Marriages in a religious building

To arrange a religious marriage ceremony you will need to speak to the priest or minister in charge of the building. They will be able to advise you what you need to do next and their fees.

A registrar will only have to attend the ceremony if there is no authorised person (this is usually the priest or minister).

You should contact the register office for the district where the religious building is situated to book a registrar. There will be additional fees payable for the registrar to attend.

Giving notice of marriage

If you marry in a Church of England church, banns will normally be called, so you will not need to contact us.

To marry in other churches or religious buildings, you will each have to give a legal notice of your marriage to the superintendent registrar of the district(s) in which you permanently live.

If the church or religious building is not in the district in which either of you live, you can only marry there if you qualify by worshipping at that church or religious building regularly.  The church or religious building must be your “usual place of worship” in order for your marriage to proceed.

If neither of you qualify, one or both of you must permanently live in that district for a minimum of seven clear days before giving notice of marriage with the registrar for that district. On the same day the party who remained at their usual address must also give notice in their home district.  Please contact us for more advice if this applies to you.

A registrar will only have to attend the ceremony if there is no authorised person, this is usually the priest or minister.  You should contact the register office for the district where the religious building is situated to book a registrar. There will be additional fees payable for the registrar to attend.