How To Plan The Perfect Wedding in Limerick

What is a Civil Ceremony?

Civil ceremonies have been a legalised form of wedding since 1836. There is a list of approved civil ceremony locations in Ireland that you can choose to be married in. These include all types of venues such as hotels, manor houses, castles, restaurants, heritage centres, museums and more. In this type of service, the wedding solemnised by a licenced registrar (civil servant).

• Civil ceremony venues need to be pre-approved and licensed as certain regulations apply.
• Civil ceremonies cannot take place at a beach, field, woodlands.
• Any venue for a civil ceremony must be open to the public.
• Civil ceremonies are non-religious.
• Legally binding services can only take place between Monday to Friday in Ireland.
• Ceremonies last up to 45 minutes and you need to arrive 15 minutes beforehand.
•  

How to plan a Civil Ceremony

1. Choose where you would like to marry in and make an appointment with the local registrar of that area.
2. At the meeting, you will notify the registrar of your intent to marry. This needs to happen at least 3 months before your wedding (though we recommend allowing at least 7 months).
3. You’ll tell the registrar which venue you plan to get married in.
4. You’ll also tell them the date of your wedding and share the names and birth dates of your two witnesses.
5. You’ll both need to bring the following documents:
   • Passport
   • Birth cert
   • Any divorce papers from a previous marriage
   • Death cert in the case of a widow or widower
   • PPS number
   • €200 fee
6. After these steps you’ll be issued a marriage registration form.
7. As the wedding date gets closer you’ll be asked to confirm any readings, music or vows you plan on having for the ceremony.

Next on your wedding planning list is to determine your budget.

Calculating your wedding budget

Your wedding budget mostly depends on the size of your guest list, your chosen venue costs and what you can afford. It’s important to calculate an estimated budget figure so that you and your fiancé can plan the perfect wedding without exceeding your limits.

Steps for calculating your wedding budget:
 

1. Check if anyone is contributing to your wedding.
2. Calculate how much you can afford to save each month.
3. Make a mock guest list to get an idea of numbers and costs per head.
4. Identify and prioritise the “non-negotiable” aspects of the big day i.e. banquet dinner, live music, videographer etc.
5. Complete thorough research to identify any hidden costs that need to be included i.e. alteration costs, late bar extension, etc.
6. Compare your total estimated costs with your budget and go over it again and again making changes until the figures match.