What to expect on the day of your wedding or civil partnership
Find out what time you should arrive at your venue, what happens at the pre-ceremony interview, and who your witnesses can be.
Arriving at your venue
Our registrars are there to help and guide you through the ceremony and registration. Your Registrar Celebrant will welcome you and your guests to the venue. They will lead you through your ceremony, your vows and any personal content you wish to include.
To ensure your ceremony starts on time
If your ceremony is at an approved venue your Registrars will be on site at least 30 minutes before your ceremony start time.
If your ceremony is in the Regency Suite please arrive 15 to 20 minutes before your ceremony start time.
If your ceremony is in the Council Chamber please arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your ceremony start time.
If you wish to be kept separate from your partner before the ceremony please stagger your arrival times and let the Registrars know so they can make arrangements for you.
Pre-ceremony interview
Your registrars will need to do a short and easy interview with you before the start of your ceremony. You can do this interview together or separately. You do not need to bring any documents with you.
This will be done in private and takes about 5 minutes per person.
This pre-ceremony interview is a legal requirement. The registrar is ensuring that all your details are correct before they go into the marriage or civil partnership register and that you are still happy to proceed with the ceremony.
Witnesses
You must provide two credible witnesses.
They must speak English well enough to understand the words of the ceremony and marriage declarations.
They do not have to provide ID documents.
Order of ceremonies
What happens after this point will depend on whether you're having a wedding, or a civil partnership ceremony.