Getting married

Where can a marriage take place

A marriage can take place in:-

How to marry

You can get married by a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony.

In both cases, the following legal requirements must be met:-

If you wish to be married in the Church of England or Church in Wales – and generally you will be able to do so only if you or the other party live in the parish - you should first speak to the vicar. If he agrees to marry you he will arrange for the Banns to be called on three Sundays before the day of your ceremony or for a common licence to be issued. There is usually no need to involve the local superintendent registrar.
For more information, see www.cofe.anglican.org

Giving notice

It is a legal requirement to give notice of marriage and, once given, your notices of marriage are displayed on the notice board at the register office for a period of fifteen days.

A legal document covered by the Perjury Act 1911, a notice of marriage states for each person:

After giving notice, you must then wait fifteen clear days before the marriage can take place - for example, if notice is given on 1 July, the ceremony can take place on or after 17 July. Once given, your notice is valid for 12 months.

Please note: the minimum legal age for getting married in England and Wales is 16 years of age but written consent may be required for anyone under 18.

Registration officers have a statutory duty to report any marriage they suspect has been arranged for the sole purpose of evading statutory immigration controls.

Documentation required

You will need to show the superintendent registrar documentary evidence of your name, age and nationality – ideally in the form of your passport. You will also be asked to provide evidence of your address.

If you have been married or registered a civil partnership before, you will also need to produce documents that confirm that you are now free to marry. These could include:

For details of how to obtain a copy of a decree absolute or final order of dissolution, if the divorce was granted through an English or Welsh court, see Divorces and dissolutions.

And, if you are subject to immigration control, you will also need to produce documentary evidence to the superintendent registrar to confirm that you satisfy the new eligibility requirements introduced in February 2005.

How much does it cost to get married?

Cost of giving notice in advance of a ceremony either at a register office, Approved Premises or in a religious building other than in the Church of England or Church in Wales: £30.00 per person

Cost of register office ceremony: £40.00

Cost of a ceremony on Approved Premises - the cost for attendance by the superintendent registrar and registrar is set by the local authority in question. A further charge is likely to be made by the owners of the building for the use of the premises.

Cost of religious ceremony in the Church of England or Church in Wales – please check fees with the vicar of the church in which you are planning to marry.

Cost of religious ceremony at a building other than Church of England or Church in Wales - unless the building has an Authorised Person - there will be a £47.00 fee for the registrar and there may be further fees charged by the trustees of the building and the person who performs the ceremony.

Cost of marriage certificate: £3.50

Useful links

The information provided on this page only relates to the procedural aspects of getting married. There could be many other arrangements to be made depending on the type of wedding that you are having.

Examples of other arrangements that might need to be made are:

There is also the need to determine how the wedding will be financed as the average cost of a wedding in the UK is now over £14,000!

The following links are abundant with information to help you organise your day and contact details for relevant suppliers.

Places of interest:

Dartford webcams:

Contact:

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