Market Harborough Office Ceremony – CLASSIC CIVIL PARTNERSHIP CEREMONY

Your Registration Service Civil Partnership Ceremony

Congratulations! We are thrilled that you have chosen to form a civil partnership in a Classic Ceremony with Leicestershire Registration Service at the Market Harborough Registration Office.

The Perry Gold Room is an elegant, contemporary first floor room within the Symington Building, which is the home of the Harborough District Council. The ceremony room holds up to 48 people, which includes the couple, witnesses, guests, photographers etc.

Here in Leicestershire, we are delighted to offer you flexibility in how you want to celebrate your civil partnership. Let us help ensure you have all the information you need about the ceremony itself, and also some useful information about having your ceremony at the Market Harborough Registration Office.

If you haven’t done so already, you are required, by law, to each give your notice of civil partnership. You will need to do this in person with your local Registration district (i.e. your local district is the same as where you pay your council tax). This is to inform them of your intention of entering into a civil partnership. If you and your partner live in different areas, you will each need to give notice in your own registration district. However, if you or your partner are subject to immigration control, you must both give notice together in the district in which one or both of you live. Both parties will need to have completed this at least 28 days before the ceremony date. We recommend booking your appointment at least six months before your ceremony date if you can. You can find more information online about the process of giving notice and what you will need for your appointment.

Your civil partnership fees will need to be paid for in full, 8 weeks before your ceremony date. Give us a call on 0116 3056565 to speak to a member of our team. You can pay with a credit or debit card or discuss alternative payment methods. The cost of your civil partnership will include one legal certificate, with additional copies costing £12.50 each.

You can order and pay for additional copies of your certificate either when you pay your ceremony fee or at any time after your ceremony. We strongly recommend ordering extra certificates when you pay your fee if you’re planning to update things like your passport or driving licence with your new name. It’s a good idea to get a few spare certificates, as most places won’t accept photocopies.

You will need to ask two people to witness your ceremony. These can be friends or family members if you wish. Your witnesses must have a good understanding of English, and we recommend that your witnesses are over 16 years old. The Registrars on the day will speak with your witnesses and guide them through the signing of your schedule.

You will both separately have a pre-ceremony interview with the Registrars before your ceremony. Please aim to arrive 15 minutes before your ceremony time. Our staff work multiple ceremonies in a day, so we aim for them to start promptly to ensure all other couple’s ceremonies run on time.

Although we make every effort to accommodate late arrivals, your ceremony may have to be postponed if you or any of your guests are late. You should do your utmost to everyone arrives on time.

When forming a civil partnership, there is no legal requirement for any legal words to be spoken by you, and you don’t need to have a full ceremony. However, if you wish to have a full ceremony in front of your loved ones, then that is absolutely fine. You can choose either to read and acknowledge the declaration (the legal statement) or you can repeat the words of the declaration after the Deputy Superintendent Registrar.

There is some information we will need prior to your civil partnership. Please find a form at the end of this document for you to complete and return to us. Please could you return this to us at least 4 weeks prior to your ceremony by emailing it to us at leicsceremonies@leics.gov.uk .The information you will need to provide includes:

• Full legal names of the couple and contact details
• How many people will be in attendance on the day
• Names of your witnesses
• What kind of ceremony you wish to have
• Details of entrances into the ceremony room
• Music choices
• Details of your ring exchange (if applicable)
• How you would like to be announced to your guests at the end of your ceremony

You can personalise your ceremony by having up to three songs of your choice. The first song will be played as you make an entrance, the second to be played whilst you sign the legal paperwork and have photographs and the third as you exit as the happy couple. As it is a civil ceremony, you will need to ensure that your choices contain no religious content or connotations, and that they are appropriate for a legal ceremony.

You will need to bring along a Bluetooth speaker with you on the day and have assigned one of your guests to play the music off a mobile device. The staff working your ceremony will speak with whoever is doing the music to go over cues etc. If you are unable to provide a speaker please don’t worry, just let us know and the Registrars will be happy to choose and play something appropriate for you instead.

Exchanging rings is seen as a traditional part of a ceremony, but it is your choice whether to do this at your ceremony. If you would like to exchange rings, you will need to decide if you are going to have one of your guests present the rings. You can also let us know if you do not want to exchange rings.

If for any reason you need to postpone or cancel your ceremony, please get in touch with us as soon as possible. If your legal notices have been given, we will need confirmation of a cancellation emailing to leicsceremonies@leics.gov.uk. Please note, if you change your venue, date or time, you will need to pay an amendment fee.

Please take some time to read our terms and conditions on our website. By submitting your ceremony choices, you are confirming that you have read and agreed to these terms and conditions.

Your Classic Ceremony

This is your special day and there is no need to be nervous or worried about the ceremony; our Registrars are warm and welcoming, and we are here to help and guide you through it all. Your ceremony will be attended by one or two members of the Leicestershire Registration Service. On occasion a third member of the team might be present for training and development.

The Deputy Superintendent Registrar responsible for your civil partnership schedule will speak with you individually during your pre-ceremony meeting. This will be to ensure all the information we have on your legal documentation is accurate and the information you gave at your notice of civil partnership appointment is all correct. We will also be confirming the details of the ceremony with you. The Registrars will do their best to pronounce your names correctly in the ceremony.

We don’t want you to worry about memorising anything. If you chose to have a full ceremony, then you will be asked to repeat some words back to the Deputy Superintendent Registrar, but these will be broken down into a few sentences or words at a time and we will go at your pace. We appreciate that couples can be anxious about the words that are spoken as part of your ceremony, and we would ask that you get in touch with us so we can reassure you and discuss alternatives.

You will be required to either say aloud or acknowledge the following statement:
I declare that I know of no legal reason why we may not register as each other’s civil partner. I understand that on signing this document we will be forming a civil partnership with each other.

If you chose to have a full ceremony, the Deputy Superintendent Registrar will add some additional words to the ceremony.

• You will then be able to exchange rings (if you choose to) and you can choose from the following ring vows, which will be repeated back to the Deputy Superintendent Registrar:
• I give you this ring, in the presence of family and friends, as a sign of my love and commitment. Wear it with happiness and pride, now and always.
• I give you this ring, as a reminder of our promises today. As a symbol of our commitment and as a sign of my love.
• I give you this ring, as a sign of our love. All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you.

The Deputy Superintendent Registrar will invite you to be seated to sign your civil partnership schedule alongside your witnesses. Your civil partnership is legally formed once all parties have signed the schedule. You will then be announced as civil partners.

Your schedule contains your personal information, so we don’t allow photographs to be taken whilst you are signing this. We do provide a commemorative certificate which can be signed whilst having photos, and it is also a nice memento of the day. If you have a photographer in attendance, the Registrars will speak with them before the ceremony to ensure you get some lovely photos, whilst not interrupting the ceremony.

You will then be presented with your commemorative certificate and the ceremony will end with the Deputy Superintendent Registrar announcing you as civil partners and you will all then be directed outside for further photographs.

Your legal certificate/s are not presented to you on the day. Certificates will be posted out to your chosen address once your ceremony has been registered. We aim for you to receive these within 7-10 working days.

Any amendments / corrections to your certificates after you have received them will have to be administered by the General Register Office. This could cost you up to £99 to correct, so it is very important that you check the details on your schedule very carefully before you sign the document.

Forming a Civil Partnership at the Market Harborough Registration Office

We look forward to seeing you and your guests for your ceremony. Here is some useful information about having your ceremony at the Market Harborough Registration Office. Please do pass on this information to your guests, if appropriate:

• There is no parking for any vehicles included in ceremonies. There are pay and display car parks on Symington Way and Mill Hill Lane (Saturdays only). So you and your guests should allow plenty of time for parking.
• We do not currently offer outside ceremonies at the Market Harborough Registration Office.
• The office and ceremony rooms are on the first floor of the building which can be accessed by stairs or lift. Our offices and ceremony room are located through the library.
• When you and your guests arrive for the ceremony, please report to the concierge and they will direct you to the first floor. If our doors are not open, you can press the doorbell and a member of our team will be with you shortly.
• Ceremony parties leave the building down the historic wooden staircase (party members with mobility issues can still leave via the lift).
• The Market Harborough Registration Office is located within a busy, multi-use building. Our ceremonies do not include exclusive use of the building, and there could be other members of the public attending other services. We do ask that noise is kept to a minimum whilst people are moving around the building. Although we do always encourage a cheer when the happy couple are announced as civil partners.
• The Symington Building does not have any outside space designated for photographs after a ceremony.
• Our ceremony rooms are decorated, but you are welcome to bring your own bouquet.
• We do not allow food and drink in our ceremony rooms. Also, we kindly ask that you do not bring alcohol to celebrate in the grounds afterwards.
• We only allow certified assistance dogs in our ceremony rooms, and we will be asking to see this certification prior to your ceremony. No other animals are allowed in the building.
• Confetti can be thrown once you are outside of the building. We only allow biodegradable confetti after our ceremonies. Should foil / non-biodegradable confetti or confetti cannons be used, you will be charged for the clean-up cost.

We appreciate that we have given you a lot of information about your ceremony. Please remember that we are here to help, and you can email us at leicsceremonies@leics.gov.uk or give us a call on 0116 3056565 to discuss any part of your ceremony. We are here to support you through this very important time of your life.

Updated February 2026

Perry Gold Room Gallery (select any image to view)