A marriage ceremony may be held at the register office or in one
of several licensed
venues which are approved for ceremonies. Provisionally
booking the date and time of your ceremony up to a year in advance
will give you greater choice of dates and times. To make
arrangements for a ceremony at a licensed venue you will need to
co-ordinate the date and time with both your chosen venue and the
register office so that two registrars are available to take the
ceremony and complete the register.
What do I need to do?
There are legal requirements to fulfil. You are required to
complete civil preliminaries by giving a "notice of intention to
marry" to the register office in the district in which you have
lived for the past seven days. This can be no earlier than one
year, or no later than sixteen days, before the date of the
ceremony. We urge you not to leave it to sixteen days beforehand in
case the paperwork is not complete and we are unable to take the
notice.
What happens next?
For the notice of marriage you will need to:
Make an appointment by contacting Peterborough
Register Office.
- Both attend together
- Provide TWO identity documents for each person: These
must be a full birth certificate or current passport (or both),
plus a current driving licence or medical card. One of the
documents must be a passport or full birth certificate (showing
parents’ details) in order to prove your nationality. If you were
born after 01 January 1983 and do not have a passport then you will
need to provide your full birth certificate as well as the full
birth certificates of your parents. Please contact the Register
Office for further advice and guidance if in any
doubt.
- Provide proof of address (such as a bank statement or utility
bill) to confirm that you have been resident in our district
for the seven days immediately before the notice
appointment.
- Provide proof of divorce (original decree absolute or a
certificated copy only from the court) or proof of death of
previous spouse (death certificate and marriage certificate) if
previously married.
- Provide eligibility to enter into a marriage if necessary (see
below).
- Proof of name change, if applicable
- Confirm the venue. If the venue is changed after the
notice has been given a new notice must be given
- Pay a non-returnable fee of £30 each to the
registrar
- All documents should be in English or accompanied by a
translation.
Please bring a translator to the appointment, if either of you does
not understand English well.
- If you are under 18 years old please contact us.
- If you are not from an E.U. country, please contact the Home
Office on 0800 606 7766 to see if you need further documentation or
visit
their website. In this case notice of marriage
must be given at a designated register office and Peterborough is
such an office.
- If you wish to have a marriage ceremony abroad, please contact
the appropriate embassy or consulate for advice.
- If you are in any doubt as to which documents will be required
or need further information for your marriage, please contact
Peterborough Register Office.
- The ceremony cannot go ahead unless all the legal formalities
have been completed.
Ceremonies in a licensed venue:
If your ceremony is at a licensed venue, we will ask you to make
an appointment to see us one month before the ceremony to tell us
your choice of ceremony and to pay the fees for two registrars to
attend.
The fees for registrars attending a licensed venue are:
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For ceremonies held:
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Monday to Friday
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Saturday and Sunday
|
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Up to and including 31 March 2010
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£300
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£350
|
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1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011
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£325
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£375
|
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1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 (proposed)
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£350
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£400
|
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1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013
(proposed)
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£375
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£425
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Two registrars will attend on the day of the ceremony. We will
discuss and agree the ceremony arrangements with you when you pay
the fees in advance. Please discuss enhancements to the ceremony
with the venue manager.
Ceremonies at the Register Office:
If your marriage ceremony is here at the
register office then, after your appointment, you will be given a
ceremony pack containing information about the day and details of
the choices we can offer you for your ceremony. We will also show
you the ceremony room. There is free car parking available and an
old stone archway in the gardens as a setting for photographs
following the ceremony. The building is easily accessible for
ceremonies with all rooms on the ground floor, double doors and
facilities for the disabled. Other than welcoming disability
assistance dogs, we do not allow animals in the building.
Due to the design of the building, we are
unable to avoid you being seen by your guests on the day, but it
may be possible to ensure that you are not seen by each
other.
You are welcome to bring a photographer and also have a video of
your ceremony taken if you wish (using a battery-operated video
camera).
View video footage of
a wedding at Peterborough Register Office
The Ceremony Room
Peterborough has an elegant ceremony room seating 30
guests and the silk flower arrangements are changed with the
seasons. A loop hearing system enhances the ceremony for the hard
of hearing.
We have a music system available if you wish to enhance your
ceremony with music. You can also add to your ceremony by making an
entrance, the best man/woman bringing forward the rings or a short
reading. This should be discussed and agreed beforehand with the
Superintendent Registrar when we take the notice and should not
include anything of a religious nature.
View the register office ceremony room using our virtual
tour:
Fees
For ceremonies at the Register Office up to and including 28
February 2010: £40 per ceremony.
Important changes to ceremony fees after 1 March 2010:
The ceremony room at the Register Office will offer small and
intimate ceremonies for you and up to eight guests at a fee of £40
per ceremony.
“The Lawns” ceremony room will allow seating for you and up to
30 guests and offer a range of choices to allow you to enhance and
personalise your ceremony.
The fee for a ceremony at “The Lawns” from 01 March 2010 – 31
March 2011 is:
- Monday – Thursday: £160 per ceremony
- Friday and Saturday: £200 per ceremony
The proposed fee for a ceremony at “The Lawns” from 01 April
2011 – 31 March 2012:
- Monday – Thursday: £170 per ceremony
- Friday and Saturday: £220 per ceremony
The proposed fee for a ceremony at “The Lawns” from 01 April
2012 – 31 March 2013:
- Monday – Thursday: £180 per ceremony
- Friday and Saturday: £240 per ceremony
Witnesses and Certificates
You must have two people with you to witness that the vows have
been repeated and sign the register. These witnesses must be aged
over 18 years and speak and understand English. A marriage
certificate is issued at the time of the ceremony and costs £3.50.
Additional certificates can be purchased if required.
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