A marriage can be either religious or civil.
Religious Wedding
A religious wedding can be held in any religious building, which is registered for marriage. These are arranged through the priest, minister or other representative, who will advise you whether or not you need to contact the Register Office as part of the procedure. If in doubt, you can always contact us.
If you are planning a civil marriage or partnership please refer to the following pages for information on how to register, what costs are involved and a list of local venues which have been approved for marriage and civil partnership ceremonies.
Civil Partnership
The Civil Partnership Act 2005 enables couples of the same sex to obtain legal recognition for their relationship. This is done by forming a legal partnership. The legalities are completed by each party signing a document know as a Schedule which must include two witnesses. Although this can be done without a ceremony, most couples opt to make it more of an occasion by incorporating the signing of the Schedule within a ceremony conducted in a similar way to a marriage.
Civil Ceremonies
A civil marriage or partnership ceremony is legally binding and is conducted by the Superintendent Registrar - or deputy - in either a Register Office or an Approved Premise. The ceremony cannot have any religious overtones. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. We work with each couple in order to customise their ceremony wherever possible. We encourage them to make their own choices about the ceremony to ensure it really is a special and individual day for them.
How to book a ceremony
If you are ready to book a civil wedding or partnership go to our 'how to book a civil wedding or partnership' page for further information.
Brochure
If you would like to have a copy of our brochure please email us with your name and address and we will send one to you in the post.
More details
More advice can be obtained from the National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureau.
You may also be interested in pre marriage preparation and support from One Day for a Lifetime
