Marriage and civil partnerships

Changes to registration services

To keep customers and staff safe during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and to use our limited resources in the best way possible we have made changes to our registration services. Our current priority is arranging and providing death registrations, birth registrations and responding to enquiries about ceremonies that have already been booked with our Registrars.

We are accepting new bookings for ceremonies. You can make a general enquiry or request to book, postpone or rearrange a ceremony already booked with us. 

Contact us

Booking your marriage or civil partnership

You should book your marriage or civil partnership before giving notice.

Please note: It is possible for same sex couples who have entered into a civil partnership to convert it to a marriage. For more information and to book an appointment, please contact us.

Finding a venue

You can have your ceremony at a Register Office or an approved premises. You can also have a religious ceremony. More details about the ceremonies and venues we provide can be found in our 'Place to Celebrate' brochure.

Costs

The fee for a marriage or civil partnership varies. It depends on where or if you choose to have your ceremony. Further details can be found on our fees page.

Pay for your ceremony

Changes to marriage registrations

The law has recently changed the way a marriage is registered in England and Wales.

From 4 May 2021 paper marriage registers will no longer be used. Couples will not sign a marriage register and instead will sign a marriage schedule. The schedule is a one-page document that will be provided by the Superintendent Registrar for the district where the marriage will take place. It will contain all of the details required to complete a marriage registration.

Couples can each choose to have the name and occupation of up to four parents included in the marriage registration - mother, father, adoptive parents or step-parents. If a parent’s information is not included at the time of the marriage, unfortunately this cannot be added to the registration entry at a later date. There is no requirement to provide your parent’s details for the registration if you do not wish to.

If you marry in a civil ceremony your Registrar will keep the signed marriage schedule. The schedule will then be used to add the details of your marriage onto an electronic register. Once the details of your marriage are on the electronic register (usually within seven days) the marriage certificate can then be issued. Marriage certificates will no longer be issued during the ceremony.

Each person who intends to marry is still required to give notice of marriage

Ordering certificates

You can order your marriage certificate seven days after the marriage ceremony has taken place if the ceremony was at the Register Office or an approved venue. However, if the marriage took place elsewhere then the certificate will be available to order 28 days after the marriage ceremony has taken place.