A marriage ceremony may be held here at the register office or
at one of several licensed venues which are approved for
ceremonies. Provisionally booking the date and time of your
ceremony with us 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?
After you have provisionally booked your ceremony with us, there
are legal requirements to fulfil before the booking can be
confirmed. 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. We prefer that you make an
appointment to give a notice of intention to marry within a month
of booking the date for the ceremony, or earlier, if necessary.
What happens next?
You will need to make an appointment by contacting Peterborough Register
Office and:
- Both attend the appointment together (if you both live in this
district)
- 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 mother. 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.
- Proof of name change, if applicable
- Pay a non-returnable notice fee of £35.00
each
- Pay the full fee that is applicable to
your ceremony (as advised by the Registrar at time of
booking). Please note our cancellation and amendment policy as
detailed below. We accept payment by cash or cheque/postal order or
credit/debit card (payment by credit/debit card is subject to a £1
administration charge)
- Confirm the venue. If the venue is changed after the
notice has been given a new notice must be given
- 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 you may only be able to
give your notice of marriage at a specially designated
register office and Peterborough is such an office. Please contact
us for further guidance.
- 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 at a licensed venue:
If your ceremony is at a licensed venue then, after your
appointment, you will be given a ceremony pack containing
information about your day and details of the choice we can offer
you for your ceremony. We will ask you to make an appointment to
see us again one month before the ceremony so we can discuss the
choices and arrangements you have made for your special day.
The fees for the two registrars to attend at a licensed
venue are:
| For ceremonies held: |
Monday to
Friday |
Saturday and
Sunday |
| Up to 31 March 2013 |
£375 |
£425 |
| 01 April 2013 to 31 March 2014(proposed) |
£400 |
£450 |
Ceremonies at the Register Office:
We can offer you a choice of two ceremony rooms here at
Peterborough - "The Lawns" room or the Register Office room.
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 that you have chosen. 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
depending on the ceremony room you have chosen. 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 Lawns" Ceremony Room
This is an elegant room seating up to 30 guests
and offers a range of choices so that you can personalise and
enhance your ceremony. The silk flower arrangements are changed
with the seasons and 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 choice
of 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 Lawns" ceremony room using our virtual tour:
The Register Office ceremony room
This ceremony room seats up to six guests and offers you an
intimate and less formal ceremony.
Fees
Register Office: The fee for a ceremony
in the Register Office room is £45
“The Lawns”:
| For ceremonies held: |
Monday to
Thursday |
Friday
and Saturday |
| Up to 31 March 2013 |
£180 |
£240 |
| 01 April 2013to 31 March 2014 (proposed) |
£190 |
£260 |
Witnesses and Certificates
For all ceremonies, you must have two people with you to witness
that the vows have been repeated and to 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 £4.00 if requested in advance or on the
day. Certificates applied for after the ceremony day will cost
£7.00 from a current register or £10.00 from a lodged
register.
Cancellation and amendment policy
In the event that you need to cancel a ceremony for which you
have already paid, you will be required to provide your request in
writing and it will be subject to the following guidelines:
Six months or more notice of cancellation - full refund (less a
£20 administration fee)
Three to six months notice of cancellation - 50% refund (less a
£20 administration fee)
Less than three months notice of cancellation (or failure to
cancel) - no refund
In the event that you need to change the DATE of your
ceremony:
A £20 administration fee will be payable
In the event that you need to change the TIME (but not
the date) of your ceremony:
No administration fee will be payable.
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