Planning a marriage
- Where to get married
- What happens next
- Peterborough register office marriage and ceremony room
- Approved premises in Peterborough
- Notice of marriage and fees involved
Under current law in England and Wales there is an option to
have a civil (non-religious) ceremony at any register Office or
approved premise providing the legal requirements are met. Approved
premises are venues licensed by the local council to enable them to
hold marriage ceremonies.
The law does not allow for a civil marriage to take place in a
private house, in open air, a tent or marquee, or in any other
movable structure such as a boat or hot air balloon. It also
does not allow for a civil marriage take place in any building
which has a past or current connection with religion.
Alternatively you may plan to marry in a church or other place
of worship.
Having decided on some possible dates and times it will be
necessary to contact the register office in whose district the
civil marriage will take place, or the minister of the church or
chapel to see what availability there is.
It may be possible to make a provisional booking up to a year
in advance.
For all marriages other than those in the Church of England,
the next stage is to make an appointment with the local register
office to give a notice of marriage, for which
various residential qualifications and time scales apply. It is not
possible to give a notice of marriage unless legally free to do so
i.e. in a case of marriage ending in divorce a Decree Absolute must
have been granted.
To marry in a different district from the one in which notice
was given an appointment should be made to discuss the ceremony
with the register office where the wedding will take place.
The register office is located at 33
Thorpe Road, Peterborough. There is disabled access to the
office, which is all on the ground floor.
Both the marriage and ceremony room and its waiting room have
been decorated to a high degree. The marriage and ceremony Room has
been completely refurbished in February 2005 in shades of cream and
gold. Flower arrangements are changed according to the
season.
  The marriage and
ceremony room
|
 The old archway |
The marriage and ceremony room is equipped with a loop hearing
system to assist those guests who use a hearing aid. There is also
a music system that plays CDs, either from the register office
selection or from the couple's own choice.
The room can accommodate a maximum of 30 guests in addition to
the bride and groom. This number cannot be exceeded for
safety reasons and additional guests will be asked to remain
outside.
There is usually plenty of free parking, especially on a
Saturday, for use during the duration of the marriage and any
photographs outside afterwards.
Wedding parties are welcome to have photographs taken both
inside the building and in the surrounding landscaped grounds. Most
photographs are taken by the old archway.
Confetti may be thrown outside the building.
The office is usually available for marriages on Saturdays
from 11am to 3pm in winter and from 10am to 4pm in summer.
Marriages on a weekday are usually available from 10am to 3pm. All
are subject to staff availability.
As part of the legal preliminaries to their marriage, the
residents of Peterborough who wish to marry anywhere other than in
the Church of England must give a legal notice of their intention
to marry.
The notice must be given and signed by the parties getting
married. No-one can give notice on behalf of another person and
both the parties to the marriage must give separate notices of
their intention to marry, in person, to the superintendent
registrar in the district in which they live, even if they both
live in the same district. A separate fee is payable for each
notice, currently set at £30.
The person giving notice of marriage must have lived at an address in the
district for a minimum of seven days, with the notice
being given on the eighth day or after, but without the residency
being broken.
A copy of the notice is displayed on noticeboards within the
register office where it was given. Provided there are no legal
objections the authority that allows the marriage to take place is
then issued after 15 clear days. The authority is valid for a year
from the date the notice is given. This means that your marriage
can take place between 16 days and one year after the notice
was given.
Where notice is given on different dates in two different
districts, it is the couple's responsibility to ensure that both
authorities for the marriage will be valid for the date of the
wedding. Both authorities must be handed to the person who
will be officiating at the marriage.
An appointment must be made with the local register office to
give notice to the superintendent registrar. When giving
Notice of Marriage you will be required to provide evidence of your
name, age, nationality, marital status and current adddress.
TWO of the following identity documents are
required for each person, one of which
MUST be a passport or full birth certificate (in
order to prove your nationality).
Please note that photocopies are not acceptable:
- passport
- full birth certificate
- driving licence
- NHS medical card
- ID card
IN ADDITION you each need to provide proof of your address by producing evidence such as a utility bill or bank statement.
If either of you has been married before you need to show proof that you are now free to marry. The evidence needed in this case is either:
- a court stamped original copy of the decree absolute if you have been divorced. If the divorce did not take place in this country then it may have to be submitted to the Registrar General for verification. A literal translation should also be provided where the document is not in English, certified as an accurate translation by someone other that the parties to the marriage OR
- the previous marriage certificate and the late spouse's death certificate if either party has been widowed
Finally, if you have changed you name, please bring with you any formal change of name document e.g. deed poll, statutory declaration
Advice to those under 18 years of age
The minimum age for marriage in this country is 16 years. If
either party is aged 16 or 17 he or she may need to provide proof
of consent to the marriage either from parent(s), guardian(s)
or the court(s). Please contact the
register office for advice.
Further information for foreign nationals
New rules came into effect on 1, February 2005 which
affect marriage plans for foreign nationals. If you are a British
Citizen, a national of a country in the European Economic Area
(EEA) or you have a certificate of entitlement giving you the right
of abode in the UK in your passport, you are not subject to
immigration control and the new rules do not apply to you.
If you are coming to the UK from overseas to get married, you
must have either a fiance or fiancee or marriage visitor visa in
your passport in order to give notice to marry to a
registrar.
If you are already in the UK, you will need to either have
settled status in the UK or apply to the Home Office for a
certificate of approval before giving notice to marry to a
registrar.
Whether you are overseas or already in the UK, you will need
to give notice to marry to a registrar at a designated register
office. Peterborough register office is designated for this
purpose. Further information can be obtained from the Immigration
and Nationality Directorate, tel. 0870 606 7766 or General Register
Office, tel 0151 471 4803.