Getting married in Suffolk

Information about arranging a civil marriage in Suffolk

Where can I get married?

You can marry in a civil ceremony at any Register Office in England or Wales. Or you can marry at any licensed Approved Premises in England or Wales. An Approved Premise will be a public building such as a hotel or stately home or any other building the local authority feels is an appropriate place in which to be married.

For civil marriages you do not have to marry in the area in which you live.

A complete listing of all Approved Premises in Suffolk

A complete listing of all Suffolk Register Offices

A complete listing of all Approved venues in England and Wales

It is also possible to marry outside of England and Wales but different rules apply.

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Can I get married outdoors?

No, this is not possible. The law does not allow for a civil marriage to take place in a private house, in open air, a tent or marquee, or in any other movable structure, such as a boat or hot air balloon. Neither can a civil marriage take place in any building which has a past or current connection with any religion.

Recent publicity has highlighted that there will be a more flexible approach to marriage locations and times in the future. This is no longer part of the current government plans and so for the forseeable future the above restrictions apply.

How soon can I book my wedding date?

Marriages can be booked at the earliest 12 months in advance or at the latest 17 days in advance. Some offices may allow you to make provisional bookings more than 12 months in advance.

How do I make the arrangements?

First decide on a venue and a date. It is always a good idea to have an alternative in case your first choice is already booked. Contact the Suffolk Register Office where you wish to be married or the Register Office that is responsible for the Approved Venue you have selected. They will take provisional details from you and ask you to arrange for the legal preliminaries to be prepared.

Important: Bookings are all treated as provisional until you have arranged the legal preliminaries.

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What are the legal preliminaries?

The legal preliminaries are called the Notice of Marriage. This is a legal document which has to be prepared by the Superintendent Registrar at the Register Office in the district in which you live. It is valid for one year. This may well be a different office to the one you have chosen to marry in.

Both the bride and groom need to attend in person to give a Notice of Marriage. The cost of each notice is £30 per person. All Suffolk Register Offices operate an appointment system for Notices of Marriage. Each Notice takes about 30 minutes to prepare. If you do not speak or understand English well you will need to take an interpreter with you.
To be legally eligible to marry and prepare a Notice of Marriage you must:-

Be aged 18 or over or have written consent from your parents or guardians if you are aged 16 or 17;
You must have been a resident in the district for a qualfying period of 7 full consecutive days. This period must immediately precede the day your Notice of marriage is prepared;
You must be lawfully free to marry -in other words not married to anyone else!;
One of you must have been born female, the other born male (or completed a legal gender reassignment) and you must not be closely related to each other.

Documents required for Notice of Marriage

When you contact your local Suffolk Register Office the receptionist will discuss with you what documents you will need to bring. These may include some or all of the following depending on your circumstances:

change of name deed ( registered with the Royal Court of Justice);
death certificate of former spouse;
decree absolute;
full birth certificate;
passport;
proof of residence

Please note that all documents must be current (this is an important consideration if you have recently moved house). Photocopies of any document are not acceptable.

How much will the ceremony cost me?

Ceremony	Cost
Register Office ceremony	£40


Approved venue (Monday-Thursday) from 1st April 2009 - 31st March 2010	£250
Approved venue (Friday & Saturday) from 1st April 2009 - 31st March 2010	£320
Approved venue (Sunday and Bank Holiday) from 1st April 2009- 31st March 2010	£400

Approved venue (Monday-Thursday) from 1st April 2010 - 31st March 2011	£255
Approved venue (Friday & Saturday) from 1st April 2010 - 31st March 2011	£330
Approved venue (Sunday and Bank Holiday) from 1st April 2010- 31st March 2011	£410

A £50 non-refundable deposit is required to secure a time slot for Approved Venue bookings. Any changes to a ceremony booking will incur a £20 administration charge.

Registrars' Attendance at a Non- Conformist Church	£47

Each Copy of the marriage certificate	£3.50

Please note these fees are in addition to the cost of the 'Notice of Marriage fee' of £30 each.

Is there any way of getting married immediately?

There are some circumstances where it may be possible to reduce the standard waiting period of 17 days.

These are usually exceptional and could include situations such as:

The serious illness of either the Bride or Groom from which they are not expected to recover.
The posting to a war zone of either the Bride or Groom as part of their duties of being a serving member of the armed forces.

If you think that your circumstances could warrant a waiver of the standard waiting period please contact your local register office without delay or email enquiries@registrars.suffolkcc.gov.uk

In some cases an additional and non- refundable fee may be payable.

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Who do we need to tell that we have got married?

A list of organisations you may need to tell about your marriage .

After we have married, do I have to use my new husband's surname?

Although this still tends to be traditional, it is certainly not compulsory. In this country both men and women are entitled to choose whether or not they want to take their spouse's surname, keep their own name or double-barrel them both.

A newly married man may decide to take his wife's surname. Different rules may apply abroad, so if either one or both of you are a foreign national you may wish to take advice from the relevant embassy here.

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I don't live in England and Wales - can I marry here?

Possibly, but in order to be eligible you will need to complete a residency period of at least 7 full days (you may need to provide proof of this - such as a hotel invoice). After this qualifying period you will need to give a 'Notice of Marriage' to the local Superintendent Registrar. Please see the section above entitled 'What are the Legal Preliminaries?'.

If you do not hold an EEA Passport you may be subject to additional requirements - Marriage Information for Non- EEA Nationals.

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Did you know that a naming ceremony could immediately follow your marriage ceremony?

There is an alternative to marriage! A commitment ceremony - a ceremonial alternative for those not willing or unable to be married.

If you need more information about getting married contact your local Suffolk Register Office or email: enquiries@registrars.suffolkcc.gov.uk .

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