Wedding Ceremony Music that's forbidden (for civil weddings)
- kellyhcelebrant
- Oct 1
- 3 min read
There are rules around Civil Ceremonies conducted by Registrars - here's why ...
Firstly, a bit of background;
A Registrar is a council employee who has the power to officiate and register legal marriage in the UK. Registrars have a set ceremony (with one or two options) that they will read at all weddings and the ceremony is non-religious.
This is different to an Independent Celebrant such as myself. I am self-employed and officiate wedding ceremonies without the legal power to register a marriage. The difference being that because I don’t have to work within the constraints of the law, I don’t have to adhere to the rules! It also means that I can get to know you and write a ceremony all about you. Your ceremony will be authentic to your beliefs and wishes. I can therefore include religious elements – even a blend of two different faiths in order to suit both families.
Did you know that you have to be careful when choosing music for your legal civil ceremony if it is officiated by a Registrar?
Why is some wedding ceremony music forbidden?
This is because civil ceremonies were introduced in England and Wales in June 1837 (following Marriage Act 1836) to allow non-religious, legal alternative marriages.
This Act included a clause that there must be NO RELIGIOUS elements included in civil ceremonies - that's why certain wedding ceremony music is forbidden. That makes perfect sense, right, because couples could now choose to have either a religious or secular marriage.
The Act was updated in 1946 and much of the original law remains in place, with the addition of a change to licensed properties (1994), legalised same sex marriage (2013) and recently a change of minimum age (2022).
What does this mean?
This means, that when it comes to choosing music for your ceremony, you MUST NOT chose any music with religious content. This means no hymns of course, but did you realise this also means no music with religious words; such as god, heaven, lord, angel for example! Most of the time, it doesn’t necessarily matter if the rest of the meaning around the song is non religious, just the mention of these words means the song will be crossed off the list of permitted music.
Here's some examples that my musician friends have suggested might not be permitted:
Ave Maria – Your Wedding Friend (planner) says this is a very popular choice that is not allowed.
I get to Love you by Ruelle - Singer & Accoustic Guitarist Cara Beard has said that she can occasionally change the words “I prayed for you” to “I wished for you” – subject to approval by Registrars
Hallelujah - says String Quartet Ariella Strings (meaning the song, not literally just leaping with joy 😂), which is a shame because this sounds amazing on the strings!
Gods Plan by Drake - was what DJ Mike Readings suggested, maybe a little off beat for some couples, but if this is a favourite song – you can’t have it!
Halo by Beyonce and Heaven by Bryan Adams have also been two others that Pianist Nigel Hammond suggests could be a problem, though interestingly he said this depends on which county!
And a recent addition Ordinary by Alex Warren – as pointed out to me recently by vocalist Jenny Lake
Judging by the above, I think it’s fair to suggest that you should just ask your Registrar in order to be clear and not have any upset on the day of your wedding.
Here's some other songs that are not allowed at civil marriages:
Angels by Robbie Williams
Heaven by Nial Horan
Blessed by Thomas Rhett
God only knows by Beach Boys
Angels Cry by Mariah Carey
Can you think of any others?
What music do you need for your wedding ceremony?
Generally, you would have some background music as the guests are seated
Then you need music for the Entrance (processional) – you may want more than one, for different groups of people to enter.
A couple of songs for signing the certificate
And then a strong song to exit together (recessional)
In conclusion - Wedding Ceremony Music
Check your music choices with the Registrar before your day, and if you are having a Celebrant there will be no restrictions or rules to adhere to. That said, it’s always useful to know ahead of the ceremony as it helps us Celebrants know the vibe you are going for.
Often if you are having live musicians, they will be able to guide you also.
Thank you to my industry friends for their input with this information – here are their Instagram tags: @yourweddingfrienduk @carabeardmusic @@ariella_stringsuk @dj_mike_readings @nigelhammondmusic @jennylakevocals
Kelly Hawes Celebrant
07827927947
Instagram / Facebook / TikTok: @kellyhcelebrant
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