Planning a Lake District wedding? Early on, you will discover that you have a big decision – do you have a civil ceremony or go to church to get married? For those who are of strong faith or have no faith, the decision can be very simple. But for others, it is less clear and there are some pro’s and con’s that you will have to weigh up.
Fortunately, Broadoaks Country House has the best of both worlds, so, whatever you decide, you can get married in true Lakeland style in our stunning country house. Broadoaks has 5 licenced indoor and outdoor ceremony areas to choose from, or there are two lovely churches close by – St Mary’s in Windermere and Jesus Church in Troutbeck – perfect for a church ceremony before heading back to Broadoaks for the rest of your celebrations.
To help you decide, here are some of the big points to consider for a church wedding versus a hotel wedding.
The Legal Stuff
Remember that getting married is a legal process, so it is always worth thinking about the legal side of things. This is slightly different depending on where in the UK you are getting married. For example, in most of the UK, you can have either a religious ceremony or a civil one – a civil ceremony makes no mention of God.
You can also have a religious ceremony, but not all of these are considered legally binding. A ceremony needs to be Anglican for it to be legally a marriage. Other accepted legal marriages are Quaker ones as well as Jewish ceremonies. You can also get married in a registered building for other religious ceremonies such as Muslim, Hindu and Sikh. Other than this, you will also need to have a legally binding ceremony alongside the religious one.
Lake District Church Weddings
A church ceremony is a religious ceremony that takes place in a church and is overseen by a clergyman who also has the legal authority to marry people. Aside from the religious considerations, one of the big pros in favour of a church wedding is the gorgeous historic nature of many churches. The Lake District churches near Broadoaks are old, romantic and make beautiful backdrops to your photographs.
Even if you are not particularly religious, you may have a family tradition of getting married in churches or have always dreamed of walking down the aisle of a church on your wedding day. You need to check the requirements of the church you want to be married in as some churches may also require you to be part of the congregation and regularly attend church before being allowed to marry there. Finally, there may be stricter rules about photos and videos inside and around churches.
Lake District Civil Ceremonies
Civil ceremonies are the non-religious way to get married. There is a huge number of places that you can choose to get married in, but hotels and Lakeland Country Houses, like Broadoaks, remain one of the most popular options.
When you have your wedding and your reception at Broadoaks you don’t need to move from venue to venue. You can have the ceremony in the same place as the reception, which cuts both travelling times and costs. You also have a lot more say in the decorations and layouts with hotels, although a bit less with some other types of venues.
The main downside is that you don’t have the religious gravitas with most civil ceremonies that you get in a church wedding. But you can add your own readings, vows, music, and other ceremony items as long as this is agreed with the registrar in advance.
Broadoaks Country House is the perfect place to be married in the Lake District as it offers a huge amount of flexibility and choice so you can have the wedding you have always dreamed of.