Wedding Venue Information

Registry Office Wedding

The registrar usually shows you the marriage room when you 'give notice'. As a general guide, most marriage rooms seat around 30 people and may have additional standing room. Bear in mind that there can be as many as three ceremonies an hour taking place, particularly on a Saturday, which is why you may not have time to decorate the room or personalise your ceremony.

As with any type of ceremony and venue, there are no rules about what a bride and groom should or should not wear, including choosing a veil and white dress. Do make sure you check out the size of the marriage room and how much space you have to manoeuvre before opting for a full-skirted gown and voluminous train.

Parking for anyone other than the bridal party may be limited as many register offices are in the centre of town and guests may need to find parking arrangements nearby. It is always a good idea to check this out first and include details with your invitations.

What happens on the day

You are both required to arrive at least ten minutes before the ceremony is due to start so that you can meet with the registrar to confirm your details and pay the ceremony fees. In these days of bogus marriages and asylum seeking, they actually have to check that you really are the couple who are supposed to be marrying! If you prefer not to see each other before the ceremony, then you need to arrange beforehand to see the registrar separately.

Guests should also arrive at least ten minutes before the start of the ceremony so they have time to be seated. The registrar's assistant will tell them when it is time to enter the marriage room. As with a religious wedding, the front rows should be reserved for your bridal party, closest family or friends.

You then have a choice of how you make your entrance into the marriage room. You can enter after the guests, either with your groom or on your father's arm, or another person of your choice. Alternatively you can both take your places before your guests come in.

Most register offices allow video cameras during the ceremony, but the operator must not cause distraction from the proceedings or the solemnity of the occasion. Many offices will not permit photography during the ceremony but are happy to allow photographs after the signing of the register if there is enough time.

Church Wedding

Find a church

Find your local church and the Vicar’s contact details.

Call the Vicar

Let your Vicar know your good news as soon as you can and the three of you can fix a time to discuss what happens next.

Space to think

Before your wedding, your Vicar may invite you to an event to help prepare you for married life together. It’s a no-obligation invitation, but one that many couples appreciate. It provides time and space to think about the vows and the difference they will make.

Banns

Banns are announcements in church of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place. On these occasions, everyone in your church will also be praying for you. It can be very special and moving, so go along if you can.

Rehearsal

Near your wedding day, perhaps a day or two before, you will usually have the opportunity to rehearse the ceremony with those who are involved.

The Big Day

Your Vicar will do all he or she can to make the day a personal, meaningful and spiritual experience for you and your guests.

First Anniversary and beyond

Your local church will always be there for you throughout your marriage if you need it. Even if your local church is not the place where you married, they would be delighted to mark your first anniversary by praying for you both. All you have to do is ask.

Licensed Venues

After a change in the law in 1994, over 3,000 venues throughout the country have become licensed to hold civil weddings. They range from hotels to stately homes, zoos to football clubs.

You still have to give notice of your intention to marry in the same way as you do for register office weddings and, in the same way, you can personalise the ceremony to suit yourselves although no religious music or readings are allowed.

Though this option costs more than a register office ceremony - you will have to pay for the hire of the room and it costs more to have the registrar travel to you - it is becoming increasingly popular as the trend away from church weddings continues.