Civil Ceremonies
Thornton Hall Hotel is licenced to hold civil ceremonies in our function suites and also in the garden Pagoda allowing an out door ceremony (weather permitting)
It is a legal requirement that the Bride & Groom contact the Registry office to arrange the Civil Ceremony themselves.The telephone number for Birkenhead Registry office is 0151 666 4096.
Civil Ceremony
A Civil Wedding Ceremony is conducted by a Registrar from Birkenhead Registry Office. The service itself must not contain any religious elements, either in your vows or in the music or readings you have chosen. You can have a religious blessing after the civil ceremony has concluded. This would need to be arranged by the Bride & Groom. You can also customise your wedding vows, this would be done when discussing your arrangements with the Registrar.
On the Big Day!
Your wedding ceremony will run as follows
- Groom, Best Man and ushers arrive approximately 90 minites prior to wedding ceremony
- Event Manager will run through the days events to check there are no last minutes changes
- If the Bride is getting ready at the Hotel, the Events Manager will make contact - usually by calling the bedroom
- 10 minutes prior to the ceremony, Registrar will meet the groom and confirm name, age & occupation. This takes place at the ceremony table.
- Registrars will then go to the Brides bedroom or wait for her to arrive to confirm name, age & occupation
- 5 minutes prior to ceremony, the Events Manager will ask guests to take their seats
- Once guests are seated, the Events Manager will collect Bride from her room or at the main entrance.
- Once at the entrance to the Suite or the door the bride has chosen to enter the gardens, the Events Manager will instruct the music to start for the Bride to enter to
- The ceremony takes approximately 30 minutes
Best Man & Ushers
The Best Man & Ushers can play a vital role in civil ceremony on the day by doing the following
- Arrive in plenty of time
- Introduce themselves to the Events Manager
- At least one usher should be at the entrace to the Hotel & greet all guests as they arrive
- Ushers should hand out order of services and inform guests of essential information eg throwing confetti, switch mobile phones off
- If the Bride & Groom have a seating plan for during the ceremony, make sure guests are directed accordingly
- Ushers should familiarise themselves with the VIP guests eg parents grandparents brothers and sisters, so they can be directed to the correct seating
- Help the Photographer organise group photographs
Remember it's your day so if you want it to run a little differently, just let us know!
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