When you get married you can choose to have a religious ceremony or a civil ceremony. If you are forming a civil partnership you can only have a civil ceremony. Find out more about civil partnerships.
Civil ceremonies
You can arrange to have a civil ceremony in Harrow at:
A civil ceremony is conducted by two registrars. One will register the marriage and the other will be the celebrant.
On the day of the ceremony the registrars will meet with you. They'll check your personal details and obtain the information that will be entered into the schedule. If your ceremony is at the council's ceremony rooms or a licensed venue within Harrow, you can tailor your ceremony.
Religious weddings
If you are marrying in the Established Church all the arrangements will normally be made by your vicar. (The established Church is the Church of England or Church of Wales).
If you're subject to immigration control and you want to marry in the Established Church, you will need to submit your notice of marriage to the register office.
Non-Church of England religious weddings
If you are marrying in a non-Church of England church or having a legally recognised wedding under other faiths, you should contact the venue directly to book your wedding.
In addition you will need to submit a notice of marriage to Harrow Council’s register office. You will be issued with a marriage schedule 28 days after the notice of marriage is submitted. You will need to bring this schedule to your wedding during which you will need to sign it.
After the wedding ceremony you will need to take your signed marriage schedule to the register office of the local authority under which the venue falls. That local authority will then issue your marriage certificate. Please allow 5 working days to receive it.
A few places may require you to arrange for the attendance of a registrar on the day of the wedding. They will advise you if this is the case. If so please contact us as early as possible to book a registrar using the details at the end of this page.
Customary religious weddings
In some faiths, the customary religious wedding ceremonies aren't recognised under English law. To receive the legal status of your marriage you will need to have a simple civil marriage performed separately. You will need to confirm if this required before arranging the 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. To confirm whether your ceremony is recognised under English law please contact us using the details at the end of this page.
Arranging your ceremony
Before you have your ceremony you must:
- Choose the date, time and venue for your ceremony
- Book your registrars
- Give your notice of marriage. You will need to have your ceremony within 12 months of giving notice