Expanded Venues For Civil Marriage Ceremonies
The Ministry of Home Affairs is advising the public that the Registry General has expanded the venue options where civil marriage ceremonies can be held.
A spokesperson said, “Under the Marriage Act 1944, civil marriage ceremonies were only permitted to be conducted within the Registrar’s Office.
“However, with the passing of the Marriage Amendment Act 2016, marriages contracted before the Registrar General can now be held at alternate approved locations which include:
- Admiralty House Park
- Arboretum
- Astwood Park
- Blue Hole Hill Park
- Botanical Gardens
- Chaplin Bay Beach
- Church Bay Beach
- Clocktower Mall Dockyard
- Devonshire Bay Park
- Elbow Beach [the public beach as accessed from Tribe Road 4B Paget]
- Ferry Point Park
- Fort St. Catherine Beach
- Great Head Park
- Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Park
- Horseshoe Bay Beach
- John Smith’s Bay Beach
- Jobson’s Cove Beach
- Scaur Hill Fort Park
- Shelly Bay Beach
- Somerset Long Bay Beach
- Spanish Point Park
- Stonehole Bay
- St. David’s Lighthouse Park
- Tobacco Bay Beach
- Victualling Yard – Dockyard
- Warwick Long Bay Beach
“Persons wishing to contract marriage in the presence of the Registrar, for any of these venues, must submit the fee of $450 to the Registry General, at least 14 days prior to the proposed date of marriage,” the spokesperson added.
“The Ministry stressed that this fee is in addition to the fee of $368 which is required to be submitted with the Notice of Intended Marriage Application form. [For more information on fees associated with civil marriage ceremonies please visit here]
“In addition the onus is on the parties, to be wed, to obtain written permission from the owner or occupier of the venue [e.g. WEDCO or Ministry of Public Works] and notify the Registrar accordingly of the date.
“The time will be confirmed by Registry General staff. In addition parties are responsible for arranging the logistics of set-up and any other features related to the wedding. The Registry General Office will only be responsible for providing a table, chair and relevant documents for signature.
“In the event of inclement weather, prohibiting an outdoor wedding, the alternate venue for the marriage will be the Registry General.
“In such cases, the marriage ceremony fee will be reduced to $245 which is the fee applicable to marriages conducted within the Registry General.”
When did this law pass? Was I under a rock living?
F!@#ing Bull S!@#
Why BS? Its only expanding the locations couples (currently only heterosexual) can get married at and in turn generating revenue. Whats the big deal?
Exactly, what is Onion Juice problem.
Reading.
Its bs to oj cause he thinks it relates to gay marriage. Smh.
Well then he’s an idiot.
True.
And another idiot.
Poor you, you are such a hater that you don’t even know what this is about. Willful ignorance is a disease.
http://bernews.com/2016/06/dd-minister-pamplin-second-reading-marriage-amendment-act/
Since marriage is an institution ordained by God, perhap the church temple should be the only place ceremonies should be performed.
Let’s not start this again. Marriage existed and was widely practiced before Christianity was invented.
Your particular religious “wedding ceremony” that involves your particular god(s) and traditions are specific to your particular religion. However, your particular religion holds no monopoly on marriage. If that were so then only persons of your religion would be able to be married.
Clearly this is not the case.
I suspect M was being a bit tongue in cheek here – and the suggestion that only a ‘church’ marriage was real as opposed to one officiated at a beach, public park, or Registar’s office.
The first marriage was in the beginning when God made male and female and their union and fruit began mankind. The first wedding may have happened later but the first union “marriage” was at the beginning along with all of the other wonderful things God created.
This is your religion’s version of things.
You are welcome to believe in it, but no one else has to and thus, should have nothing to do with the Government and how it runs the country.
There is no god, no one was created, therefore marriage is not a religious ceremony. Understand?
But God doesn’t exist. That’s ok for you superstitious people, but the rest of us want to get married too.
So does this mean me and my man can tie de nut???
What a pathetic money grab. All should be able to married wherever they like, by a JP. $800 to get married in the sunshine? Sickening.
Ka-ching, indeed. Better off doing the Registry office thing and then having your regular ceremony later, at that price.
It’s just a government sponsored way to penalize people who don’t want to go to church. Allow JPs and other officiants to perform ceremonies and do the paperwork.
The registry should just process licenses and certificates. Why is it their concern what the venue is?
Its all about money money money.
What you need is votes.
TO JUNK YARD DOG:
Agreement here. Enough is enough!!!
I believe if you get married by a Minister/Priest/Pastor, or any other person allowed to marry a couple, at these locations you do not have to pay the Registrar the $450 just the fee for the Notice. But I am assuming you will need to pay the Pastor.
What’s the explanation for excluding churches from this list? Or are civil ceremonies only limited to summer months? This is nonsense.
Churches have always been included.
Do things sometimes go over your head?
I suppose you *could* ask for a civil ceremony to get married to take place in a church, but that sort of begs the question…
Let’s find acceptable places , for both winter and summer venues . As marriage is only between one man and one woman, these other places would be welcome. Or as someone says, ” Is there another motive behind this ? “
Let’s allow people to marry WHEREVER they choose. This bureaucracy and extra costs are ridiculous.
And WHOever, as long as they’re consenting adults!
Oh dear, why is this so difficult for people to understand? Churches are not on this list because they are already permitted to conduct marriages. Before this law was passed with bipartisan support earlier in the year, one could only get married by the Registrar in the Regsitry Office which, quite frankly, is not that attractive, and many people want to be married by the Registrar on a beach. One could already have gotten married on a beach by a licensed pastor but that has, obviously, a religious connotation and not everyone is religious. So, you are now permitted to be married outside in certain locations by the Registrar. I think that fee is high but it covers the Registrar’s time, including that of travel. You would have had to pay $245 anyway to be married at the Registry Office,
SAME SEX COUPLES…..
MARRIAGE EQUALITY does not exist in Bermuda so far…… BUT “WATCH THIS SPEACE”.
The L.B.G.T.q.Movement is behind pushing this new.behind the tree and the rock ,anywhere you want todo it ,in the closet and on the roof concept,cause the go their behinds, domain internationally by G-D Fearing people legally.Desperate measures by frustrated ,desperate people.At the Island is still standing.
This one is the most nonsensical one from you yet!
Nothing in this makes a lick of sense.
This appears to be a finance generator, which in and of itself is not a bad thing, the government is in debt. The bigger issue is the current state of marriage and the sanctity and purpose of marriage is already being undermined in Bermuda.
Promoting “civil” ceremonies to just about any location appears to be another step that will segue into promoting “civil” unions for any consenting adults. Bermuda is watching.
As it should!two consenting adults should be allowed to get married if they want to.
Allowing them won’t affect or change the sanctity or purpose of marriage in any way.
Marriage has become a money making proposition to the OBA…..be it same sex or opposite sex..and it is sickening. ….
Increasing the cost of marriage we simply encourage… fornication. … destroy the family you destroy the society. ..
Marriage is now only for the wealthy. …another thing to separate us into social classes…
Huh? Marriage is only for the wealthy? Now? Because of the OBA?
How? What has the OBA done to make marriage unaffordable to different social classes?
This makes no sense to me.