The 3 types of ceremonies for your wedding and their characteristics

Today I want to talk to you about the 3 types of ceremonies that exist and the characteristics of each of them.

If you are organizing your wedding and you don’t know what type of ceremony best represents you as a couple, this post will help you make the right decision.

1. Civil Ceremony: it is the shortest ceremony (approximately between 15 and 30 minutes), and the one that is legally valid in Spain or in the country where you decide to get married.
In Spain, there are several options to carry out your civil ceremony. You can choose to do it at the Town Hall, in the Court, or with a Notary.

Ceremony at the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento): the benefit of the Town Hall is that you can choose the Town Hall that best suits you in terms of distance, space, or the requirements you are looking for. Some municipalities allow you to travel to nearby farms or venues, although this is never sure, and it will be better to consult in the Town Hall before you take any decision. The municipalities charge a fee, which usually varies between € 150 and € 300.

Ceremony in Court (Juzgado): it is totally free to get married in Court, but it is also more difficult to find the date and time, since they have little availability. Most likely, you will have to perform this ceremony on any given day of the week, even if your wedding celebration is on the weekend.

Ceremony with a Notary (Notario): this type of ceremony is more innovative, and it facilitates the procedures to be carried out. You can choose the Notary of your choice, and agree with him/her the date and time be held. The positive side of the Notary is that it is much easier and faster to find a date. Some Notaries agree to go to farms or salons, but not all of them: it is always better to ask and make sure that they will if that is what you want. Keep in mind that the Notary’s fees will have to be paid.

In all cases, you must have the Marriage File completed, here I leave you more information about this procedure: getting married in Spain by the civil ceremony.

2. Religious Ceremony: Spain is a Catholic country, and for this reason, weddings in Churches or Sanctuaries are usually very typical. The important thing to know is that a premarital course must be carried out with a priest (it doesn’t have to be the same as the one who will perform your wedding ceremony). You can choose the Church that you like or identify the most, and you can also select the priest who will marry you.

It is important to note that at least one of you must be baptized (or will have to be baptized before the wedding day, or the same day before the ceremony). Also, in Spain, the Church itself is the one that provides the necessary documentation to the Civil Registry for the wedding to have legal effect. So you will not have to carry out this procedure. Although it is important to gather and complete all the necessary documentation that the Church requests prior to the wedding day.

There are many types of religions and with them their ceremonies (Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, etc.). I will dedicate other posts to these ceremonies, so if any of them interests you specifically, do not hesitate to contact me and I will work on it.

Nowadays, there are also mixed ceremonies, which although not usually accepted by religions, are very beautiful and special. There are many couples who have different religions and decide to perform a special ceremony where rites of both religions are added.

3. Symbolic Ceremony: this type of ceremony has no legal value, but it is still the most sentimental and exciting. You can choose to perform this ceremony if your Civil or Religious ceremony is held on another day other than the celebration of your wedding: in that case, the symbolic would be for your guests to be part of this union, and also to have a much more exciting and special memory of your union. You can choose the decoration, furniture, and everything that this ceremony has.

On another post, I will tell you about some rites that can be performed during this ceremony.
You can choose a wedding officiant to officiate. My recommendation is to have some meetings prior to the wedding day with this person, where you can meet him/her and build a small relationship: this will make the script of your ceremony even more personalized and make you feel comfortable at all times.
Also, you can ask a family member or a close friend to perform your ceremony. Make sure that this person is outgoing, likes to speak in public, knows you well, and writes a script for the ceremony. Since an improvised ceremony can be your worst nightmare.
The duration of this ceremony will depend on you and the officiant. My recommendation is that it should not last more than 40 minutes.

With this information, have you decided which ceremony or ceremonies you will perform at your wedding? If you have any questions, you can leave them below or write to me privately. I will be happy to help you with everything you need.

If you already decided to get married in Spain, here I leave you an article about why Barcelona is the best city to get married in Spain.

And remember that if you hire me to organize your wedding, I will take care of all the necessary paperwork to make your ceremony a total success.