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The formalities are simple, but ideally you should start preparing for your civil marriage at least six months in advance, so that you will not have any inconveniences when booking your time at the Civil Registry, both for the manifestation and for the celebration of the marriage.

In addition, in both instances, they must present themselves with two witnesses over 18 years of age, who may or may not be family members, with their valid identity cards.

How is a civil ceremony structured? Check out the following tip with the formalities of the contract and other ideas to personalize the script of your civil marriage in Chile. Take note!

Welcome

If you are getting married in the registry office, the space will be smaller, with the presence of only the necessary guests, so there will be no need for a welcome.

However, if the wedding will be at home or at an event center, with many family and friends, then it will merit an instance like this. You can hire a master of ceremonies or ask a friend to act as host.

The idea is that, when the time comes, that person invite guests to take their respective seats. And it's also a good idea for the host to say a few emotional words of welcome, such as a reflection on marriage, a line from a poem, or a fragment of a love song.

Felipe Cerda

Beginning of the ceremony

Once the bride and groom are positioned in front of the civil officer, with their two witnesses, one on each side, the marriage will begin.

And the ceremony will start with a preamble by the officiant In it, he will emphasize the importance of marriage and starting a life together.

This introduction will depend exclusively on the Civil Registrar who will be in charge. While some will be brief, others will go into more detail. In any case, the judge's speech in a civil marriage in Chile will always be a contribution.

Reading the civil articles

The next stage consists in the reading of the articles of the Civil Code, referring to the rights and obligations of the contracting parties which are those that constitute the object and content of the contract.

But first the official will proceed to identify the contracting parties and the witnesses.

"In the region..., district..., dated..., before me appear the following declarants, who state their intention to marry according to the law, declaring that they have no impediment or prohibition whatsoever." The official will then pronounce aloud the personal information of each party and each witness.

Subsequently, and in compliance with the legal provisions in force, the officiant will present the articles of the Civil Code that govern civil marriage in Chile.

Article 102: "Marriage is a solemn contract between two persons who are presently and indissolubly united for life for the purpose of living together, procreating and helping each other.

Article 131: "The spouses are obliged to keep faith with each other, to help and assist each other in all circumstances of life. They owe each other mutual respect and protection".

Article 133: "Both spouses have the right and the duty to live in the common household, unless either of them has serious reasons for not doing so.

Article 134: "Both spouses must provide for the needs of the common family, in accordance with their financial capacity and the property regime between them. The judge, if necessary, shall regulate the contribution".

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Acceptance of marriage

Subsequently, the mutual consent to be given by the bride and groom before the officer and witnesses.

For this purpose, the judge will ask the witnesses, who must answer aloud, if they declare under oath that the parties are not impeded from joining in marriage.

And then the officer will ask the bride and groom, first one and then the other, if they accept each other as husband and wife.

"There being no impediment to this marriage, and by the power vested in me by law, I pronounce you married." The officiant will express, being that the moment in which they will give each other the first kiss.

You can add to the romance of this moment by exchanging your wedding rings as a symbol of fidelity and eternal love, and by saying your wedding vows, thus enriching the script of your civil marriage. Of course, neither the rings nor the vows are obligatory.

Signing of the minutes

Finally, the ceremony will culminate with the signing of the minutes, the same as those of the manifestation, but which will now certify that the oath of marriage has been carried out in accordance with the law.

Both the bride and groom, the two witnesses and the civil officer must sign. And to top it all off, the newlyweds will receive the marriage certificate and congratulations from the officer.

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Optional events

Although the civil wedding will have already taken place, they can still include other symbolic acts during the instance Among them, the candle ceremony, the wine ritual, the planting of a tree or the tying of hands.

But any of these rites must be conducted by a person other than the civil officer, who must be told that such an action is to be performed.

It can be the master of ceremony who gave the welcome, one of the witnesses or a child of the newlyweds, depending on each case, with whom they can create a script together.

But it is also possible to close the ceremony with a speech that the bride and groom themselves would like to give.

Although the civil marriage ceremony is brief, as it usually takes no more than twenty minutes, you can always personalize it by incorporating some symbolic ritual. Just try to structure the script beforehand so you don't improvise on the fly.