Tying the knot – and doing the paperwork

There’s so much to sort out when you’re getting married, and we’re not just talking about deciding on the best seating plan to keep your feuding aunties apart, or what song you’ll pick for your first dance. There are plenty of exciting things that you need to choose, from the reception venue, the honeymoon destination and, of course, the wedding dress – but there’s also a lot of rather dull paperwork to do as well.

Advance notice

You must, by law, give notice in advance of a marriage or civil partnership and both spouses-to-be need to go to their local register office. The notice of your marriage will then be publicly displayed for fifteen days, and only after that can you marriage be authorised. A notice of marriage is valid for a year, unless you change address or venue, in which case you need to apply for a new one. You will need to provide identification, including proof of age and address and your nationality, and proof that any previous marriage or civil partnership has been dissolved.

If you plan to get married in the Church of England,  ‘banns’ – notices of your intention to marry – should be read three Sundays in advance of your wedding; this can be done in lieu of giving notice to a civil registrar. The Church of England advises that, if you are getting married at short notice, and if one or both spouses are not British or live abroad, you should apply for a ‘Common Licence’ from your local diocese.  The Roman Catholic Church – and some other Christian denominations – will require couples to take a pre-marriage preparation course, which usually involves a series of discussions with their priest, so make sure you allow enough time for these.

On the wedding day itself, you will sign the registry in the presence of an authorised celebrant (which could be a priest, minister, rabbi or imam, if you are having a religious ceremony) or civil registrar, and you will need two witnesses.

Declare your status

If a bride is adopting her husband’s name (or vice-versa), or a couple are joining their surnames together to make a double-barrelled surname, then names may need to be changed on bank accounts, credit cards, driving licences, passports, deeds for home ownership and any other such documentation. It is not a legal requirement to do this, and many women continue to use their maiden name for professional reasons, for example, but it can make managing your financial affairs less complex. You may also wish to take out a joint bank account, if you do not already have one.

It may be a good idea to rework (or make) your will, especially if you have children from a previous relationship, or other dependants you would want to benefit should you meet an untimely end. It could also be worth telling the tax man about your change in circumstances, as married peoplecan actually be eligible for certain tax breaks - these can include savings on capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

Life insurance can also be an important part of financial planning for married life, to help protect ownership of the family home and support any children or dependants. You can buy joint-life insurance policiesor individual policies; depending on your age, state of health or the level of cover you wish to purchase, one type of policy may offer better value, so do your research and make sure you choose the best policy for your personal needs.

Careful financial planning will get you off to a good start in your marriage – it might not be the most romantic task to tackle, but it will lay a solid foundation for your life together.

Issued by Sainsbury’s Finance

Sainsbury’s Finance is a trading name of Sainsbury’s Bank plc.All information correct at time of publication, but may be subject to change. Any views or opinions expressed in this article are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of any part of the Sainsbury’s Group of companies.

Sainsbury’s Finance is a financial services provider engaged in savings accounts, credit cards, and personal loans.  It also supplies insurance services in car insurance, home insurance, life insurance, pet insurance and travel insurance as well as being a provider of travel money services.