Market Harborough Office Ceremony – CLASSIC CEREMONY

Your Registration Service Marriage Ceremony

Congratulations! We are thrilled that you have chosen to have 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 marriage ceremony. 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 marriage. 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 marriage and to confirm that you are free to marry. 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 marriage ceremony 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 marriage ceremony will include one legal certificate, with additional copies costing £12.50 each.

You can order and pay for additional copies of your marriage 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 married 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 marriage 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 ensure that everyone arrives on time.

You will be emailed a link approx. 12 weeks before your big day, which will take you online to complete some details about your ceremony. You will be asked to provide the following information:

• Full legal names of the couple and contact details
• How many people will be in attendance on the day
• Names of your witnesses
• 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

The online link does not allow you to save your choices and return to complete them at a later date, so please have all of this information ready prior to completing your online choices. Please complete these at least 4 weeks prior to 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 during a ceremony is traditional, 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 two members of the Leicestershire Registration Service, a Registrar who will oversee the legal paperwork and a Deputy Superintendent Registrar, who will lead the ceremony. On occasion a third member of the team might be present for training and development.

Both Registrars 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 marriage 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. Parts of the ceremony will need to be repeated 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 legal 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 need to say the following to declare that you are legally free to marry:
I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I (your full name) may not be joined in matrimony to (partners full name).

You will also need to say the following contracting words:
I call upon these persons here present to witness that I (your full name) do take thee (partners full name) to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.

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 now declare you as legally married and you will be invited to be seated to sign your marriage schedule with the Registrar and your witnesses.

Your marriage 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 a newly married couple to your guests 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 marriage schedule very carefully before you sign the document.

Getting Married at the Market Harborough Registration Office

We look forward to seeing you and your guests for your ceremony. Here is some useful information about getting married 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 legally married.
• 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)