More wedding choice in Somerset

Couples looking to tie the knot may soon have the chance to have their ceremony as the sun goes down, or, as the sun comes up if they’d prefer.

Sunset and sunrise marriages or civil partnerships are two options on the cards in a new consultation run by Somerset County Council that will give couples more choice and could open up new business opportunities for wedding venues and suppliers. County Councillor David Huxtable, Cabinet Member responsible for the Registration Service, says:

“We would like to ask anyone with an interest whether the Somerset Registration Service should extend its hours outside of the current 8am to 6pm times. Removing time restrictions on marriage or civil partnership ceremonies is part of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2010-12 which received Royal Assent on 1 May 2012 and it is fully expected that this specific part of the Act will be implemented in October 2012. Therefore we are keen to find out about potential demand from both couples and businesses.
We are keen to hear from anybody with an interest, whether you are a couple planning to hold a ceremony soon, or are someone who would have liked the opportunity to do something different in the past. We are also interested to hear from businesses that are currently not able to offer ceremonies between 8am and 6pm due to their primary business function, but with a change in the law, perhaps would want to consider doing so.
Somerset has many fantastic venues that already attract significant numbers of couples from outside the county. This new Act could potentially open up many more opportunities, which would be a great boost for the local economy.”

The consultation will run for six weeks until Sunday 29 July.

To complete a short questionnaire, please go to www.somerset.gov.uk/gettingmarried or contact the Taunton registration office on tauntonro@somerset.gov.uk or phone 01823 282251 for an alternative format.