Congratulations!  You’ve set the date, chosen the venue and decided what type of ceremony you want, but what’s next?

Well, in order for your wedding to be a legal marriage you’ll need to submit some legal paperwork to the General Registrar of Scotland.

Before a couple can legally marry in Scotland, both parties must submit a marriage notice form (M10) to the registry office nearest to where the ceremony is to take place.

The forms can be obtained from any registry office, or can be downloaded directly from the National Records of Scotland website. The forms are straightforward and easy to complete and will ask the couple to confirm the following information:

• Date and Place of where marriage is to take place.
• Personal details (Full name, Date of birth, present or last occupation, country of residence and country of birth).
• Parents names, present or last occupation (and whether living or deceased).
• Celebrant’s details (Name and denomination or body to which they are attached).
• Name and address of the party they wish to marry.

Evidence required:

When submitting the marriage notice forms, couples also need to submit the following documents:

• Original or certified copy of a birth certificate
• Decree of divorce, annulment or dissolution (if applicable)
• Death certificate of a former spouse or civil partner (if applicable)
• Proof of residency – Passport
• Proof of address – This could be a utility bill or drivers licence
• Certificate of no impediment from the country from which the party has citizenship (if either party is not a UK resident, but this does not apply to parties who have lived in the UK for more than 2 years).

3 months prior to the date of the wedding, couples can take the forms along to the relevant registry office, but this is not set in stone, as long as the forms are submitted at least 29 working days prior to the wedding, then this allows the registrar enough time to process the applications and prepare the Marriage Schedule.

The Marriage Schedule:

The Marriage schedule is very important, and it is vital that couples collect this from the relevant registry office a few days prior to the ceremony (this must be collected by either the bride or groom). After the ceremony has been conducted and the Celebrant has declared the couple to be husband and wife, the Marriage Schedule is signed by both parties, and witnessed by the Celebrant and two more witnesses, (usually the best man and bridesmaid, but anyone can witness the signing, as long as they are over the age of 16).

The Marriage Schedule must then be handed back in to the same registry office within 3 working days of the marriage taking place, but couples who are jetting off on honeymoon straight after the wedding need not worry, they can nominate a family member or friend to hand the schedule back in on their behalf.

Statutory Fees:

The fees set by the Registrar General are as follows:

• For each person submitting a marriage notice form – £30
• For each extract of the entry in the register of marriages – £10

So in effect, couples will pay £70 directly to the registrar when submitting their marriage notice forms.

For more info contact us here or check out http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk

p.s. The gorgeous blog photo is by the Tartan Blanket Company.  Perfect for cosy wedding shawls!