Civil Ceremony
Wedding Choirs is pleased to be able to provide world-class professional singers for your civil marriage ceremony. Our singers are impeccably presented and the most reliable professionals in the industry. Every choir is hand-picked and fully rehearsed to deliver the highest quality music for your special day!
Choosing from a wide range of wedding music, from popular favourites to more unique contemporary pieces, we will help you to design the musical aspects of your ceremony and, through our parent company ChoirFixer there is even an arranging service with access to some of the world's hottest choral composers, so you can be guaranteed your first choice of music even if it isn't published!
Choosing from a wide range of wedding music, from popular favourites to more unique contemporary pieces, we will help you to design the musical aspects of your ceremony and, through our parent company ChoirFixer there is even an arranging service with access to some of the world's hottest choral composers, so you can be guaranteed your first choice of music even if it isn't published!
Legal requirements
Hundreds of thousands of civil ceremonies take place each year in the UK but choosing the right music is not always straightforward because some music is not permitted by law.
Before civil marriage was introduced on 17th August 1836, through 'An Act for Marriages in England', couples could only marry legally in a Church of England ceremony. This revolutionary new Act meant that a marriage could take place in any licensed venue (religious or not) with no restrictions on the choice of music. However, current law states that “Proceedings may include readings, songs, or music that contain an incidental reference to a god or deity in an essentially non-religious context”. The Registrar has the authority to either approve or reject the musical content of a ceremony at their discretion, and interpretations of this law can vary significantly.
With advice from Registrars we have compiled a list of the most requested songs and arranged them for choir. All of the songs listed below are routinely approved for civil ceremonies.
If your favourite music is religious, such as Mozart’s beautiful Laudate Dominum or the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel, then you might consider splitting your ceremony into two parts. Once the official civil marriage ceremony has ended and the Registrar has left the venue you may continue your celebration as you wish, incorporating any religious elements that would otherwise be prohibited. This will depend on your licensed venue and it is not possible to do this at a Registry Office, and you should discuss this format with your Registrar before continuing with your music planning.
Please make sure to discuss all your plans with your Registrar and keep them regularly updated to avoid disappointment.
Before civil marriage was introduced on 17th August 1836, through 'An Act for Marriages in England', couples could only marry legally in a Church of England ceremony. This revolutionary new Act meant that a marriage could take place in any licensed venue (religious or not) with no restrictions on the choice of music. However, current law states that “Proceedings may include readings, songs, or music that contain an incidental reference to a god or deity in an essentially non-religious context”. The Registrar has the authority to either approve or reject the musical content of a ceremony at their discretion, and interpretations of this law can vary significantly.
With advice from Registrars we have compiled a list of the most requested songs and arranged them for choir. All of the songs listed below are routinely approved for civil ceremonies.
If your favourite music is religious, such as Mozart’s beautiful Laudate Dominum or the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel, then you might consider splitting your ceremony into two parts. Once the official civil marriage ceremony has ended and the Registrar has left the venue you may continue your celebration as you wish, incorporating any religious elements that would otherwise be prohibited. This will depend on your licensed venue and it is not possible to do this at a Registry Office, and you should discuss this format with your Registrar before continuing with your music planning.
Please make sure to discuss all your plans with your Registrar and keep them regularly updated to avoid disappointment.
Order of ceremony
You can always discuss alternative formats with your Registrar but typically there are three main opportunities to have music during a civil marriage ceremony, :
- The Entrance
- The Signing of the Register
- The Exit
The Entrance
Registry Offices are generally much smaller than most churches and it’s important to have something reasonably short as the Entrance music. Something longer will work too, but you may want to carefully time your entrance and rehearse walking into the venue (or a similar sized space) in advance.
The Singing of the Register
During the Signing of the Register some music to entertain the guests can help avoid uncomfortable silences. Whilst the couple concentrate on their paperwork, something reflective and calming can work well here, or perhaps two contrasting pieces if the Registrar allows it.
The Exit
The exit music is another chance for a couple to put their stamp on their celebration, with a send-off that is both personal and uplifting. Made famous by Etta James in the 1960’s, Registrars said that one of the most requested Exit songs was At Last! A fitting sentiment for many couples as they set off into their married future together.
Please feel free to drop us a line via our contact page to discuss your requirements. Alternatively you can send us a booking request via our parent company, ChoirFixer Limited, and we will reply with a quote.
Our Music Library
We'll be ready to help you choose your music and, if you're looking for inspiration, we'd be delighted to recommend a few items from our extensive music library:
Top 15 Requests
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More Popular Songs
Adele
Andre/Schwandt Barry/David Boone Carmichael Dexy’s Midn't Runners Gershwin (I & G) Gershwin (I & G) Jackson Jackson Five Jackson Five John/Taupin Jungle Book Kern Lennon/MacCartney Lennon/MacCartney Lennon/MacCartney Maroon Five McVie Mercury Minogue Nash Presley Queen Rew Robinson Sherwin Simon Simone Sinatra The Flamingoes The Monotones The Turtles Thiele/Weiss Thompson Twins Warren Westlife Williams Withers Young/Heyman |
Make You Feel My Love
Dream a little dream We have all the time in the world Love letters in the sand The Nearness of You Come On Eileen Love is here to stay They can’t take that away from me Will you be there Blame it on the boogie I’ll be there Your Song That's What Friends Are For The Way you Look Tonight And I Love Her Here, There and Everywhere I Will This Love Songbird Crazy little thing called love It’s in your eyes I can see clearly now Love Me Tender We are the Champions Walking on sunshine My Guy A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square Bridge over troubled water Feeling Good My Way I Only Have Eyes For You Book Of Love Happy Together What a wonderful world Hold Me Now That’s Amore You Raise Me Up Happy Lean on me When I fall in love |
Classical Music
Allain
Anon. Bach Barber Campkin Chilcott Clucas Corp Davey Elgar Finzi Handel Lauridsen Lindburg May Pachelbel Purcell Stanford Swingle Whitacre |
My Promise
Pastyme with good companye Aria (de la suite No.3) Sure on this shining night True love Marriage to my Lady Poverty The Marriage of True Minds i carry your heart Love alters not Chanson de matin My Spirit sang all day Ombra Mai Fu (from Xerxes) Sure on this shining night Shall I compare thee On love Canon in D If music be the food of love The Bluebird L’Amour De Moi This Marriage |
Folksongs
Trad. English
Trad. English Trad. Irish Trad. Irish Trad. Irish Trad. Maori Trad. Scottish |
Scarborough Fair
Drink To Me Only I would be true (O Danny Boy) My Lagan Love She Moved Through the Fair Pokare Ana My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose |
As well as providing the singers, we can also offer help with planning and managing the overall music for your event, including professional quality audio or audio-visual recordings.
Please get in touch to discuss your requirements using our contact page
Please get in touch to discuss your requirements using our contact page
Need a choir in a hurry?
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Call now 0844 415 1524
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