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input {
  "topic": "ceremony-and-legal"
}

output {
  "topic": "ceremony-and-legal",
  "content": "# Ceremony & Legal (Coach Reference)\n\nCovers two things: the **legal** side of getting married in the UK (paperwork that\ncan derail a day if mishandled) and the **ceremony** itself (the emotional heart of\nthe day). Help couples get the legalities right early so they can relax into\neverything else.\n\n> ⚠️ **Legal disclaimer — read before answering legal questions.** This is general\n> guidance, not legal advice, and marriage law **changes and varies by\n> jurisdiction**. The figures below are for **England & Wales**; Scotland and\n> Northern Ireland differ. Before giving a couple a definitive answer on notice\n> periods, documents, eligibility, or ceremony legality, **tell them to confirm\n> with their local register office / GOV.UK** (or the relevant authority for their\n> nation or, for non-UK passports, their consulate). If live web search is\n> available, verify current requirements rather than stating them as settled fact.\n> Always state that requirements can change.\n\n## Universal legal requirements (England & Wales)\n\nBoth partners must be over 16 (parental consent if under 18 — note the legal\nminimum age has been changing in parts of the UK, so verify), free to marry, not\nclosely related; two witnesses present; proper notice of marriage given.\n\n## Giving notice of marriage\n\n- Both partners attend their **local register office in person**, each in the\n  district where they live (separate offices if they live apart).\n- Must have **lived in the registration district ≥7 days** before giving notice.\n- Notice is **displayed publicly for a minimum 15 days** (objection period) before\n  the marriage can proceed. The resulting certificate is **valid 12 months** and is\n  **specific to the named venue**.\n- Book the notice appointment in good time — roughly **3 months before**, and not\n  fewer than 29 days before the wedding (15-day notice + buffer). Verify current\n  minimums.\n- **Documents** typically needed: original birth certificate, passport/photo ID,\n  proof of current address, plus decree absolute (if divorced) or marriage +\n  death certificates (if widowed), change-of-name deed if applicable. Non-British\n  passport holders should check with their consulate — immigration status can\n  affect the process.\n\n## Ceremony types (what's legal, what's not)\n\n- **Civil ceremony** — most common (~68% of UK marriages at licensed venues).\n  Conducted by a registrar at a register office or licensed venue. Key rules: venue\n  must be a **permanent licensed structure** (you cannot legally marry in a\n  marquee), **doors stay open** to the public, **no religious content** in vows,\n  readings or music. Both partners **meet the registrar separately** just before\n  the ceremony (a legal identity check) — arrange a private room. Registrars don't\n  do rehearsals.\n- **Church of England** — has a legal duty to marry parishioners. Marriage\n  announced via **banns** read on three consecutive Sundays in each partner's\n  parish (parish boundaries ≠ postcodes — check with the church). Held 8am–6pm,\n  doors unlocked; readings/music approved by the minister; usually includes\n  pre-marriage counselling. Service ~30 min (≈45 with communion).\n- **Catholic** — book early; non-regular worshippers may struggle. Often needs\n  civil notice and/or a registrar present for the legal paperwork; pre-marriage\n  counselling standard; mass can run an hour+.\n- **Jewish** — rich traditional order (ketubah signing, bedeken, chuppah,\n  circling, rings, wine, seven blessings, breaking the glass, yichud). Liberal/\n  Reform synagogues perform same-sex marriages.\n- **Humanist & interfaith** — **not legally binding in England & Wales** (status\n  differs in Scotland). Couples have a separate simple civil ceremony (couple + two\n  witnesses) for the legal part, then a fully personalised celebrant-led ceremony\n  anywhere, any time, with no content restrictions. (Note: 1 in 8 UK couples now\n  hold the legal ceremony on a *different day* from the celebration.)\n- **Same-sex marriage** — legal in England & Wales since March 2014; same procedure\n  and running order as any civil ceremony. C of E / Church in Wales are exempt from\n  being required to perform them; vow wording can use \"spouse\"/\"partner\".\n\n## Ceremony music & readings\n\nFour musical moments: guest-arrival (~15–20 min), processional, during (signing/\ninterlude/hymns), recessional. **Civil:** all music and readings must be\n**pre-approved by the registrar** and contain **no religious content** — submit\nearly. **Church:** the minister and organist approve; most are flexible about a\nmodern reading or two alongside traditional passages. Brief readers on when/where\nthey read, seat them with easy aisle access, and print their reading on card.\n\n## Processional & recessional\n\n- **Traditional processional (C of E):** minister, then bride with father/escort,\n  then bridesmaids, then flower girls/pageboys.\n- **Modern/US-style (increasingly popular):** minister already in place,\n  bridesmaids first, then flower girls/pageboys, then the bride/partner last — it\n  builds anticipation and puts all eyes on the entrance at the end.\n- Who walks the couple in is entirely their choice — one or both parents, a\n  sibling, grandparent, together, or alone. Reflect relationships, not convention.\n- **Recessional:** couple exits first, wedding party and parents follow (paired or\n  relaxed). Bridesmaids walk ~one pew-length apart, slow and measured.\n\n## The critical hour before\n\nUshers arrive 45–60 min early (welcome guests, hand out orders of service, guide/\nescort to seats, reserve the front 2–3 rows). Groom/partner + best man ~30 min\nbefore (rings, buttonholes, nerves). Civil couples do the separate registrar\nmeetings. Mother of the bride is traditionally the last to be seated — a cue the\nceremony is about to begin; arrange someone to escort her.\n\n## Confetti\n\nCheck venue rules first (many ban paper; allow petals/biodegradable only). Decide\nwith the photographer: spontaneous vs a staged line-up shot. Instruct guests\n(sign or ushers): wait for the announcement, line up, throw *upwards* (not at the\ncouple). Assign someone to hand out cones.\n\n## Rehearsal\n\nChurches usually offer one (the evening before) — use it to run the processional,\npositions, readings and recessional. Civil venues rarely do; if the space is free\nthe day before, do an informal run-through, and at minimum walk everyone through it\nverbally so no one is surprised.\n\n## Sources\n\n`references/knowledge-base/articles/professional/pro-uk-marriage-laws-complete-guide.md`\n(flagged \"verify against current official sources\"),\n`references/knowledge-base/articles/professional/pro-ceremony-organisation-guide.md`. Deeper articles\n(specific cultural/religious ceremonies, vow examples, readings, vow renewals) via\n`article-index.md` under Ceremony & Vows and Legal & Admin.\n",
  "articles": [
    {
      "slug": "pro-uk-marriage-laws-complete-guide",
      "title": "UK Marriage Laws: The Complete Guide to Legal Requirements for Your Wedding"
    },
    {
      "slug": "how-to-get-married-the-ultimate-step-by-step-guide",
      "title": "How to Get Married: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide"
    },
    {
      "slug": "pro-ceremony-organisation-guide",
      "title": "Ceremony Organisation: The Professional Guide to Planning Your Wedding Ceremony"
    }
  ]
}