Civil Ceremonies & Civil Partnership Ceremonies
The bill to implement the Civil Partnership Bill within the Social Welfare system passed through the final stages of Government approval on Friday 17th of December 2010 and same sex couples are now able to apply with a three month notice period of their intention.
The HSE registrar will be able to legally register a same sex couple at approved venues and I am delighted to say that we have been approved.
Our private civil ceremony rooms can cater for groups of 15 to 175 persons and boast private bar facilities and open fire. The Civil Ceremony Venue is set with red carpet running to the top of the room and seating is adorned with Chair Covers & Co-ordinated sashes. Fresh floral arrangements are included and we can look after the PA requirements on the day for you.
Remember we offer a 15% discount on our packages for Ceremonies taking place Monday – Wednesday & 10% discount on Thursdays.
* Certain date exclusions apply.
The Registrars can be contacted in Galway in the HSE offices of Births, deaths & marriages office @ Civil Registration Office, Community Services, 25 Newcastle Road, Galway,
Opening Hours: 10:00am to 4.30pm
Contact: 091 546277.
FAQ’s
Approval is granted to each individual partnership on a case by case basis and is determined by a member of the Health Services Executive Registration office. A member of this team will meet the wedding couple and review their application. When they are satisfied with the hotel and that the wedding couple meet their requirements approval is then granted
Applications should be made to the Civil Registration office at least three months before the wedding, however it is advisable to apply as far in advance as possible to guarantee requested dates. Once you have met with the registrar you will be given a declaration forms for which the hotel will have to sign for you and the hotel will adhere to the standards set by the Civil registration office.
There is a notification fee which must be paid at the first meeting with the member from the Civil Registration office. There is also a charge per hour for the registrar on the day of the ceremony.
Humanist Ceremonies
Traditionally most weddings were held in churches. The alternative was a registry office. Today, many couples do not want a religious service but want more than a registry office. For these couples a Humanist wedding offers the ideal solution. Humanist weddings can be held anywhere - indoors or out in the open. Many couples choose to hold their ceremony in a hotel, country house or castle; others simply use their own garden.
Humanist weddings can be held any day of the week. This is in contrast to registry office ceremonies which can only be held Monday to Friday. Humanist weddings can be conducted at any time of the day. They are often a little later than other weddings as there is usually no travel necessary from ceremony to reception.
Humanist weddings are easy to arrange - simply make contact by email or phone. Please give plenty of notice as demand for Humanist ceremonies is growing all the time.
Humanist wedding ceremonies are composed individually to suit the couple’s specific requirements. However they generally follow a generic pattern. The bride usually arrives in the traditional manner (but she doesn’t have to!) after which the celebrant says some words of welcome. After this there will be a mix of readings and music interspersed with appropriate words from the celebrant. Vows are made and rings are exchanged and then the celebrant will usually say some closing words before the happy couple leave amidst music and applause from their guests. Some couples like to light candles or have some other symbolism; others prefer a simpler, more straightforward ceremony. There are no rights and wrongs - the only real guidelines are that the ceremony should be secular and dignified.
Note: At present Humanist weddings do not carry legal status in Ireland and couples should make their own arrangements in this regard i.e. a Civil Ceremony before or after Humanist Ceremony
For More information Contact Brian Whiteside, Director of Ceremonies, Humanist Assoc Of Ireland @ 086 3848940 or Email ceremonies@humanism.ie
A Spiritual Wedding Ceremony
Many couples are looking for a legal wedding ceremony which is more than a cicil ceremony yet not religious. They want to bring a sense of the Sacred to their wedding ceremony without having to align with the dogma of any particular church. Sometimes the Bride and Groom are from different traditions and they would like both traditions to be honoured in the ceremony. Until recently that was not possible but now you can have a legal AND spiritual wedding that is non-denominational by having a One Spirit Interfaith Minister as your Celebrant.
The role of the One Spirit Interfaith Minister is to help you as couple reflect deeply about the purpose of your relationship, the vision for your life together and how you would like to express your intentions in your wedding ceremony. What’s particularly wonderful about an Interfaith ceremony is that we offer you complete freedom and flexibility in choosing your content. Each ceremony is a personal reflection of who you are as a couple and where you are heading together. You can create your own vows and work with your Celebrant to design a meaningful ceremony which can include your favourite readings and music.
All One Spirit Interfaith Ministers are authorised to solemnise weddings and so can legally marry you as well as provide a beautiful bespoke ceremony. They are available 7 days a week.
You and your Celebrant will agree on any meetings you would like (in person, by phone or on Skype) and agree the process for completion of the various drafts.
You may want to include any or all of the following in your ceremony:
- Music and entrance
- Welcome/Introduction
- Invocation
- Candle Lighting
- Remembrances
- Readings/music
- The address
- Declaration of no impediment (needed for a legal marriage)
- Expression of intent (needed for a legal marriage)
- Handfasting ritual
- Vows
- Blessings and exchanging of rings
- Prayer of blessing
- Reading
- Final blessing
- Signing of Marriage Registration Form (needed for a legal marriage)
- Celebration music
These are only suggestions of course. Apart from the legal requirements the ceremony will be created to include exactly what you both want. Typically a ceremony would be 30 - 45 minutes.
We can also provide a spiritual ceremony for those whose wedding has already been legalised maybe in another country, and for same sex couples who would like a sacred ceremony to honour their commitment to each other.
Want to find out more?
Let the team at The Westwood help you plan the most memorable day of your lives. Remember with just one wedding per day they assure of their best attention at all times.
For more information on weddings at The Westwood contact us on on Lo-call 1850 366 000 email us on weddings@westwoodhousehotel.com or alternatively click here for our wedding enquiry form.
