Requirements
Let us see some questions asked by those who consider getting married in Poland. Its may help you to make your own decision and resolve your doubts about organising destination wedding in Poland.
1.
Aneta: Hi. My future husband is English, but we are going to organise our Wedding in Poland, because it is much cheaper. However, it is hard for me to imagine bringing the whole English family in for the wedding or even their stay in Poland. I have no idea how to organise it all smoothly and avoid any stressful situations.
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: It is crucial to choose a suitable location. In your case small palaces or manor houses would be the best choice, as they are usually surrounded with green areas, beautiful gardens and garden houses… This will be a perfect setting for your guests to feel relaxed close to nature. Check if accommodation is offered in the location you choose and if you can have exclusive rights to use it. It would be best if your guests could arrive a day or two earlier. Also, you have to make sure how many nights should be booked for each guest, as some of them may be planning to stay in Poland for longer. You can attach the following to invitations for your English guests:
- brochure of the location, as well as prices for the accommodation, with the information that you are going to cover the cost of accommodation on the wedding day
- schedule of plane departures and arrivals
- option to make use of the services of a hairdresser or stylist that are going to be available on the spot on the wedding day.
You also have to take care of means of transport for your guests to collect them from the air port, and take them to the Church/Registry Office and back. It would be good if they could come together as a group, because then you could hire a bus to take them all at one time. Of course, you will need somebody to be responsible for seeing to all that. If you do not have a professional organiser of your wedding, ask a close relative, bestman or maid of honour to help you. You are going to have many other things on your mind :). Good luck.
2.
Ania: I am Polish and I am going to get married in Poland. Could you tell me please what documents are required to have a civil marriage to an Irishman?
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: If you are going to have a civil marriage, the list of documents to prepare is quite long:
Foreigner:
- Copy of the birth certificate /original with a translation/
- Superintendent Registrar's Certificate of no impediment to marriage pursuant to the marriage with foreigners. Apart from the foreigner’s personal data and his current marital status, this document should also contain a clear statement that under the law of his country of citizenship he is permitted to contract marriage in Poland with a Polish citizen. The certificate has to indicate the foreigner by name; otherwise it is invalid. If the foreigner cannot provide such a document (e.g. his country does not issue such documents), he should submit a court permit. Such permits are issued by Regional Courts in a non-litigious proceeding upon a foreigner’s request.
- Certificate of permanent residency in his domicile
- Valid passport
Polish citizen:
- not married – identification card, abridged copy of the birth certificate
- widower/widow – identification card, abridged copy of the birth certificate, abridged copy of the death certificate of the spouse
- divorcee – identification card, abridged copy of the birth certificate, abridged marriage certificate, copy of the marriage certificate with a note on the divorce, or a court verdict.
Based on the documentation and declarations made in the Office, the Office issues a certificate of no impediment to marriage (the same that is issued for Polish couples) that is archived in the Office in case of a civil marriage.
If the fiancé does not speak fluent Polish, a sworn interpreter of his native language (there is a list of sworn interpreters at each office) should accompany him to the Registry Office. He can also submit the documents through the agency of the Consular Department of the Polish Embassy.
3.
Robert: Hello. I am engaged to an Englishwoman. First, we were only planning to have a civil marriage, but then I realised that I would also like to have a church wedding. There is one problem, though: my fiancée is not a Catholic... Is it possible to have a church wedding if one person is not a believer? The wedding ceremony is most probably going to be held in Poland. What documents should I prepare in this situation?
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: In case of a church wedding where one person is not a Catholic, it is necessary to meet the following conditions:
- obtain an applicable bishop dispensation through the agency of the parish where pre-wedding formalities are settled
- the Catholic side declares to be ready to put aside the risk losing faith and to do everything in their power to baptize and bring up their children in the Catholic Church,
- the non-Catholic side declares not to interfere with the Catholic side in their religious observances and Catholic upbringing of their future mutual offspring.
Compared with a wedding ceremony of two Catholics, the Liturgy of the marriage sacrament in this case is different in that during marriage vows the non-Catholic side does not say “So help me God...”, and “In the name of the Father and the Son” while putting the ring on. The blessing and sacrament of marriage are only administered to the Catholic Church members.
Sylwia and Janek: My fiancé and I are thinking about original entertainment at our wedding that could integrate our families and our close friends from England. Do you have any suggestions? Regards.
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: If you have no musical setting for your wedding yet, you could think about a DJ or a band with karaoke. They could arrange a few 15-minute shows that will keep the guests really amused. You could also organise a singing contest and form teams of two or three, Poles and the English mixed, of course. The guests that won’t be willing to take part in the contest can become the jury. The winner is the team that gains the greatest applause.
Dance always makes integration easier, which is why a quick dance class for the guests can be another solution that will definitely set a great spirit on the dance floor. You can teach your guests the basics of cha-cha, samba or rumba. After the session, everyone will begin dancing and the dance floor will be full till the crack of dawn.
Dorota and Neil: Hello. I am from Poland, but I have been living in Ireland for seven years now, and this is where I met my fiancé. We are going to organise our wedding ceremony and reception in Poland in the Old Polish manner. However, we are not sure whether Polish or English should be used during the Mass. If everything was to be translated from Polish to English, the Mass would last for 2 hours, which is what we would like to avoid. I have no idea how to solve it. Do you have any experience in organising such weddings?
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: The best solution for you is to find a Polish priest that can speak English. The Holy Mass would be celebrated in both languages. You could decide with the priest which fragments of the Mass would be offered in English, e.g. a part of the sermon or one of the readings. You would make your marriage vows in Polish, and your fiancé in English. We also recommend that you find an organist who could sing some songs in English, for the Irish guests to fully participate in the Mass. Please remember that in case of concordat weddings a sworn interpreter is required to be present at the signing of documents.
6.
Ola and Daniel: We are now looking for the musical setting for our wedding. We have no idea what to choose: a DJ or a band. There are going to be about 100 guests of different ages at our wedding. We would like to make everyone – even the eldest – dance, but it is obvious that everyone prefers different kinds of music. Besides, there are also going to be some guests from England, which makes me think that cocktail music might be actually better than wedding music.
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: If you do not know whether to choose a DJ or a band, you should try and answer two basic questions:
1. What is your budget for the musical setting – it is common knowledge that a band is more expensive because it has to entertain the guests all night long.
2. What kind of music presentation do you prefer at a wedding: played back from CDs, original songs or performed live.
If you choose a band, you will need quite a lot of time to organise it; sometimes it may be a real challenge. First of all, the band has to play live, sing in tune, have their own lighting and sound system. In your case it would be good if the master of ceremonies could communicate with the guests also in English.
A DJ is different from a band because his repertoire of songs is unlimited. You will be able to create your own playlist, also including your guests’ suggestions. It is also a good idea to make a list of songs that you do not want to listen to at your wedding. What is more, DJs can offer a lot of additional attractions, such as smoke machines, bubble machines, additional lighting, karaoke and many more. A good DJ has to able to get the party going and take care of high quality of the music he plays.
Many people believe that a DJ is more suitable at a disco, and a wedding is the only occasion to listen to live music. There are supporters and opponents of hiring a DJ, so you should base your decision on your preferences. Recently, it is becoming more and more popular to combine a band with a DJ. For example, the band can play cocktail music during the unveiling ceremony, and then the DJ can change the style of the wedding and play the biggest hits of the previous years.
7.
Ula: It has been 4 years that I live in Manchester, and this year I am going to get married in Poland. The most important things have already been organised with the help of my family. Now time has come to decide about the details, and of course final decisions are up to me. I am about to choose the decorations. As I am keen on following fashion trends, I would like to have unusual and exceptional decorations at my wedding. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: Hello. Following this year’s trends, wedding decorations are full of vivid colours, such as orange, green, yellow and pink. The room can be turned into a spring-summer garden that will be bursting with energy. You can give free rein to your imagination and decorate each element with colourful, seasonal flowers, and put bowls with various fruit on the tables. It is worth noticing that fruit appear not only as a snack, but also as decoration, just like flowers. You can also consider cutting decorative shapes and patterns out of the fruit.
If you decide to use the elegant style, your decorations should include some black, as it perfectly combines with white. Some people may of course consider it a bit controversial, as black is associated with funerals, but you should remember that it is also a mysterious and intriguing colour. When you decorate the room or tables, you should give some thought to choosing the elements to be decorated with black so that the final effect is stylish and classy. There are many options: from tiny ornaments on platters, plates, or bowls, to tablecloths, thin ribbons in flowers, menu and vignettes, to decorations on the wedding cake.
It is a lovely idea to personalise each elements with the initials of the young couple that could be a part of the decorations in the room, from the menu and vignettes, to plates and cutlery. Those who prefer to be economical can prepare the invitations, vignettes, menu and presents for guests and parents by themselves. I hope that these suggestions help and some of them will be used at your wedding. Good luck!
8.
Ania: My dream is to have my wedding in my parents’ garden. In my opinion this is the most beautiful place in the world. I have heard that outdoor weddings are becoming more and more popular in Poland and registrars make less and less fuss about such weddings. Still, I have no idea how to start. What are the conditions for such a wedding to take place?
OUR EXPERT ADVICE: The crucial thing that you have to do is to write a letter to the manager of the register office asking for a permission to have an outdoor civil wedding. You should state a reason in your letter for using your right that is mentioned in the "Law on civil state acts " that includes a vague provision that if justified, a wedding can be organised our of the register office. Still, the best solution is to have a personal conversation with the registrar and explain your reasons for having your wedding out of the office. Of course, the meeting face-to-face does not guarantee that you will obtain the registrar’s permission, but you are more likely to succeed than by sending a letter. It is worth gathering strong arguments that are meant to convince the registrar to preside over your wedding in the garden. If the registrar agrees, you should accept all his conditions.
Above all, you should take care of:
- a table and a chair for the registrar
- a chair for the young couple and witnesses, possibly also for the guests
- sound system
- national emblem
- musical setting, e.g. string quartet
- decorations: tablecloth, table decorations, carpet; this all has to be discussed with the registrar.
Of course you should remember to show the registrar that he or she will not have any additional problems due to presiding over your wedding out of the office. You should inform him or her that you will collect and take him or her back, and that you will comply with all the expectations. I am sure you are going to make it. Good luck.
It is not so difficult as it may seem at the first glimpse to organise destination wedding in Poland, is it?
Our experts on organising the wedding in Poland:PERFECT MOMENTS Wedding Servicewww.perfectmoments.pl