Step-by-step guide on what we do to get married?

My boyfriend and I are living in London. He is American on a working visa; I am British.

We would like to marry in London or Spain/ Gibraltar next year, before his work visa expires, but we are unsure how to proceed--  I am sure it's not as straightforward as if we were the same nationality!!

Does anyone have any step-by-step info on what we do next? (If it's at all relevant, we plan on having a civil ceremony, not a religious one).

Finally, would it be more practical to get married in the US first?

Any advice/ tips/ pointers in the right direction would be wonderful. Thanks for reading!

Flaurena xx

The General Register Office, which is a branch of the Office of National Statistics, is in charge of publishing and administering the rules for getting married.  As to "step-by-step", there's only a few steps for the marriage itself.  Check http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/marriages/

Other links posted here will be helpful in obtaining FLR for your husband once you are married...

Flaurena, I'm in the midst of a similar situation - a lot of the ins and outs are covered in other threads here, so I'll pm you to spare others. I've had a friend and these boards helping me out a lot and I know how important just a bit of support is when you're trying to tackle this stuff! 

Thanks, Garry, for that really helpful link!-- it even includes a Getting Married Abroad Section, which is exactly what I need!

xx