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If you are planning to marry or form a civil partnership in a Church (other than the Church of England), at least one of you must either live in the district of the church or it must be their usual place of worship.

For all religious weddings or civil partnerships, you must contact the priest, minister, or other religious representative to obtain their agreement to hold your ceremony in their place of worship.

Church of England weddings

For marriages in the Church of England, banns must be read in the three months before your wedding. The vicar will usually arrange this for you.

In most cases, you do not need to contact the local Registration Service or give Notice of Marriage. However, if either of you is a foreign national and subject to the Immigration Act 2014, the vicar will ask you to give Notice of Marriage at your local Registration Office.

If this applies to you, we will also need a letter from the vicar explaining why the banns cannot be read. If you are unsure, please contact a member of the registration team for advice.

Churches of other denominations

For churches of other denominations, after making your booking with the priest or minister, you will need to contact the registration service to arrange for a Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership to be given by each party in the district where you live. 

Please note: a civil ceremony cannot be held as part of a religious ceremony.