’s name), Please could you come forward with the rings? Please give the ring for (Partner 2) to (Partner 1).
(Partner 1), Please place the ring partway onto (Partner 2)’s finger and repeat after me:
(Partner 2), I give you this ring as a token of our marriage, and a symbol of our love. I promise to love, honour and care for you, to support you through good fortune and adversity, joy and sadness, and to be your friend, as long as we both shall live.
(Ring bearer), Please could you give the ring for (Partner 1) to (Partner 2)?
(Partner 2), Please place the ring partway onto (Partner 1)’s finger and repeat after me:
(Partner 2), I give you this ring as a token of our marriage, and a symbol of our love. I promise to love, honour and care for you, to support you through good fortune and adversity, joy and sadness, and to be your friend, as long as we both shall live.
Pronouncement
(Partner 1) and (Partner 2), these vows which unite you as husband/wife and husband/wife, constitute a formal and public pledge of your love for each other.
You have now both made the declarations required by law and have made a solemn and binding contract with each other in the presence of your witnesses, guests and the registrar of marriages.
It therefore gives me great pleasure, to pronounce you are now husband/wife and wife/husband.
Congratulations! You may now kiss each other!
Signing of the schedule
Please can I ask the couple to come over to the table to sign the marriage schedule, which will be the legal record of their marriage?
[Couple sign]
Can I ask the two witnesses to please come forward to sign the schedule?
[Witnesses sign]
[Registrars sign]
Conclusion
And now that you have signed the marriage schedule, on behalf of myself and (Second registrar), we would like to congratulate you both and wish you a long and happy married life together.
Guests, if you would please like to be upstanding, and put your hands together to congratulate)!
[Couple exits, followed by the guests]