Couple and two witnesses ceremonies

The law requires the presence of two witnesses during your ceremony.

Witnesses must be:

• Aged 18 years or over
• Able to speak and understand English
• Able to understand the proceedings
• Present in the ceremony room for the entirety of the ceremony

You can use relatives, friends, or strangers off the street! Ideally, we need to know who your witnesses are in advance of the ceremony.

Our Register Office staff cannot act as witnesses for you or provide them.

Without two suitable witnesses on the day, we cannot proceed with your ceremony.

We have provided below a copy of the Bluebell wedding script, which will be used at your ceremony. Please do read through this, but don't worry about memorising it. We will guide you through everything on the day, and you will repeat the legal vows after us.

SCRIPT

Good Morning/Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen and a very warm welcome to the marriage of ____________ & _______________ (full names)

here at __________________which has been duly sanctioned, according

to law, for the celebration of marriages.

Would the guests please be seated.

(Couple to remain standing)

On behalf of ______________and _______________ I would like to thank you for being here today to share with them in this their wedding ceremony.

However, I now ask that if any person here present knows of any

lawful impediment to this marriage, it should be declared now.

_______________and __________before you are joined in Matrimony, I have to remind you of the solemn and binding character of the vows you are

about to make.

The law of this country allows two people to make the lifelong commitment of marriage. This legally binding union is to be entered into voluntarily and to the exclusion of all others.

_____________ and ______________do you wish to affirm your relationship by making legally binding vows which are to be sincerely made and faithfully kept ?

Answer ‘I do’

Thank you, I am now going to ask each of you in turn to make the first of your vows, your declaration that you are both free to marry…..

Partner one:

“I declare that I know of no legal reason why I, _____________ may not be joined in marriage to _________________”.

Partner two:

“I declare that I know of no legal reason why I, _____________ may not

be joined in marriage to ________________”.

The moment has now come when this couple are going to make their formal and legal marriage contract before you all.

Couple to face one another

Contractual Vows

Partner one:

“I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, __________

do take thee ______________to be my lawful wedded wife/husband”.

Partner two:

“I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, _________

do take thee _____________ to be my lawful wedded wife/husband”.

Rings on cushion

A wedding ring is the ancient and traditional way of sealing the vows you have just made to each other.

Partner one:

Please place the wedding ring onto the finger and say -

“_____________I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and a token of our marriage. I promise to give you my love and friendship and to be there for you when you need me. I make these promises to you for the rest of my life’’.

Partner two:

Please place the wedding ring onto the finger and say -

“_____________I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and a token of our marriage. I promise to give you my love and friendship and to be there for you when you need me. I make these promises to you for the rest of my life”.

(If only one ring is to be given):

“_____________I accept this ring as a symbol of your love and a token of our marriage. I promise to give you my love and friendship and to be there for you when you need me. I make these promises to you for the rest of my life”.

_______________and __________________you have both made the vows and declarations prescribed by law and, together with the long tradition of the giving and receiving of wedding ring (s), have made a solemn and binding marriage contract with each other in the presence of your witnesses (and guests).

If is my great pleasure to tell you on behalf of (registrar’s name) and myself that you are now married! Many congratulations.

We have provided below a copy of the Laurel script, which will be used at your ceremony. Please do read through this, but don't worry about memorising it. We will guide you through everything on the day, and you will repeat the legal vows after us.

SCRIPT

Good morning / afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen.

Welcome to the partnership ceremony of

_____________________and ____________________.

Would you all please be seated.

This room has been approved by law for the registration of civil partnerships.

You are here to witness the ceremony between

________________ and__________________.

If any person knows of a legal reason why this civil partnership should not take place, it should be stated now.

__________________ and__________________, you

have chosen to commit to a legal and binding contract with each other.

I should now like you both to stand to make your promises.

DECLARATION

(First partner to repeat)

I declare that I know of no legal reason why I

______________________, may not register as the civil partner of _______________________.

(Second partner to repeat)

I declare that I know of no legal reason why I

_______________________, may not register as the

civil partner of ______________________.

________________and ______________are now going to exchange rings (a ring) and make their promises before you all

If you are able to, will you all please stand.

RINGS (If given)

A ring is an unbroken circle and signifies a lifelong promise of love and commitment.

PROMISE

(First partner to repeat)

I give you this ring as a symbol of our partnership.

I ____________________ take you _______________ to be my lawful civil partner.

(Second partner to repeat)

I give you this ring as a symbol of our partnership. (Or: I accept this ring as a symbol of our partnership)

I ___________________ take you ________________ to be my lawful civil partner.

__________________ and __________________

you have both made a legal and binding commitment to each other. You have exchanged rings (a ring) in front of your families, friends and witnesses.

It is my pleasure to tell you that you are now partners for life. Congratulations.

We charge a fee of £12.50 for one marriage or civil partnership certificate. We take this payment from you when you book and pay for your ceremony.

We will post the certificate to you on the next working day after your ceremony.

If you require more than one certificate, or want to order copies at a later date, these cost £12.50 each. Visit our certificate page for more information.

We are happy to allow the taking of photos and videos at particular points during your ceremony. As the ceremony only allows for the couple and two witnesses, one of your witnesses will need to take any photos or videos you would like.

The amount of time spent in the ceremony room taking photos is at the discretion of the Registrar. Afterwards, you are welcome to have more photos taken by the Old Stone Archway in our garden. We have fitted the gardens with lighting to enhance photographs on winter afternoons or darker days.

Please note photos cannot be taken of the couple signing the legal paperwork. Once this has been done, we can mock up a pretend signing when photos can be taken.

This type of ceremony doesn't feature music.

This type of ceremony doesn't feature readings.

We do not permit the throwing of confetti inside the Register Office or on the pathway leading up to the front entrance. However, you can use confetti in the garden adjoining the ceremony room. It must be biodegradable.

To keep to the timings of our ceremonies throughout the day, couples cannot bring their own room decorations.

However, we do have floral displays in our ceremony rooms that we change seasonally.

Please note that we have limited parking available at Peterborough Register Office. The parking is for the use of staff and all visitors to the building. We do not charge for parking.

We can't guarantee the availability of parking, particularly on weekdays and at other busy times.

For your witnesses, we recommend on weekdays that they park elsewhere.

Visit our car park locations page for more information about parking in the city.

We do not allow pets to attend ceremonies at Peterborough Register Office.

However, assistance dogs are welcome. Please let us know in advance if you require an assistance dog at the ceremony.

This ceremony type allows for only the couple and two witnesses aged over 18. It does not include guests of any age.

• Ceremony rooms are located on the ground floor and have double doors to enter
• Disabled toilet available
• One disabled parking space
• Assistance dogs welcome (but no other animals)

If anyone attending your ceremony has any other requirements, please let us know.

We do not allow food and drink inside the Register Office or in the garden.

For you to share with your witnesses and photographer, we are located at:

Peterborough Register Office
33 Thorpe Road
Peterborough
PE3 6AB

In the event that you need to make any changes to your ceremony a £30 administration fee will be payable.

In the event that you need to cancel a ceremony for which you have already paid, you will need to put your cancellation in writing. You can email us at peterboroughregisteroffice@peterborough.gov.uk.

Cancellations are subject to the following conditions, depending on how long before the ceremony date we receive the cancellation request.

• Six months or more before the ceremony date - full refund (less a £30 administration fee)
• Three to six months before the ceremony date - 50% refund (less a £30 administration fee)
• Less than three months before the ceremony date, or failure to request a cancellation - no refund

If you have an enquiry, please contact us:

• Telephone: 01733 864646 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
• Email: peterboroughregisteroffice@peterborough.gov.uk