Plan a marriage - Devon County Council
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Plan a marriage
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
1Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Part 1 - Choosing a venue ............................................................................................................... 4
Part 2 - Giving notice to marry ....................................................................................................... 5
Part 3 - Final balance payment ...................................................................................................... 7
Part 4 - The ceremony ..................................................................................................................... 7
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
2Introduction
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
3Part 1 - Choosing a venue
A civil marriage ceremony may take place in a registration office or other building licensed
for civil ceremonies. The ceremony is conducted by a registration officer and is strictly non-
religious.
A religious ceremony may take place in a church, chapel or other building of religious worship
which has been formally registered for marriage ceremonies. The service is conducted by the
minister in accordance with the religious rites and ceremonies of the premises.
Approved Venues
You may marry at any venue approved by the local council in England or Wales.
For registration offices and additional ceremony rooms, please contact us on 0345 155 1002.
For a ceremony at an approved venue, contact your chosen venue direct to make a
provisional booking.
It is recommended that you do not pay a deposit to your chosen venue until you have
confirmed that the registration officers will be available for the day and time of the proposed
ceremony.
Making a provisional booking
Registration officers will be required to conduct and register the marriage so it is important to
contact us as early as possible – please call 0345 155 1002. You can only make a provisional
booking at this point, which will be confirmed when you have ‘given legal notice’.
We will need to take a £50 non-refundable deposit (full balance for statutory ceremonies)
which will secure your booking over the phone. This deposit will be deducted from your final
fee. For bookings made within 12 weeks of the proposed date, full payment is required at the
time of booking. To find out the cost of your ceremony, please visit our fees page.
You will receive an email with a booking form and a receipt confirming your provisional
booking. If you don’t receive the confirmation email you can either contact us on 0345 155
1002 or email ceremonies-mailbox@devon.gov.uk with your names, date of ceremony and
venue and a member of the ceremonies team will re-send your confirmation.
See our Marriage and Civil Partnership ceremonies frequently asked questions for more
information >
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
4Church of England or Church in Wales
Should you wish to be married in an Anglican church you or your partner would generally
have to live within the parish of the church, or be a regular worshipper. If the minister is able
to marry you, he or she will arrange for the Banns to be called or for a Common Licence to be
issued. The marriage will also be registered by the minister, and there is generally no need to
involve the local registration office. Fees are payable to the minister.
Other places of religious worship
The church or religious building must normally be located within the registration district
where you or your partner live, or, if outside the district, be a place of regular worship for
either or both of you. The service will be conducted by the minister of the venue, but
occasionally a registrar is required to register the marriage. A fee will be payable to the
minister, in addition, if a registrar is required, a statutory fee is payable on the day.
To book a ceremony at any of the above venues, contact the minister of the church or
building, and the local registration office, where necessary.
In all cases there is a statutory fee for marriage certificates.
Getting married abroad
Couples who choose to marry abroad may need to obtain a Certificate of No Impediment by
giving notice, by appointment, at a registration office. Marriage laws vary in different
countries and it would be advisable to contact a registration office as soon as the decision to
marry abroad has been made, and before any travel has been booked. Notice periods for
Certificates of No Impediment vary depending on whether both parties are British citizens or
not.
For advice on marriages or civil partnerships abroad see Foreign Office: Marriage and civil
partnerships.
Part 2 - Giving notice to marry
You must give notice at your local registration office of your intention to marry. Devon
(excluding Plymouth and Torbay) is now one registration district which means you can make
an appointment at any of the registration offices – please telephone 0345 155 1002 to
book your appointment.
Notice of marriage must be given at a register office in the district in which you lived for at
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
5least the previous 8 nights. You will need to make an appointment to do this. If you live in
Devon you can go to any registration office in the county (excluding Torbay and Plymouth).
Your notice is publicly displayed in the register office for 28 days, after which time the
marriage may take place. The Authorities for Marriage (the legal documentation) must have
been issued on or before the day of marriage.
Where a proposed marriage involves a non-European Economic Area (EEA) national who is
subject to immigration control the notice period may be extended to 70 days. More
information is available at GOV.UK.
Couples wishing to marry in the Church of England where at least one of the couple are a
non-EEA national will have to give notice via civil preliminaries at a registration office.
A notice of marriage is valid for 12 months and is only valid for the venue named on the
notice. You may be able to change the date of your marriage but a change of location
requires a new notice and the payment of new fees.
What do I need to take when giving notice?
When you attend a registration office to give notice of marriage, you will need to produce
certain documents to confirm your name, age, marital status and nationality.
Each person giving notice must bring in the following original documents (photocopies are
not acceptable but original documents do include foreign language documents which have
been translated into English):
a valid British passport
if you do not have a valid passport then you must provide a full birth certificate
(showing parents’ details) and one other form of ID, preferably with photograph,
for example a full or provisional driving licence
if you were born after 1 January 1983 your own valid passport is enough to prove
nationality
if you do not have a valid passport you need to bring your own full birth certificate
AND your mother’s valid passport or mother’s full birth certificate
the reason you need to provide this information is that if you were born before 1
January 1983 nationality was determined on the birth certificate, but if you were
born after 1 January 1983 nationality is not proven
proof of residency in the form of a council tax bill, utility bill (dated within 3 months) or
bank statement (dated within 1 month)
proof of marital status – Decree Absolute/Death Certificate/ Dissolution of Civil
Partnership
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
6if you have changed your name by deed poll or statutory declaration, you must provide
original documents.
A valid EEA/Foreign Passport
If you do not have a valid passport or national identity card you will not be able to give notice
of marriage.
For persons subject to Immigration control or if you have doubt regarding your nationality or
immigration status, please visit the Home Office website or telephone 0870 606 7766 as
additional documentation may be required.
A fee of £35 per person will be required, payable by cash, card or cheque.
Please note that there is now a fee for the consideration of foreign divorce documents. The
fee is £50 if the divorce can be considered locally, rising to £75 if it will need to be referred to
the General Register Office.
Part 3 - Final balance payment
Payment is required at least 12 weeks before the date of your ceremony. We have a
dedicated payment line for you to call which is 01392 385072.
Once your payment has been made you will receive email confirmation stating that your
payment has been completed and a receipt will be attached.
To find out the cost of your ceremony, please visit our fees page.
Part 4 - The ceremony
There is no need for you to be nervous or worried about the ceremony. Remember that the
Superintendent Registrar is there to help and guide you through all you are required to say
and do.
Once your guests are seated the Superintendent Registrar will say a few words of welcome
and explanation and then lead you through the ceremony and your legal declarations.
Some of the content of a ceremony and the declarations and contractual words are
prescribed by law and you will repeat these words after the Superintendent Registrar. As well
as the legal declarations, a ceremony will contain other wording and will be adapted and
personalised using the information you have provided on the ceremony preference form (see
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
7below, approved venues only). Please remember any additions to a ceremony may not
contain any religious connections. Facilities for the playing of music should be checked with
the venue management.
If you are having your ceremony in a registration office you can bring along your music on
the day on a CD or iPod (with speakers). If you are bringing an iPod or other such device you
will need to allocate a guest to operate it during the ceremony.
Should you have any difficulties with speech or language, please let us know in advance.
Ceremony preference forms
Please do not complete this ceremony preference form if you are getting married
in:
A la Ronde Room (Larkbeare House), Clinton Room, Mid Devon Registration Office (Old
Heathcoat School), Hayridge Centre, South Hams Registration Office (Nash Room), Cary
Room, Repton Room, Quay House, Flavel Centre, Watermark Centre, Devon Register Office
(Newton Abbot), Torridge Registration Office, Taw View, West Devon Registration
and Okehampton Town Hall.
Once you have settled your final balance you will be able to complete a ceremony preference
form. Completion of this form will enable you to personalise your ceremony to make it even
more special. Please do so no later than 2 weeks before your ceremony.
Please also be aware that none of the following vows from the Book of Common
Prayer are permitted at a Civil Ceremony by law (in any order):
I, N, take you, N, to be my Husband/Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for
better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till
death us do part; according to God’s holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.
The legal vows that need to be said at a civil ceremony – by law – are listed below for your
information. You will only have to repeat them in short sentences, when prompted, by the
registrar conducting your ceremony.
Declaration: (for information only)
I do solemnly declare/that I know not/of any lawful impediment/why I ………………. /may not
be joined in matrimony/to ……………….
Vows: (for information only)
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
8I call upon these persons here present/ to witness that I …………… do take thee ……………… /
to be my lawful wedded wife/ husband.
The basic format of a ceremony:
(text in bold indicates legal requirements to ensure validity of your marriage)
Welcome Guests to venue and introduction
Grand entrance
Declarations that you are free to marry
Opportunities for readings
Contracting words
Opportunity for any legal objection to your marriage to be stated
Legal definition of marriage
Opportunities for readings
The exchange of ring(s) and vows
Opportunities for readings
Announcement that you are married!
Signing of the register by the married couple, witnesses and registrars. Witnesses can be any
guest who has stayed throughout the ceremony and who understands the proceedings. (No
photos allowed during the signing, for legal reasons)
Photo opportunity with blank register
Presentation of marriage certificate
Grand exit
See our Marriage and Civil Partnership ceremonies frequently asked questions for more
information >
https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/
Created on 11/11/19. For latest version please see https://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages
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