Nottingham: vibrant, beautiful and historic - the ideal location for your wedding.

Your ceremony in Nottingham

This information provides general guidance on the facilities available at Nottingham Register Office and the arrangements necessary for your ceremony at the Register Office, in approved premises and registered places of worship.

Please do not hesitate to visit the office, or telephone one of our Superintendent Registrars, for further advice or to discuss arrangements for your special day. The Register Office is at 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham NG1 4FP (Telephone 0115 947 5665) and is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 4.30pm, Wednesday from 10.00am - 4.30pm. Please telephone to make an appointment. By prior appointment only on Saturdays.

Facilities available at Nottingham register office

The Nottingham Register Office is available for marriage / civil partnership ceremonies to couples who live inside or outside the City boundary. The arrangements to be made are simple and the staff are always happy to help you prepare for the day and ensure that your day will be an enjoyable and memorable occasion for you, your family and friends.

The Office is a splendid Listed Victorian building, conveniently situated near the centre of the City. The ceremony suite and comfortable waiting room are located on the ground floor and there is ramped access from the car park at the rear. Our garden is available for your photographs after your ceremony.

Making a reservation at Nottingham register office

Appointments are available Monday to Saturday, both morning and afternoon (excluding bank holidays).

You can make a provisional appointment for your marriage / civil partnership, either by telephone or in person, up to 12 months in advance. The aim of the provisional appointment is to help you to get the date you want and also give you an early opportunity to discuss the content of your proposed ceremony with one of the Superintendent Registrars.

Having made a provisional appointment, you must then give the formal notices of marriage / civil partnership in the Registration District(s) where you both live.

Full details of the formalities which are required - including the procedure for giving notice, the period of time that must pass between giving notice and being able to marry / formation of the partnership and the fees payable - will be given to you when you make a provisional booking.

Ceremonies in approved premises

It is also possible to hold your ceremony in one of Nottingham's premises approved for civil marriages / civil partnerships whether you live in Nottingham or not. Appointments are available Monday to Sunday, both morning and afternoon (excluding bank holidays).

You should make a provisional appointment with one of the Superintendent Registrars at Nottingham Register Office and discuss the content of your proposed ceremony. Having made a provisional appointment, you must then give the formal notices of marriage / civil partnership to the Registration District(s) where you both live.

A separate information leaflet specifically on arranging marriages / civil partnerships in approved premises is also available from Nottingham Register Office. Please contact the office for a copy of the information leaflet and details of the premises currently approved for weddings in Nottingham. View a list of Approved Premises

Personalising the content of your marriage ceremony

In addition to the choice of the legal words of marriage declaration and contract, you or one of your guests may want to contribute a poem or reading to your ceremony. You may also have a favourite music CD or cassette special to you both that you would like to be played before and after your ceremony when the register is being signed.

Any such music or additions you may like to be considered for inclusion in the marriage ceremony must be secular in nature and have been agreed by one of the Superintendent Registrars prior to the day of your marriage.

If required, a collection of suitable verse and music can be purchased from the Register Office.

Personalising your civil partnership ceremony

There is no requirement for a ceremony as part of the legal process of forming a civil partnership, however we will be delighted to offer a ceremony if required;

Each ceremony will be unique. Working within the guidelines provided, couples can select words, readings and poems that hold a special meaning to them. They may choose a role for friends or family within the ceremony. This makes the occasion a meaningful, shared experience.

The ceremonies will be secular and contain no religious references. A celebrant will work closely with the couple to create an individual ceremony.

Getting married in a church or other religious building

If you are getting married in any religious building in Nottingham, apart from a Church belonging to the Church of England, you must still give notices of marriage at the Register Office(s) for the district(s) where you both live. For marriage in a Church of England Church, you should get advice from the member of the clergy responsible for the Church in which you wish to be married.

You can normally only get married in a religious building in Nottingham if one or both of you live in the City, unless you usually go to worship at the building, in which case you may ask to be married there. You may also be able to get married in a religious building in Nottingham if there is no building of your religion in the Registration District(s) where you both live. Your local Superintendent Registrar will give you help and advice on this matter.

A registrar must be present at the wedding unless the religious building has its own appointed 'authorised person' to register marriages.

Documents you need to produce when giving notice

When you give your notice of marriage / civil partnership, you should produce either (i) your passport and an identification document confirming your address or (ii) a birth certificate and two identification documents one of which should also confirm your address. Examples of identification documents include a driving licence, rent book, council tax document or utility bill etc.

If either of you has been divorced in England or Wales, you will need a court-stamped copy of the decree absolute (the final divorce paper). If the divorce took place elsewhere, you will need a certified or sealed document issued by that Country and an English translation if the document is in a foreign language.

If you are a widow or widower, your late spouse's death certificate will be required and your previous marriage certificate may also be needed in certain circumstances.

If you are under 18, you will usually need proof that your parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to the marriage / civil partnership. If your parents are divorced, you may also need any Court Order concerning your custody. The Superintendent Registrar will give you advice on this matter.

Points to remember

1. Either of you can make a provisional appointment for civil marriage / civil partnership in Nottingham up to 12 months in advance, by telephone or in person, with one of our Superintendent Registrars.
2. You must both give notice of marriage / civil partnership in person, you can not ask a relative or friend to do it for you. If you both live in the same registration district, ideally you should attend together. Giving notice at Nottingham Register Office is by appointment only.
3. You can have a civil marriage / civil partnership in Nottingham no matter where in England and Wales you live but a religious marriage will usually be in the Registration District where one of you lives.
4. Fees are payable for giving a notice of marriage / civil partnership, the registration of the marriage / civil partnership at a Register Office or the attendance of registration officers at approved premises or religious buildings and for a marriage / civil partnership certificate.
5. The content of every marriage /civil partnership ceremony in the Register Office or approved premises in Nottingham must be non religious and meet with the prior approval of the Superintendent Registrar.
6. You are welcome to have someone video your civil marriage / civil partnership at Nottingham Register Office. . You will also be able to have still photographs after the ceremony.
7. These details are for general information only and are not a complete statement of the Law. If you have any questions about getting married / holding your civil partnership in Nottingham, please do not hesitate to contact one of the Superintendent Registrars at:-

The Register Office
50 Shakespeare Street
Nottingham

Telephone 0115 947 5665

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 4.30pm
Wednesday from 10.00am - 4.30pm.
Please telephone to make an appointment

Saturday - by prior appointment only