Religious weddings

If you are marrying in the Established Church (the Church of England or Church of Wales) all the arrangements will normally be made by your Vicar. If you are marrying in any other Christian church, or having a legally-recognised wedding under other faiths, your religious celebrant will ask you for certificates for marriage. Accordingly, you will still need to come in to us to give Notice of Marriage. Remember to allow at least 16 days from the interview to the date of the marriage, and that you are responsible for delivering the certificates to the celebrant in advance of the wedding.

A few places of worship may require you to arrange for the attendance of a registrar on the day of the wedding. The celebrant will advise you if this is the case please call us to book our staff as early as possible - contact details on the right.

Separate religious and civil weddings

In some faiths, the customary religious wedding ceremonies are not recognised under English law. Thus in order to enjoy the legal status of marriage you will need to have a simple civil marriage performed separately. If you are in any doubt, please phone the register office and clarify the position before arranging a date for your religious wedding. If a separate civil wedding is needed, we strongly advise you to schedule it first. Otherwise there may be legal complications later.