Marriages in a religious building | BETA - South Gloucestershire Council

You can get married in any place of worship which is registered to conduct marriages. This includes churches, mosques, synagogues and temples.

To arrange a religious marriage ceremony you will need to speak to the person 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 to register the marriage in the venue you have chosen.

The fee to book a registrar to attend your ceremony is £114.50 and must be arranged through our register office.

Giving notice of marriage

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

If either party to the marriage is subject to immigration control, different rules apply and you may have to give notice of marriage before you can marry. You should speak to the church who will let you know what to do.

To marry in other churches or religious buildings, you will each have to give a legal notice of your marriage in the local authority area in which you permanently live.

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

Contact us

phone: 01454 865150
email: registrationservice@southglos.gov.uk