Bouncy church
Question
My fiancé and I would like to get married in an inflatable church. Do you know if this is this legal?
Answer
At the moment, weddings can only be held in permanent structures so an inflatable church wouldn't fit into this category. If the law was to change to allow a marriage to take place outside of a permanent venue then the inflatable would probably have to apply for permission to held weddings under the approved venue scheme.
The approval of venues is carried out by your local council, for example, the Norfolk County Council website says the following:
'The venue must be a seemly and dignified place for the solemnisation of marriages. The venue must be regularly available to the public for such a use. The marriage must take place in a readily identifiable room or suite. This means that marriages cannot be held in the open air, or in a temporary structure like a marquee. The premises must have no recent or continuing connection with any religion or religious practice.'
So it at the moment an inflatable would not be unlikely to be accepted as a place to hold a wedding, though it's worth talking to your council about any plans they might have to change their guidelines.
Updated: 05/12/2007
Question answered by CAB
