Your ‘on the day’ pre-ceremony preparations

• Make sure you have the Marriage / Civil Partnership Schedule before the ceremony begins.
• Make sure you have a permanent black ink pen with which to sign the Schedule.
• Make sure the two legal witnesses are present.

Your ‘on the day’ legal responsibility

You are responsible for ensuring that a marriage ceremony includes the following legal elements, in this order:

1. The couple clearly state their full names (as recorded on the Schedule) and declare that they accept each other in marriage, or, for a mixed-sex marriage, that they accept each other as husband and wife.
2. You declare that they are now married (or now husband and wife).
3. You, the couple and their two witnesses all sign the Schedule.

There is no compulsory wording, but because OneSpirit does not have a standard liturgy which NRS could review and agree, we always advise ministers to include the words above.

For example, a couple might want to say “I commit to you in love and truth, and promise to be a faithful partner.” It may sound right, but it does not say that they are getting married.

The couple must say the words themselves. They can repeat after you, but it is not sufficient for you to say the words and the couple to respond with “I do”.

For a civil partnership, the legal moment is the signing of the Civil Partnership Schedule by both parties, in the presence of you and the two witnesses. Structure the ceremony so the signing is given its proper weight.