Civil Marriage Ceremonies
Getting married in Leicestershire? You have come to the right place… Our step-by-step guide will hopefully makes things a little bit easier.
Please note: the steps below are for ceremonies within the UK only. The process is different if you are planning on getting married abroad.
If you need further help, check out our FAQs.
Step 1 – Choose Your Venue
We have ceremony rooms in all of our registration offices. You can also choose from over 60 approved venues.
If you choose an approved venue, you will need to contact them and provisionally book your preferred date, but only commit to this when you have secured Registrars (step 2).
Step 2 – Book Ceremony/Registrars
Two Registrars are required at each ceremony.
You will need to contact us with your provisional date to confirm there is a slot available (if a registration office ceremony), or that Registrars are available to attend (if an approved venue ceremony).
You can do this up to three years in advance of your ceremony date*. Please ensure you leave plenty of time to complete your legal formalities (step 4).
You will be asked to pay a non-refundable fee when you make your booking, so please make sure you have read our terms and conditions.
The total fee will need to be paid at least 3 months in advance of your ceremony if an approved venue, and at least 28 days in advance of your ceremony if a registration office.
Step 3 – Plan Your Dream Day
Use our supplier finder to browse a list of wedding suppliers. To keep track of your spending, download our helpful spreadsheet (XLS, 1MB).
Step 4 – Legal Notice Appointment
As part of the legal formalities, you will each have to give notice by appointment. If you live in Leicestershire, you can do this at one of our registration offices. If you live outside of Leicestershire, you will need to make an appointment with your own local registration service.
You can do this up to one year in advance of your ceremony date, so we recommend at least three months before.*
Once you have both given your legal notices, you will receive a booking confirmation and details of your ceremony along with what to do next.
Step 5 – Finalise Your Ceremony Appointment
You will now need to personalise your ceremony. To do this, you will need to complete a “Your Ceremony” document, which will either be given to you at your legal notice appointment (if you live in Leicestershire) or posted out after you have given your notice elsewhere.
If you are getting married in a registration office, you can complete this at home and send it back to us and no further appointments will be necessary. Please remember to contact us to make your final payment at least 28 days before your ceremony.
If you are getting married at an approved venue, you will need to make a further appointment at the registration office detailed in your booking confirmation. This is your final meeting before the big day and is your opportunity to discuss the finer details – timings, music, readings, wording, who stands where and who says what. Those final decisions and choices should have been made in plenty of time for this appointment as it may not be possible to accommodate late requests.
The booking confirmation will explain what you need to bring with you. You will also be asked to pay any outstanding fees.
*28 clear days before your ceremony date is the absolute minimum.