Your special day

Hampshire’s Registration Service offers a range of ceremonies designed to help you mark some of the most important milestones in your life.From weddings, civil partnerships and renewal of vows, to naming and citizenship ceremonies, Hampshire’s registration officers will help you design a service that is personal and meaningful. And did you know that you can choose from some wonderful venues for your special day?  Many register offices are hidden gems in themselves, with beautiful ceremony rooms.

Petersfield

A day for sharing

Sharon and Shaun Burnett were married at Petersfield register office on 11 July and wanted to share their day with friends at Milkwood House Care Home, where they both work.Sharon has worked at the home for 10 years and is now the Deputy Manager and Shaun joined the home six years ago. The couple have made many close friends in that time and wanted them all to be a part of their special day. Vi Johnson, a resident at the home, was Sharon’s maid of honour and was celebrating her 90th birthday on the day of the wedding.

Many of the residents are very frail and would not have been able to get to the venue but, as Sharon explains, that was no obstacle to our registration officer Lorraine Buttery. “When I told her what we wanted, she said she would marry us at Petersfield and then follow us straight to Milkwood where we would renew our vows and exchange rings in front of all our friends.”

The Milkwood residents were delighted – many of them have known the couple for 10 years and wouldn’t have wanted to miss their wedding day.The Milkwood Minibus was also set to play a part; sparkling clean and decorated in ribbons, it got the happy couple to the wedding on time!

Ringwood

Romantic hideaway

When Helen and Ed Dewson decided on a quiet, relaxed wedding, they were determined to find a location that was nowhere near their Suffolk home. The plan was simple – they would turn up in their jeans, get married and then spend a week together at a beautiful hideaway. “We looked at different venues around the country and came across Lainston House Hotel near Winchester, which we liked very much,” says Helen.

However, the ideal venue finally turned out to be something quite different – the Ringwood Register Office, which offered high quality, value for money and, as Helen explains, the ideal registration officer.

“When I spoke to Ray Jackson at Ringwood he was so positive about what we wanted to do – a secret wedding with no friends or family as witnesses – that I knew we’d found the right person to marry us.

“We arrived on the day and Ray helped us to design a service which was personal, intimate and romantic, just as we hoped it would be. The venue was delightful too – the ceremony room had just been decorated and it’s fresh, bright and modern.”

Aldershot

Proud to be British

Rodney Norton was born in South Africa but his wife is British, his children live here and he has been a resident in the UK for seven years. His parents and grandparents were also born here. “I had always thought of the UK as home,” he explains. “So I applied for British citizenship.

”Rodney took part in a joint citizenship ceremony with around 15 other people, at Aldershot register office -“I met with the registration support officer, Rudi Hudson, before the big day and he told me what to expect. He was extremely helpful. I am very pleased that I did it – and I know my wife is too.”

Did you know?

Many of the Hampshire register offices have been refurbished in recent years and offer a high quality, value-for-money alternative to other approved venues. Ringwood is the latest to receive a contemporary new look that is quite different from many of our other traditional settings. Winchester has also been tastefully refurbished in recent months. To find out how we can help to make your day special, call the Registration Service on 0845 603 5637 any time from 8am-8pm, email registration.hq@hants.gov.uk or go to www.hants.gov.uk/registration to see the different register offices and the ceremony rooms on offer.

Extended hours

You can now contact the Registration Service any time from 8am to 8pm simply by dialling 0845 603 5637.