The Important Legal Stuff
I’ve taken advice from some of Scotland’s best wedding celebrants and registrars regarding all of the important legal stuff that you need to know in order to get married in Scotland.
I’ll do my best to keep this as simple as possible, but if you have any questions or if you want to discuss in more detail, I’d suggest that you get in contact with a celebrant or registrars office.
Ok, let’s get started!
First, you’ll need to choose a location for your wedding. You need to register your intention to marry in the local authority where you fancy getting hitched. Find a location and find the local authority.
Find the right celebrant/registrar for you. This is really important as they are going to be a huge part of your ceremony. You want to find someone that makes you feel comfortable, gets to know you and who can tell your story the way you want it told.
The forms, etc… this is what you’ll need to register to get married in Scotland:
2 x M10 forms
Birth certificates
Photocopies of passports
Any relevant divorce papers
Proof of residency for both parties
Celebrant's full name and designation
Witnesses details and contact details for the couple
What’s next?
Submit your documentation NO MORE than 90 days and NO LESS than 29 days before your ceremony. It can be mailed or delivered personally.
Please use a secure and reliable mail delivery service and check with the recipient to ensure receipt of your documents timeously. The visa and Marriage Notice processes should run in tandem.
The Registrar may accept photocopies of all official documents with your application so long as you produce originals when you collect your schedule.
Personally collect your Marriage Schedule from the Registrar up to 7 days before the wedding. Call the Registrar to make an appointment to do that. They are only open from Mon-Fri.
Someone (not necessarily the wedded couple) must return the Marriage Schedule to the Registrar within 3 days of the wedding.
For clarity, click here to go straight to the National Records of Scotland site for all of the useful information and for access to previously mentioned forms.
Thank you so much to all these amazing celebrants and registrars that have helped me put all of this information together: