civil wedding

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A marriage ceremony performed by a government official rather than a religious leader.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a civil wedding or two civil weddings.

   Patterns

   • have a civil wedding
   • a civil wedding ceremony

   They had a civil wedding at the town hall because neither of them is religious.

   A civil wedding is legally valid, but some couples also hold a religious blessing later.

2. 2nouncountable

   The legal registration of a marriage by an official, without any religious content.

   Grammar: Often used when comparing it with a religious service: a civil wedding, not a church one.

   Patterns

   • opt for a civil wedding
   • a civil wedding instead of a church service

   Her parents wanted a church service, but the couple chose a civil wedding.

   In many countries a civil wedding must take place before any religious ceremony.

Word forms

Common combinations

have a civil wedding

We decided to have a civil wedding in the spring.

a civil wedding ceremony

The civil wedding ceremony lasted about twenty minutes.

a civil wedding at the town hall

Their civil wedding at the town hall was small and quiet.

a civil wedding officiant

The civil wedding officiant asked them to repeat their vows.

Synonyms and how they differ

civil ceremony

The more general term; it can also refer to non-marriage official ceremonies, so it is less specific than civil wedding.

registry office wedding

British and informal; it stresses the place where the marriage is registered rather than the type of ceremony.

Opposites

Word family

civil marriage noun

A marriage that is legally recognized without a religious ceremony.

civil union noun

A legally recognized partnership, similar to marriage but with different rights in some places.

Commonly confused: civil wedding or civil partnership?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “civil wedding”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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