Choose a ceremony type

A civil marriage is for both opposite-sex and same-sex couples. The ceremony must be non-religious and is conducted and registered by Register Office staff. It includes a legal declaration and contractual vows which you will need to say for your marriage to be legal.

You can have a civil marriage ceremony at:

• A Register Office
• Any venue approved by the local council, such as a hotel or stately home

You must have at least two witnesses at the ceremony.

You can include readings and music. However, the ceremony must not feature anything that is religious.

You and your partner will sign the marriage schedule, along with your two witnesses and the registrars. The registrars will complete the registration, which is held electronically, and issue any marriage certificates that you have purchased.

• Choose a ceremony venue
• Book your ceremony and registrars
• Giving notice

For a religious marriage ceremony to be legal, it must take place at a church or other religious building that has been registered for worship and for the solemnisation of marriages.

You also need an authorised person to attend the ceremony. This might be a religious minister. They must be authorised to register legal ceremonies.

If you want your religious ceremony to also be legally recognised, please check:

• Whether the venue is registered for legal ceremonies
• If there is an authorised person who can attend your wedding

If there is not an authorised person available for that venue, our registration staff may be able to attend. Please contact us to discuss this.

If you are forming a civil partnership, you cannot have a religious ceremony.

Same-sex couples can be legally married in a religious building if it has been registered for the marriage of same-sex couples and also if the authorised person is authorised for same-sex marriages. Same-sex couples cannot marry in a Church of England church.

Visit our religious ceremonies page for more information.

A civil partnership is a legally recognised union of two people, formed by the signing of the civil partnership schedule in the presence of two witnesses and a registrar.

Civil partnerships were introduced in 2005 to allow same-sex couples to enter a legally recognised union and acquire legal rights and responsibilities. In 2019, it also became legal for opposite-sex couples to form a civil partnership.

Civil partnership ceremonies are non-religious. Couples do not need to say vows, but can do so if they wish. They can also have readings and music.

You can have a civil partnership ceremony at:

• A Register Office
• Any venue approved by the local council, such as a hotel or stately home

You must have at least two witnesses at the ceremony.

You can include readings and music. However, the ceremony must not feature anything that is religious.

You and your partner will sign a civil partnership schedule, along with your two witnesses and the registrar. The registrar will complete the registration, which is held electronically, and issue any civil partnership certificates that you have purchased.

You cannot form a civil partnership as part of a religious ceremony.

• Choose a ceremony venue
• Book your ceremony and registrars
• Giving notice

Exceptional circumstances ceremonies allow for marriages or civil partnerships to take place outside the normal rules when there is an urgent and exceptional reason for this, such as:

• One partner is seriously terminally ill
• One partner is housebound
• One partner is detained - in prison or a secure hospital

Visit our exceptional circumstances ceremonies page for more information.

Couples who are already married or in a civil partnership can choose to have a vow renewal ceremony. This ceremony is non-legal and non-religious. It can take place at a Register Office or other venue licensed for ceremonies by the council.

Visit our vow renewals page for more information.

If you want to marry or form a civil partnership abroad, you need to follow the legal process in that country. They may require you to give a form of notice here in the UK.

Visit our getting married abroad page for more information.