Legal Preliminaries

Both the Bride and Groom need to visit a Registration Office to give Notice of their intention to marry. This is a legal requirement, and failure to give Notice will result in the marriage not taking place.

Contact the Registrar for the district where you are living. In the case of Hampshire residents that is any Hampshire Registration Office, unless you are subject to immigration control. You must live in the district for at least 7 days before you may give Notice on the eighth day. It does not matter if you move from the area after you have given Notice.

• Ensure that you contact the Registration Office to make an appointment.

• If either of you are under 18 years of age the consent of your parents or guardians is required.

• Proof if identity is required e.g. Passport.

• Proof of address e.g. Local Authority Tax Bill

• Other documents will be required if either party has been married or formed a civil partnership before.

• There is a national fee for the Notice of marriage for each person.

• Notices of marriage must be given in person to the Registration Officer by you and your partner. No one else can do so on your behalf. If you both live in the same district, where possible you should attend together to give your Notices of Marriage.

• Once you have both given Notice, you must wait at least 17 days before the marriage can take place. For example, a notice of marriage given on the 1st January will be valid for a wedding from the 17th of January.

• The Authority for Marriage is the legal document which allows your marriage to take place, and it is  usually valid for 12 months from the date that you gave the Notice of Marriage.

• If you are getting married in another registration district, you will need to contact the registrar in that district to check their availability for conducting your ceremony.

• Although your provisional booking for your wedding may be well in place, you cannot give Notice more than twelve months before the date of your marriage. Please be aware that a change of venue will result in a fresh Notice having to be given.

Please telephone your local Registration Office to make an appointment to see the Superintendent Registrar who will advise further on the documents needed and the fees payable. Current fees can be found on our Marriage - Fees web page.

We:

In the Hampshire Registration Service are committed to providing you with a friendly and personal service for your special day what ever your choice of venue or style.

We will ensure the highest standards of service from our staff and provide an exclusive wedding ceremony whether you choose a simple or more elaborate occasion.

We can provide a brochure showing details and photographs of our Registration Offices as well as an excellent variety of hotels, suites, stately homes, and other places from which you can choose. The brochure can be obtained from The Registration Service, Hampshire County Council, Regulatory Services, Three Minsters House, 76 High Street, Winchester SO23 8UL Tel: 01962 846221 Email: caroline.bond@hants.gov.uk or from any of our Registration Offices.

We offer you a warm welcome to Hampshire and look forward to making your special day meaningful and memorable.

Civil Marriages in England and Wales

Marriage ceremonies may take place in any Registration Office or other building which has been approved for civil marriages; your first step is to choose the location.

For more information about Approved Premises for civil marriages please contact your local Registration Office.

Provisional booking

To set the date and time of your ceremony please contact the Registration Office where you wish to marry. For a marriage in approved premises you should make preliminary arrangements with the chosen venue before contacting the Registration Officer of that district. Please note a non refundable booking fee will be taken at the time of provisional bookings.

Legal requirements

Notice of your intention to marry must be given in person to the Registration Officer of the District in which you live. Hampshire is now one unified district. The Notice is a legal document showing the names of the couple and where the ceremony is to take place. It is valid for one year.

You should each have lived in the registration district for the seven days before the date on which you give notice. After you have given notice you must wait at least fifteen days before getting married.

Documents you may need

When you give notice of marriage you will need to produce certain documents showing proof of your identity and your freedom to marry. Our staff will be pleased to advise you.

Religious Marriages

If you wish to be married in the Church of England or the Church in Wales you need to contact your vicar.

To marry by any other religious ceremony you should first arrange to see the Minister or other person in charge of marriages at the building. The Church or religious building should normally be in the registration district where you or your partner live. It will be necessary to give notice of your marriage to the Registratiion Officer of your district of residence. You may also need to book a Registrar.

Marriage - Fees

From lst April 2008 a non-refundable booking charge of £25 will be introduced for ceremonies in Hampshire. This will reserve the date and time that you have requested.   In order to book a date for your ceremony please contact the relevant register office. Payment of the booking charge may be made by credit/debit card, cheque or cash.

Currently:

Marriage notice (per party to marriage)	£30.00
Register Office marriage ceremony (Winchester)	£40.00
Marriage ceremony at a registered building or at the residence of a housebound or detained person	£47.00
Marriage notice at the residence of a housebound or detained person	£47.00

Marriage ceremony at an Approved Premises:

Monday-Thursday	£280.00
Friday	£330.00
Saturday	£390.00
Sundays and Bank Holidays	£430.00

Copy Marriage Certificates

Marriage Certificates from the Registrar at the time of registration and shortly afterwards:-

From the Registrar who registered the marriage:

Standard marriage certificate	£3.50

When a register is full it is passed to the Superintendent Registrar and certificates can no longer be obtained from the Registrar.

Marriage Certificates from the Superintendent Registrar:-

Standard Certificate	£7.00