Barnutopia is licensed for legal marriage ceremonies. A legal ceremony in England must be performed at a venue with a structure licensed for marriages by the appropriate local authority. For Barnutopia, this is Shropshire Council. Since 6 April 20222, it is also legal to get married outside, providing the premises is approved.
Legal Marriage Requirements
The legal requirements for getting married at Barnutopia are not complicated, but they have to be completed in the right order.
- Check that the venue is licensed for legal wedding ceremonies. The venue will know whether it is licensed but you can also check on the local council website for licensed venues in the county.
- Reserve the venue. You have to reserve your date with Barnutopia before you can book a Shropshire registrar to perform the ceremony. Weddings at Barnutopia are frequently over a weekend, Friday-Sunday, with the wedding on Saturday. Alternatively, midweek weddings are Monday to Wednesday (wedding on Tueday) or Tuesday to Thursday (wedding on Wednesday). See further details of our venue hire.
- Book a Shropshire registrar by calling 0345 678 9016. You cannot book if your wedding date is more than 2 years in the future. If that’s the case, make a note and book the registrar (there is a charge) as soon as your date is 2 years away.
- Give Notice. After booking the Shropshire registrar, you must give notice and pay a fee in person at your local register office. You must live in the area for at least 7 days and notice must be at least 29 days before your ceremony. If you and your partner live in different registration districts, you need to give notice separately, but it does not have to be on the same day.
- Legal marriage ceremony. Two Shropshire registrars arrive half an hour before the ceremony and speak to each of you privately before one of the registrars takes his or her position at the place designated for the ceremony. In different-sex marriages, the groom usually stands with the registrar waiting for his bride. In same-sex marriages, there are often other arrangements (for example, couples walk together or a parent accompanies each one).
- Indoor ceremony (option 1). The ceremony is performed in the long event barn or the farmhouse garden room at Barnutopia.
- Outdoor ceremony (option 2). This is the most popular choice at Barnutopia. A registrar conducts the ceremony outside, usually on the yurt field, but there are other options.
- Announcement: After the public ceremony, the registrar announces the couple as married and the legal component of the ceremony is complete.
Other Wedding Ceremony Choices
- Register office. Some couples choose to get married before their celebration at Barnutopia. This could be the same day as the ceremony, a day or a few days before or even months before. Contact your local register office to arrange this. This may be followed by a blessing, celebrant service, hand-fasting or other special ceremony to mark the occasion at Barnutopia.
- Celebrant wedding. We have had a number of celebrant weddings and this is the second most popular choice at Barnutopia. Celebrants are skilled at getting to know couples and customising a ceremony to requirements. If you are not religious and want ceremony content that is not constrained by legal marriage requirements, a celebrant is a good choice. Celebrants charge for their services.
- Friend. Couples who have married already in a register office or church sometimes ask a close friend to perform a ceremony at Barnutopia. This makes for a very personal ceremony, especially if the friend has known one or both persons getting married for a long time. Hopefully, a friend will be honoured to conduct the ceremony and will provide services for free.
- Your church. You may have a religious wedding at your regular church and celebrate later with a wedding party at Barnutopia. Please contact your church as the legalities are a little different to registrar weddings.
- Local Llansilin church. St. Silin’s church, Llansilin is just over half a mile from Barnutopia. You need some kind of connection to the parish to be able to get married there. The connection requirements are more relaxed than they used to be, but you need to check with the church to confirm what they are. There is a charge of several hundred pounds to get married at St. Silin’s.
Disclaimer: This information is provided to help you decide on the best kind of ceremony for you. We cannot guarantee legal accuracy. Please check legal marriage ceremony requirements with your local authority.
