Getting married abroad: legal or symbolic ceremony?

Getting married abroad means choosing between a legal wedding under the laws of that country and a symbolic ceremony, with the legal part done at home. A legal wedding abroad is entirely possible, but it follows local rules that can include residence periods, translated and certified documents and notice weeks in advance. A symbolic ceremony has none of that, which is why so many couples choose it.

Legal or symbolic: what is the difference?

• Legal ceremony abroad: performed under that country's law, by an official it recognizes; you leave married, but the paperwork is theirs
• Symbolic ceremony abroad: led by anyone you choose, anywhere you like, with your own words; the legal marriage happens at home, before or after

Guests usually cannot tell the difference, and nobody needs to know which ceremony carries the legal weight. The symbolic route gives you complete freedom over the place, the time, the language and the officiant.

What documents does a legal wedding abroad usually need?

• Valid passports
• Birth certificates, often recent copies
• Proof that any previous marriage has ended (a divorce decree or a death certificate)
• Proof that you are free to marry, in countries that ask for it
• Official translations, and often an apostille (an international certification) on each document

What is a certificate of no impediment?

It is a document some countries ask for, confirming there is no legal reason you cannot marry. How you get one depends on your own country. In the UK, you give notice at your local register office, and the certificate is issued after a 28-day period if nobody objects. The United States has no such certificate, so a sworn and notarized statement that you are free to marry is often accepted instead. Check what the country you are marrying in will accept, and how long the document stays valid.

Do some countries require you to live there first?

Some do. France is the classic example: for a civil wedding at the town hall, at least one partner must have lived in that town for at least a month before the banns are published, and the banns are then displayed for ten days. That is why many couples who dream of a French château marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony there instead. Other countries have their own versions of these rules, and they change, so always check the current requirements with the local authority.

Questions to ask before you book

• Who can legally marry us there, and where may the ceremony take place?
• What documents do we need, translated by whom, and certified how?
• Is there a residence requirement or a notice period?
• How long are the documents valid, and when must we submit them?
• Will our home country recognize the marriage, and do we need to register it when we return?

Ask the authority that will actually marry you for its list. Requirements can differ between towns in the same country, and wedding planners abroad often know the current local practice better than any website.

What about the guests?

A wedding abroad asks a lot of guests: flights, rooms, time off and sometimes passports. Tell them early, eight to twelve months ahead, with an honest idea of the cost, and keep every detail in one place they can open on their phone. Expect fewer guests than at home, and make nobody feel guilty for declining.

Do the paperwork where it is easy, and the ceremony where it is beautiful.