The image of a traditional white wedding in church is an appealing one for prospective brides and even those who are not regular churchgoers may still feel that marrying in church is the only proper way to do it.

Legal Aspects of a Civil Ceremony In order for a civil marriage to take place, notice must be given by each party to the superintendent registrar in the district where you live (or both districts, if you live in different places). If you intend to marry in a third district, you must also give them notice and provisionally book their time.

In the majority of Free Church denominations the church itself will have been registered as a building in which marriages may be solemnised. Ministers of the United Reformed Church, the Baptist, Methodist and other Protestant churches have also long taken advantage of their ability to become registered as 'authorised' persons; that is, to have applied for and received sanction both to conduct the service and to act as the registrar under the civil law

If the building in which the ceremony is to take place does not hold a licence, a civil wedding will be required beforehand. If it is registered to hold weddings, notice should be given of the couple's intention to marry, so that a registrar may attend to register the marriage.

If you are planning to marry in an Anglican church, the venue of the marriage must normally be in the parish where at least one of you resides, although there are ways around this, as discussed in Types of Licence . The minister will ask if you have both been baptized and confirmed.

The legal requirements for a Roman Catholic wedding are the same as those applying to civil marriages. Notice of their intention to be married must be given in person, by both the bride and groom, to the superintendent registrar of the district in which each of them lives.

Wedding music is joyful, happy and often loud, giving the congregation a chance to really celebrate the occasion. It is a good idea to meet the organist in the church to talk over the selection of music, hearing how it actually sounds in the right setting. An organ played in church sounds very different from a piano at home, so sampling the real thing will be helpful.

Under Muslim beliefs, marriage is a contract, and not a sacrament, and so any Muslim male may perform the ceremony. It is therefore necessary to make sure that all the civil requirements for marriage are carried out.

Quaker marriage is not an alternative form of marriage available to the general public but is restricted to members and those associated with them. At least one of the parties must be known to a local Quaker meeting and be in agreement with the Quaker religious nature and witness.

A civil ceremony must not contain any religious element, including hymns or other religious music. You can add favourite music, songs and readings without any religious reference, and you would still he able to use some of the popular bridal marches.

The minister concerned should be consulted well in advance of the proposed date of the wedding so that the church can be booked and in order for all the other necessary arrangements to be made. In all cases, the order of service is a matter left almost entirely to the couple who are to be married, and to the special rites of the church whose blessing they seek.

Are you looking to plan a traditional Jewish wedding Ceremony? Find details and explanations of each tradition that is celebrated at a Jewish ceremony.

A Quaker marriage is very different from most other wedding services, being extremely simple and altogether free of ceremony. The bride's dress will be fairly simple, and there will not necessarily be a bridesmaid or a best man.

There are two types of service for those marrying within the rites of the Roman Catholic church: the 'Marriage celebrated during Mass' and the 'Marriage celebrated outside Mass'. The first part of the ceremony is identical in both.

In this section we will look at the various religious ceremonies of different faiths, along with details of the increasingly-popular civil ceremony. Those marrying under different religions are advised to double-check whether their marriage ceremony is legally recognised.