The blessing itself does not need to be religious in any way and does not need to be held in a church. Many couples have blessing carried out on board ship when they are on honeymoon or outside in the grounds where the reception is being held. Most couples feel that it softens and adds warmth to a civil wedding by adding the blessing , this is more a spiritual thing and a showing of commitment to each other rather than anything legal and binding. In mixed religious marriages this is a good way of getting round what could be a difficult problem by having the ceremony carried out in one religion and the blessing in the other.

Designer Blessing As a blessing is not required by law and is more a preference, you can tailor it to suit yourself. It is used to confirm your commitment to each other. Some like to read prayers and sing hymns to give it a religious feel, others play music that has a special meaning to them both (their song). There is no set protocol to the ceremony, you are now husband and wife and as such you arrive together. The blessing can be as large or as small as you want, some couples make it a private affair with sometimes just themselves and no guests. One couple I know, who are very keen walkers, arranged to have a blessing at the end of their honeymoon. We, the guests, all turned up in Lynton (Devon) at a start of a 3 mile walk along the river. The couple and guests  proceeded along the walk till we arrived at the point for the blessing, the vicar turned up by car and carried out the service (a  hymn and a statement of commitment) all in the most picturesque setting you could wish for.  I must admit I had my doubts about a non church blessing however to my surprise the blessing had a very strong feeling to it. I think the setting was perfect and definitely added to the whole feeling of the ceremony. We then proceeded to the small reception where they had laid on lunch. Arranging a blessing You should talk to the official who will be carrying out the blessing. Some couples add the blessing as part of a civil wedding and you will need to talk to the registrar about this to explain exactly what you want how best to achieve it. Blessings can be useful when you have a limited guest list for the actual civil wedding or budget for the reception. By having a blessing at a bigger venue at a later date you can invite all the guests you want so that they don't feel left out, with maybe a few drinks afterwards.

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