Preparing for the Big Day

On this page you will find further details about:

Types of ceremonies

The difference between a civil ceremony and a civil partnership

A civil ceremony is a non-religious legal ceremony performed by a government official or functionary (registrar). These take place at either an approved venue or the Register Office.

A civil partnership is a legal relationship between two people that grants them rights and responsibilities similar to those of married couples.

The difference between a marriage and a civil partnership

A civil partnership is entered into by signing the civil partnership schedule while marriage is entered by vows and signing the marriage schedule. Those entering a civil partnership cannot refer to each other as husband and wife, rather they are each other's civil partners. While in the UK marriage and civil partnerships are recognised almost equally, civil partnerships are not recognised everywhere around the world. There is more information about the differences on the GOV.UK website.

You cannot convert a marriage to a civil partnership. You would need to divorce and go through the process again from scratch to form a civil partnership instead.

Same sex couples can convert their civil partnership into a marriage. Opposite sex couples cannot convert their civil partnership into a marriage. You would need to dissolve your civil partnership and go through the process again from scratch to form a marriage instead.

About approved venues

An approved venue is a premise licenced by the Superintendent Registrar to carry out marriage and civil partnership ceremonies. This includes venues owned by Herefordshire Council, such as the Willow Room at No. 8 St Owen Street and our three ceremony venues at Hereford Town Hall.

The difference between a register office ceremony and a ceremony at another Herefordshire Council venue

The ceremonies at the Hereford Register Office are our basic, statutory ceremonies. These ceremonies are very basic, with just the couple, the registrars and two witnesses. The ceremony itself takes around 15 minutes. There is no music, readings or poems and you will not get a choice of vows. Ceremonies in the Town Hall or Willow Room are approved venue ceremonies and allow you the choice of including music, readings and poems; and allow you to have more guests.

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Preparing for your ceremony

Late arrival

Although it may be traditional for the bride to be late, it is important that your ceremony starts promptly as the Registrar may be attending other ceremonies after yours.

At the Register Office, you need to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled ceremony time for the pre-ceremony interview. At an approved venue we will arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony time.

If you do not arrive on time, we may need to shorten your ceremony or leave and return later in the day so as not to impact other couples.

Identification

You do not need to bring any identification with you on the day. This is except for the very rare circumstance that you have legally changed your name between giving notice and the day of the ceremony. If that is the case, please bring along your document proving your change of name.

Photographs and video

We ask that your guests refrain from taking photos during the ceremony, however, a nominated photographer may take photos of the entrance of the bride and on the exchange of rings. For reasons of data protection, photographs cannot be taken of the actual signing of the marriage schedule. There will be plenty of opportunity for photos afterwards with a blank schedule.

Music and readings

Many couples choose to have music when the bride makes her entrance, while they sign the marriage schedule and as they exit the room together. If you would like to enhance your ceremony and make it more personal, you may wish to include readings, poems or choose your own music. You should provide copies of any readings, poems or titles of music choices to the ceremony coordinator at ceremonies@herefordshire.gov.uk before the ceremony. This is so we can ensure your choices are suitable and comply with the requirement that there is no religious content at a civil ceremony.

Witnesses

Herefordshire Registration Service policy states that witnesses should be aged 18 or over and capable of understanding the events which have taken place. The minimum requirement is for two adults to witness the ceremony and sign the marriage schedule. If an interpreter is required they must sign as a witness.

How long a ceremony lasts

A civil partnership formation without a ceremony only takes a few minutes. This will depend on the optional extras you choose to include. A basic ceremony at the Register Office lasts about 15 minutes, with no additional readings or poems. A longer ceremony, including readings, poems and additional vows lasts around 25 minutes.

Rehearsal

There is not a rehearsal before a civil ceremony. You will be asked to complete a ceremony plan in advance of your ceremony which will give your choices of words, readings and music. We also do not currently offer a service to meet your registrars. Your ceremony plan will be shared with the registrars to help prepare for your ceremony.

Vows

You can say your own vows if you wish. These must be non-religious in content, and you will either need to memorise them or bring them written or typed so that you don't forget them on the day. We also ask you to send us a copy with your ceremony plan so we can check the vows are acceptable.

Rings

There is no legal requirement for you to exchange rings at a marriage or civil partnership ceremony.

Animals and birds

We do not allow any animals or birds at either the Register Office or Herefordshire Council premises, except for assistance dogs. For other venues, you would need to check with your venue. However, we do ask you to tell us if you are planning to have animals or birds as part of your ceremony because we would need to review our risk assessment for our staff.

Amending your ceremony

We charge an amendment fee if you need to change the date, time or venue of your ceremony; and also if you change your ceremony from a civil partnership to a marriage. There may also be additional costs for the venue and/or the registrar fees if your new date is more expensive than your previous date. For further information see our fees page.

Religious blessing after a ceremony

Marriages in approved premises may be followed by a religious blessing provided the Registrars have left the building. There must be a clear break between the civil ceremony and the religious proceedings. The blessing should not take place before the civil marriage ceremony.

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Marriage certificates

Marriage records in England and Wales are held on an electronic register.

What this means for you

You may need to make arrangements to order your marriage certificate depending on where your ceremony is taking place.

At your ceremony, you and your partner will sign a schedule or marriage document instead of the register on the day. You can each include up to four parents on the form (for example, mothers, fathers or step-parents).

After the ceremony this document is sent to the local register office, where the details are added to the register. After that you can get your marriage or civil partnership certificate. You can order further copies of the marriage or civil partnership certificate.

In Herefordshire, if your ceremony is at:

The Register Office or one of our approved venues
  • You will sign a marriage schedule and your marriage certificate will be posted to you after the details have been entered onto the electronic register
A religious building, but not Church of England
  • The schedule will be issued by the Register Office in the district where your ceremony will take place – and after the ceremony the signed schedule must be returned to that Register Office within 21 days
  • Details will be entered onto the register within the following seven days, after which marriage or civil partnership certificates can then be issued
  • Certificates will be available from the registration service in the district where your ceremony took place
A Church of England building
  • You will sign a marriage document instead of the register during the ceremony
  • The minister or their representative will be expected to return the marriage document to the local Register Office within 21 days after the ceremony
  • Details of the marriage will be entered onto the register within the following seven days and a marriage certificate can then be issued
  • Certificates will be available from the Register Office and you can order the marriage certificate online

The certificate ordering service refers to a 'copy' certificate because the original record is the one that remains at the Register Office. Every certificate ordered will be a certified copy of the original even if this is your first order.

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Pre-ordering a replacement passport in your new name before your ceremony takes place

This scheme is run by the Passport Office. The form (known as a PD2 form) is available on the GOV.UK website. Part of the form needs to be completed by the couple, then sent to the Superintendent Registrar to countersign the form. The new passport can only be issued up to 3 months before the ceremony date. If you require us to post the completed form to you, there will be a charge for this service. To email in a form for countersigning, please send it to ceremonies@herefordshire.gov.uk

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Getting married abroad

If you are getting married abroad, the first thing you should do is consult the local authorities where you are planning to get married, as the rules about their specific requirements vary considerably depending on the country.

For a marriage abroad, you would be giving a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) at the Register Office rather than a standard notice. Please note, we cannot take a CNI for a number of countries, particularly Commonwealth countries, as different rules apply. Check the government's getting married or registering a civil partnership abroad page for more details.

You can book a CNI appointment online and enter the country where the ceremony is taking place as the venue.

Getting a marriage certificate or CNI apostilled

This is not a service offered by Hereford Register Office. If you need to get your certificate notarised or legalised, such as for a foreign government's administrative processes, you can do this with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Legalisation Office.

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