Marriage: civil, church or free marriage – what suits you?
From our experience – from the perspective of the wedding photographer, those weddings are the most beautiful ones, locations and cakes, but also for the wedding ceremony itself. What exactly are the differences between them and have these ceremonies even influence on whether your marriage is officially valid?
The quintessence of every wedding is that two people formally decide to go through life day. There are several ways you can give the yes-word and therefore thoughts during wedding planning are very useful to the ceremony. We have complied what awaits you at the different ceremonies.
Highly official: the celebration at the office
We do not start the blog contribution romantically, do we? But the bureaucracy and the galloping office mold do not get around you when you marry – at least if you want to have an officially recognized marriage. In this case, the local authority is the effective force and officially links two people together by the law – and thus rights and obligations come.
Good to know: The civil wedding is a prerequisite for the church wedding!
If you have thought up until now that the wedding ceremony is a sugar beetle, which should be done by the way, then we have bad news for you: The wedding ceremony is a proper administration and must be prepared accordingly.
At the wedding ceremony on the office:
- you need two maids who sign the marriage certificate
- if you have special request for dates like (17.7.17…) or Saturdays very much coveted, so book early your desired date.
- you can often discuss with the official how you want to make the marriage more personal.
If you are planning a small wedding and the civil ceremony is your only celebration, you can make it more “free” than it is given at the municipal office. Visit the website www.ziviltrauung.ch – where the most beautiful civilian offices from all over Switzerland are listed.
Takes a wedding photographer with no matter how brief the ceremony is, discuss this with the officiant, because not everyone likes to be photographed, the decision lies with the person. But a professional photographer can still capture great memories easily without the officiant being recognizable on the picture.
However, you should still do your first official visit at the local civil registry office, where you will be asked to file the documents.
You need these documents:
- A certified transcript of the birth book
- Registration of the residence permit
- ID or passport
- Possibly. Proof of nationality
All right? Then start planning a nice reception after the ceremony.
Church wedding: The Yes before God
It is a great thing that today more and more couples invite God into their marriage and Ecclesiastes, and also let the blessings of the church or of the congregation be given. We find it beautiful – as a wedding photographer, not only because the whole atmosphere in the family circle is enthralling, but also because all churches, mountain chapels or even cathedrals are great locations for us to photograph: majestic vaults, rich ornaments, biblical motifs, sometimes in contrast to the white innocence of the Bride…okay, let’s not digress now.
The prerequisite is that you are already married before the law, before you marry in the church. Another basis is that at least a partner is a member of a Reformed or Catholic Church. You can marry in the church of you hometown, or at the place of your choice. If marriage takes place exactly. Discuss your wishes and share them with the pastor, so that the responsible person can get to know you well and thus the appropriate speech, prayers and songs can assemble.
You can even more individualize the church wedding ceremony if you:
- shape your Marriage actively;
- Invite a gospel choir
- personal wedding vows
In some countries it is also necessary to attend a certain number of worship services before the wedding, or at least three conversations with the priest. You should also clarify these questions.
The free marriage: Beyond the church and the office
What does a wedding look like in your dream? On horseback, at a ranch, modern in an industrial environment, or an American ritual under the open air: many couples choose the free ceremony because they want to actively shape their moment of marriage. Or because the first two forms have limited the couple too much for some reason. The free wedding ceremony should be more solemn, more spectacular, or, on the contrary, intimate or looser? Everything is possible, because the free marriage is a service like any other. And you pay for it – you are the bosses and have great design freedom. There are now quite outstanding Speakers in Switzerland. For most people, the most important thing is to make a personal and free promise to the family and the friends: the process of a free marriage is not bound by any regulations and depends solely on the wishes of the bride and groom. Whoever is you Officiant can be quite different. They come into question especially when you give the yes-word before God, but do not want to do it in a church. Also with this kind of ceremony the preparation time is a very important factor. Many free speakers are well-booked and we therefore recommend that you take care of an appropriate, professional wedding speaker at an early stage.
Note in this case: The free marriage is legally not recognized, if your marriage has to be valid, then you can go back to point one.
Hopefully we could give you with this article a couple more information about the different dream possibilities. Dear couples, how would you prefer to marry? Do you already have ideas about how your ceremony will be? We appreciate your comments!
