Planning to get married in Ireland - ding dong!

I had such a fantastic welcome and good time when I visited with my society in December that my wife to be and I have agreed that we should consider having our wedding in Ireland.

Are "civil ceremonies" allowed without the need to book a church.

Are there any special considerations we need to know about?

For example my brother plays in a band and we would like them to come and play at the reception but do not know if there are EU visa restrictions for musicians coming from England

Hi Eddie,

It's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your recent visit to Ireland and are planning to tie the knot here.

To learn more about getting married in Ireland, I would recommend that you check out this page on the Irish Government website. It goes into all of the detail you will need to know before getting married here, including the marriage notification appointment, registering the marriage, getting the marriage certificate, and more.

You might also find our Ireland Wedding Tips page useful.

Civil marriage ceremonies are a legally-binding way to get married in Ireland. It is not necessary to book a church or have any mention of anything religious or spiritual.

In terms of people travelling from England to Ireland, there is no requirement to obtain a visa. Per the Common Travel Area agreement between the UK and Ireland, citizens of these countries have the right to travel freely between both countries.

Regards,
Eoin

Hi Eddie

Are you concerned that the musicians will have obstacles coming over from England to play in a EU country?

The Musicians Union has this information about performing in Europe which should help you decide what to do.

If it all seems to be a lot of red tape then there are plenty of experienced wedding bands available in Ireland that you can hire for your evening reception.

Personally I think that since it is your brother and "friends" then you should simply invite them as guests and they just happen to have their instruments and equipment with them.

Good luck with your planning.

Hi Eddie,
Delighted to hear you enjoyed your stay in Ireland - as we say in Gaelic - Ceád Míle Failte (100, 1000 welcomes).  This is the link to the registrar to arrange a marriage in Ireland https://www.gov.ie/en/service/ac59d3-get-married-in-ireland/  .  My husband and I got married in our brewery - www.tomcreanbrewerykenmare.ie in Kenmare, Co. Kerry in  April 2021.  We dealt with Killarney registrar, she was so lovely.  This is a  unique venue, not only is it a brewery but you are surrounded by photographs and Tom Crean family history.  Tom Crean is my grandfather and is a famous Irish Antarctic Explorer.   Despite it being during Covid and only allowed 6 guests we had a wonderful ceremony. We celebrated our wedding in my on site restaurant (temporarialy closed) but you are spoilt for choice in Kenmare.  There are 2 x 5* hotels Park Hotel across the road and the Sheen Falls hotel & Dromquinna Manor & Kenmare Bay Hotel. Lots of lovely restaurants.   It depends on what type of celebration you would like.  Best of luck with your planning.  
Kind regards,
Aileen Crean O'Brien
+353-(0)86-0422307

Personally I think that since it is your brother and "friends" then you should simply invite them as guests and they just happen to have their instruments and equipment with them so it appears that they are not professional wedding musicians for hire ....nudge wink

Thanks for the added suggestions and offers

Hi Eddie,

We (Eloping in Ireland) have planned 100's of weddings in Ireland for international couples. Ye can be legally married in any registered building or location in Ireland, it doesn't have to be a church. We've planned legal weddings at cliffs, castles, pubs, ruins, hotels, country houses etc. It's even possible to have your wedding somewhere like a cave or stone circle in a field and sign the legal paperwork back at the hotel ye are staying at. There are so many possibilities for a unique wedding experience here in Ireland.

Check out our advice for planning a legally binding ceremony in Ireland here.

If ye need help or advice on anything feel free to contact us at hello@elopinginireland.ie. We wish ye the very best of luck with everything.

Regards,

Stephen Neary
Eloping in Ireland