Civil ceremony Civil ceremony, the most popular type of ceremony for a wedding abroad is the civil one, which is a short ceremony performed by the mayor or registrar of the nearest town hall to the wedding venue that you have chosen. Each town hall in Greece has their own rules as to where they will allow ceremonies to take place, most insist that this is in the town hall building, but some areas will now allow outdoor ceremonies. The civil ceremony is very short (5 minutes), you are allowed to customize the ceremony by saying your own vows to each other or having some close friends or families do a reading. The certificate is legally binding around the world and has no connection to any religious faith.