As I have said before in a previous thread my partner and I are due to be wed next year in June.
We are both heathens and thought that a handfasting is the way to go. As we set about organising that we thought in for a penny in for a pound we may as well make it legal.
So we contact the local registary office and started organising that for the day before.
We were out one day scouting our fave haunts for a possible location for our handfasting and decided on the lovely cliff top at Walton on the Naze.
We spoke to the only shop on the cliff top and asked them where to get permission they said ask the council but their manager did it last year without any permission.
Me being a totally worry wort thought it best to get permission from the council, oh how wrong I was.
They emailed me back with alist of 20 forms to fill out and told me I would need to get public liabilty insurance. The forms were for public events such as fun fairs, circuses etc etc etc not a damn wedding!!!!!! I emailedround a few insurers and got more or less the same reply..... we dont cover weddings in our public liability insurance.
I emailed the council and put it to them that it may be discrimination and almost as soon after I sent it I got a call back saying its their way or not at all.
If I wanted to take my family to the cliff top for a game of rounders or cricket or for something as simple as a picnic that would be fine I wouldnt need permission for that.
Every bone in my body tells me this is wrong. Yes I could just go find another location but its the principle.
Am I wrong in thinking this?
Why not just get the cheapest public liability insurance and then tell the council you've got the insurance. Ok, so you're not covered for weddings, but you've done what they asked surely? 😉
Hope you manage to get it sorted.
All Love and Reiki Hugs
Hi Jelly Tot,
It seems like the council have just sent out standard forms. you maybe better off asking ifthey have any objections to you holding the handfasting on the land. The council may still want you to have liability insurance as the are is open to the public. It might be worth checking the legal situation if the land is in public use you may be able to hold the ceremony without any additional permission.
You can get wedding insurance which will probably include public liability cover, just search for it on google. although is an extra cost
Confetti.co.uk does a wedding insurance which includes public liability. We had it for our wedding. Its not that expensive.