The legal requirements

You can get married by a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony. In both cases, the following legal requirements must be met:

1. The marriage must be conducted by, or in the presence of, a person authorised to register marriages in the district;

2. The marriage must be entered in the marriage register and signed by both parties to the marriage, two witnesses, and the person who conducted the ceremony (or authorised person if different).

Special rules may apply if you or your partner are not British citizens.

Legal requirements: Civil ceremonies

You and your partner must give notice of marriage at your local Register Office, whether or not you wish to marry in that district. The Superintendent Registrar (or Registrar in Northern Ireland) then issues authority for the marriage and you may then marry in any Register Office or local authority approved premises in any district. A fee is payable for the registrar to attend the ceremony. You can find the address and telephone number for your local register office on the website of the General Register Office at http://www.gro.gov.uk/content/marriages/acivilmarriage/

Legal requirements: Religious ceremonies

If you are opting for a religious ceremony in the Church of England, instead of going to the Register Office before the ceremony, banns (a notice of the proposed marriage) can be read in the parish church of both of parties to the marriage on three Sundays before the ceremony.

Members of other religions must continue to give notice of their marriage at the Register Office.

The Citizens Advice Bureau has a useful section explaining the legal requirements in more detail. http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/getting_married.htm

The website of the General Register Office also has information about the legal formalities of marriage. http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/marriages