Couples may soon be able to marry in the sea in Cornwall

Couples may soon be able to get married while floating on the tide, should Bude Sea Pool in Cornwall become the first such venue in England to receive a wedding licence.

A mass commitment ceremony was held earlier this month to raise funds for the application, with organisers saying they believe it would be the only place in the country where people would be able to marry in seawater.

“People love this place for its romance, drama and fun, and all that will be reflected in their wedding ceremony,” said Jac Wills, a local wedding celebrant who said she conceived the idea while swimming in the pool.

The Friends of Bude Sea Pool, the community charity that runs the site, hailed the success of the ceremony on 1 September, calling it an “amazing start to our fundraising for the wedding venue licence” and saying one couple even graced the occasion with their own engagement.

The existence of the pool itself, which is part-natural and part-humanmade, was under threat in 2010. The local council planned to demolish it, the charity has said, because it was concerned about the cost of dealing with any litigation should someone be hurt.

It was saved by the community group, which now meets the reported maintenance cost of £110,000 a year. The group has said the pool was constructed in the early 20th century to provide a safe place to swim, as more and more people became able to travel to seaside towns – but many remained naive about the dangers of the sea. Now its members regard the licence application as the next step in its history.

“I just said, can you imagine getting married here,” said Wills. “This wouldn’t be a big lavish Instagram kind of wedding venue. This is going to be really niche, for people who adore this place and want to do something slightly different. We have done our research and as far as we know there is no one else allowing you to get married in seawater.

“We’ve had two people get engaged here in the last couple of years. We get the most amazing sunsets over the bay and we have our Canada geese flying overhead.

“Once we have the licence you could get married in the sea pool, or on the sea pool in a kayak, paddleboard, canoe, whatever you like, or you could get married on the edge, or on the rocks, or in one of our beach huts.”

Related: Secret confessions of bridesmaids: ‘The dress alone cost me two months’ rent’

Wills shared her idea with Deborah Rosser, the pool manager and a fellow member of the Barrel Seagals, an all-female sea shanty crew. The Friends of Bude Sea Pool reportedly need to raise about £2,000 for the licence, get planning permission from the council, and find couples willing to use the venue to marry. Rosser told the Times they had spoken with the council “at great length” and hoped to have the licence by next spring.

Civil wedding and partnership ceremonies were allowed to take place outdoors for the first time in England and Wales in 2021, during the Covid pandemic. Less than a year later, ministers announced plans to make the rule-change permanent after it proved overwhelmingly popular.

Cornwall council has been contacted for comment.

Other unusual wedding venues

Lusty Glaze

While the community group believes the pool would be the first seawater venue, couples can already get married on Cornwall’s beaches, such as at Lusty Glaze, a privately owned cove on the north coast.

The Crucible

The Sheffield venue, which is home to the World Snooker Championships and is named for the steel-making process that helped industrialise the city, could also be your wedding venue.

Negus 747

The retired British Airways plane has been converted to an event space that couples can hire for their wedding at the Cotswold airport, north-west of Swindon.

Swingers

For everyone who’s ever dreamed of holding their wedding reception surrounded by a crazy-golf course: big news. West London has the venue for you.