getting married
in Scotland

getting married in Scotland

How to get married in Scotland

So firstly, you’ve said YES – my congratulations to you both!

Now you need to start thinking about all the big and little things needed for your wedding. Besides deciding top priority things like when you would like your Wedding Bagpiper to play on your day(!), one of the most important things you need to do is to get everything in order so you can hold a legally-binding marriage ceremony – one which fits your values and beliefs as a couple.

When it comes to getting married, Scotland has some (good!) differences compared to many other countries, including England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This is a summary of the different types of Scottish wedding ceremonies, and some hopefully useful information and resources to help set you on your way up the aisle.

Types of Wedding Ceremony

In Scotland we have three types of legal Marriage Ceremonies – Belief, Civil or Religious:

Religious Same-Sex Marriages

Progress is slow I’m afraid.

Today the Scottish Episcopal Church is the only religious denomination in Scotland to conduct same-sex marriages, as reported here.

At present the Church of Scotland does not conduct same-sex mariages. However, draft legislation to allow Ministers and Deacons to conduct same-sex marriages was approved in May 2021, as reported here. Covid-19 has delayed the final approval from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, but there should be progress in May 2022 when the next General Assembly will be held.

The Scottish Catholic Church and the Free Church of Scotland do not conduct same-sex marriages.

The Legal Bit

Eloping?