Getting Married in Worcestershire

A civil wedding can take place in any Register Office or other premises approved by the appropriate local authority for marriages. The Register Offices in Worcestershire, together with telephone numbers and addresses and a list of premises approved by Worcestershire County Council, can be found by following the links on the right of this page.

Making Arrangements

If you wish to marry by civil ceremony in Worcestershire, that is at a Register Office or other approved premises, you should first contact 0845 603 2859. However, for a ceremony in an approved premises, you will also need to make arrangements at the venue in question. In addition both parties will need to give in person a separate notice of marriage to the Superintendent Registrar for the Registration District where they live.

A non refundable deposit is payable at the time of booking the registrar for the ceremony. This is currently £40 and applicable to any ceremony booked to take place within 12 months.

We are also now able to take bookings for ceremonies for between 12 months and 2 years; there is a non refundable booking fee of £40 which will be taken at the time of booking, this is not part of the attendance fee for the registrar.

Advanced Booking

A notice of marriage is valid for twelve months. You therefore may not give notice of marriage to the Superintendent Registrar more than twelve months before the date of your marriage.

Legal Requirements

Before a marriage can take place it is necessary for a notice of marriage to be given. Both parties will need to give in person a separate Notice of Marriage to the Superintendent Registrar of the District where they live. Documents (eg divorce decree absolute, birth certificate, a current valid full passport) will be requested by the Superintendent Registrar. Photocopies will not be accepted. Superintendent Registrars will be able to refuse to issue their authority for a marriage to proceed if they are not satisfied that a person is free to marry in this Country. Registration Officers have a legal duty to report any marriage they suspect has been arranged for the sole purpose of evading the statutory immigration controls. There are new rules relating to those subject to immigration control while in the UK. 

Witnesses

On the day of the wedding you will need to bring with you at least two other people who are prepared to witness the marriage and sign the marriage register.

Fees

A fee is payable for:

• The giving of a Notice of Marriage by each of the parties.
• The attendance of a Registrar to register the marriage.
• A certified copy of an entry in the Marriage Register (Marriage Certificate).

These fees are set by Parliament and may change each year. For marriages at approved premises in Worcestershire there is a fee set by Worcestershire County Council for the attendance of the Superintendent Registrar and Registrar.

Please Remember

It is important to remember that:

Your marriage cannot take place unless the legal formalities have been completed.

Both parties must give a separate notice of marriage in person to the Superintendent Registrar for the Registration District where they live.This cannot be done on your behalf

Where an advance booking for a marriage has been made, it is essential that a formal notice be given to the Superintendent Registrar once you are legally able to do so.

Further Information

If you wish to know more about marriage ceremonies at Register Offices or at approved premises in Worcestershire please contact 0845 603 2859 for details. While a ceremony of marriage in the presence of a Superintendent Registrar cannot, by law, contain any religious aspects, it may be possible with the agreement of the registration officers attending the ceremony, for you to include non religious music and/or poetry readings and for a video to be made of the wedding.

The information contained in these pages is for general guidance and is not a complete statement of the law. For further information on any aspect of civil wedding ceremonies please contact 0845 6032859 Telephone numbers and addresses of the District Registration Offices can be found on the Registration Offices page.

If you would like your own copy of the Worcestershire Civil Wedding Guide, please email the Register Office for a brochure to be sent in the post or alternatively you can download a pdf version of the Civil Wedding Guide 
 (38 KB).

Marriage Under Foreign Local Law

A marriage solemnized in a foreign country under local law will be registered in that country under local law.  However, marriages of British subjects in a foreign country cannot be registered here unless one of the couple is a serving member of, or attached to, the British Armed Forces at the time of the marriage.  In these cases, the marriage can be registered by the appropriate service authority upon application and submission of satisfactory proof of the marriage.  A certified copy of the entry may be obtained from the service registering officer who will send copies of entries in the service register to the Registrar General bi-annually.  Marriage certificates can then be obtained, at the usual fees, from the General Register Office (Certificate Services).

Where registration in this country is not possible there is provision for a record of the marriage to be held in the United Kingdom under the Foreign Marriage Order 1970, where one of the couple to the marriage is a British Subject.  These provisions do not apply to every marriage which takes place overseas.  Information on whether or not deposit of a foreign marriage document is possible can be obtained from the General Register Office on 0845 6037788.