Civil Cermony Details in Poland - music, vows?

Merged: Details of Civil Ceremony

Hi, I am getting married in June in Warsaw to a Polish man. As much as I love him, he is pretty useless when it comes to detail.

Can anyone tell me if there is music at a civil ceremony in the USC office, or if I can have my own music played?

Also do we have to say vows or how does the ceremony plan out?

added:

Hi, I am getting married in Warsaw to a polish man in June. We are getting married in the USC office ( registry office).
Can anyone tell me if there will be music at it, or if i can have my own music played?
Also, do we have to say vows? I've asked my fiance this but he said it will be in and out within a few minutes...

I just dont know how it all works and I am beginning to panic!

Merged: Civil Cermony Details in Poland - music, vows?

As far as I've heard from friends, a civil ceremony in the Polish equivalent to a registry office has no music and the vows are pretty much what's set down in law. Most Polish people will do both, a legal one first to make it legally official and then, once the money has been saved a full church wedding with a big party.

I don't think you will have much of a choice of adding your own music or your own vows in a civil wedding in Poland. Maybe in Warsaw it's different, but, where I got married, there was very little choice and it was down to church/legal tradition...I liked that though :)

We brought music (a Charpentier processional march) and had a glass of Champagne after the ceremony. The register office provided the glasses. Talk to the registrar. Of course you have to make a vow. It's a legal contract.

Are you sure you have all the necessary paperwork sorted out? I'd be rather more concerned about that than the music and the vows. For example, where are you getting your certificate of no impediment? Who is translating it? When? Do you have the original of your birth certificate? Do the office want that or would they settle for a notarised copy? Who is translating the birth certificate? What is the position of the registry office on your need for a registered address in Poland? Those are the things which come off the top of my head.

From my own experience, none of my documents had to be translated, they were sent from the British Consulate in Amsterdam, to the Ministry of Interior in Poland, and they approved my marriage. Not sure were the OP is registered as resident but if in Poland, then your probably right about the translations, approvals and other Polish BS. If she cannot speak polish then would probably also need an official translator, I speak polish but the vows are quite difficult to repeat, We had music, wine, bread and salt courtesy of the registry office.

Weirdest thing I found was that the office took my birth certificate and wont give it back. I can get copies...but surely they can't keep a legal document that's my property from me.

I have taken part in such a civil ceremony, where the bride was a Pole, but the groom was a foreigner.

He repeated the vow in Polish - so well as he was able too. He spoke Polish a little bit, but rather not enough to understand its words :) Then they had to sign the wedding act and that was all of the official things.

The music was just a simple "Here Comes the Bride" played from a CD in the background, nothing more. After the official part there were wishes and a toast with champaigne, some people gave also their gifts (although some were given at home before, some also on the wedding reception).

And it was the end of the ceremony in the office. Who was invited to the wedding reception, went to the place where the reception was organised. By car, because the distance was quite long - in a column of cars, followed by the one with the young couple. Not without difficulty, there were "obstacles" for the bride and groom due to one of Polish wedding traditions (so called "gates") :)

It was in the countryside, in a city the customs might be different - but generally speaking, it should look more or less similarily.

She certainly would. Figure on min. 200PLN for that.


In cities you might encounter a few kids who hang around outside register offices when there are weddings. Have ready a few coins or sweets to give them.


Bring your own music.


What can you do about it? Official copies are easy to get. Just consider it part of the process. It's not a big deal.


The register office provided wine?

In "my" case it wasn't needed.


That's not much. In the countryside you need to take a lot of vodka with you :)

Its not weird if the gave you a polish version of your birth certificate.they took mine as well and gave me polish version,but I was prepared and have copies of that.Polish birth certificate is also as good as from any other country though.