Important Points To Note
- Your marriage cannot go ahead unless the legal formalities have been completed.
- Notice of marriage must be given in person to the superintendent registrar by you or your partner. No one else can do so on your behalf.
- Where an advance booking for a marriage has been made it is essential that a formal notice is given to the superintendent registrar once its within three months of marriage.
Other Information
There are nationally set fees for giving notice to the superintendent registrar and for the registrar's attendance at a marriage at a register office or religious building. However, the fee for the attendance of the superintendent registrar and registrar at a marriage in an approved premises (for example, at a hotel) is set by the local authority. The superintendent registrar of the district where you wish to marry will be able to provide you with details of the fees payable.
On the day of the wedding you will need to bring with you at least two other people who are prepared to witness the marriage and sign the marriage register.
If you wish to know more about marriage ceremonies at register offices or at approved premises please ask the superintendent registrar for details. While a ceremony of marriage in the presence of a superintendent registrar cannot, by law, contain any religious aspects, it may be possible with the agreement of the registration officers attending the ceremony, for you to include non-religious music and/or poetry readings and for the wedding to be videoed.
This guide is issued for general guidance and is not a complete statement of the law. For further information on any aspect of the formalities to, or the ceremony of marriage, please seek the advice of the superintendent registrar at the local register office. Their telephone number and address can be found in your local telephone directory under 'Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages'.
