Marriage Venues, arrangement and ceremonies
Everything you need to know about getting married in Northumberland.
Have you decided where you want to marry?
This could be in one of the
View our
Pinterest page for inspiration on some of the beautiful locations
in Northumberland which are Licensed to hold a
ceremony http://pinterest.com/nlandwedding/
Speak to the staff where you choose to
marry and discuss available dates and times with them.
I would suggest not paying a deposit until you have spoken and
checked the availabilty with the Registration Service Ceremony
Co-ordination Team.
Check and Book a Date
Speak to the Ceremony Co-ordination Team who
will help you.
Telephone: 01665 602870
Email: alnwickreg@northumberland.gov.uk
How soon can I book?
Bookings for ceremonies conducted in
Northumberland, require a £30 booking deposit to the Ceremony
Co-ordination Team. All bookings are considered to be
provisional until you have completed the legal preliminaries which
are referred to as “Giving Your Notice”.
Booking a Registrar to attend a ceremony at a
venue?
(Including the Ballroom at the Town Hall, Morpeth)
Venues have their own policy about how soon you can book with
them. This may be a few years in advance. Once you've
spoken to the venue and have an idea of dates and times you
need to speak to the Ceremony Co-ordination Team to book the date
and time with us. Don't delay.
Booking a Register Office ceremony?
(Including the Queens Hall, Hexham)
We will take a booking a maximum of 12 months
before the date of your ceremony. The sooner you speak to us
within this year the better.
Booking when getting married overseas?
Where you are being married and who you are
marrying effects what you have to do next.
You will still need to book an appointment
with the registrar and produce documents to prove what you are
saying, however there are several small variations so it is
best always speak to the:
Ceremony Co-ordination Team
Telephone: 01665 602870
Email: alnwickreg@northumberland.gov.uk
Additionally we will advise you to speak to
the person organising your wedding, this could be your travel
agent or a local wedding planner based at the place that you are to
be married.
We would also advise you to check with the
countries embassy or the local British Consular Office to check
what you have been told is correct and the period that the notice
you have given is valid.
Some countries this could be as short as 3
months which isn’t very long, you may have to arrange for documents
to be translated or
officially stamped by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
This may be referred to as an “Apostles Stamp”.
This may make a difference to when you are
given an appointment with the Registrar.
Ceremonies in Northumberland
If your ceremony is in Northumberland, we will
check the date and time to make sure that a Registrar is
available to attend.
Remember that from now, the next few things
that you do are part of a legal process and we will discuss with
you what you have to do next.
Making an appointment
If you live in
Northumberland
You will need to contact the Ceremony
Co-ordination Team,
Tel: 01665 602870
Email: alnwickreg@northumberland.gov.uk
Please arrive on time for your appointment and
bring all the correct
documentation.
If the relevant documents are not produced it may be necessary
to
re-schedule or cancel your appointment.
Cancelling an appointment or to re-schedule
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please let us know
as soon as possible by phoning either
Ceremony Co-ordination Team Tel: 01665 602870
or
Registration Service
Tel: 0845 600 6400 option 4
Where will I go for the appointment?
If you live in Northumberland you can “Give
Notice” at any of our main offices in Alnwick, Berwick, Hexham or
Morpeth:
Alnwick - The Register Office, 27 Fenkle Street, Alnwick,
NE66 1HW
Berwick - The
Register Office, Council Offices, Wallace Green,
Berwick-Upon-Tweed, TD15 1ED
H
exham - The
Register Office, Hadrian House, Market Street, Hexham, NE46
3NH
M
orpeth - The Register Office, Town Hall, Market
Place, Morpeth, NE61 1LZ
Normally this is to make an appointment for
you and your partner to go, in person, to the Register Office. You
will be seen separately and asked questions about each other.
You can read a list of the requirements and an
explanation of the terms by clicking here.
The current fee for this is £35.
This process is referred to as “Giving your Notice”
.
You are required to produce documents to back
up what you have said.
You can
download a checklist of what documents are
required here.
These will establish:
- Your Identity
- The names you are using
- Your age
- That in law, you are able to marry
- Your Nationality
- Where you live
The law allows you to “Give Notice” a maximum
of 12 months before the date of the ceremony. We would ask
you to do this as soon as you are able to legally.
What happens to it then?
This notice is on public display, to allow
objections to made. If no objections are received a form
referred to as a Marriage Authority is issued by the Ceremony
Co-ordination Team.
How much will it cost?
You will have to pay fees for:
Giving legal notice of your marriage: £35.00 each.
Fee for Registrars to attend see table of fees
below,
These fees cover the Superintendent Registrar and a
Registrar to attend and conduct a civil ceremony at an Approved
Premises and the issue of a certificate.
There is a £30 non-returnable booking deposit, payable
at the time of booking.
*All fees below, exclude the £30 booking
deposit*
| Venue Ceremony Fee 1st April 2013 to 31st March
2014 |
|
| |
|
|
Monday to Friday
|
£335
|
|
Saturday
|
£380
|
|
Sunday
|
£420
|
|
Bank Holidays
|
£465
|
| Venue Ceremony Fee 1st April 2014 to 31st March
2015 |
|
| |
|
|
Monday to Thursday
|
£350
|
|
Friday, Saturday and Sunday
|
£395
|
|
Bank Holidays (including the Saturday and
Sunday)
|
£470
|
Northumberland Register
Office
Ante Room
Morpeth Town Hall
Maximum of 6 Guests |
Monday to
Thursday only
|
£49.00
|
|
Ballroom Morpeth Town
Hall
(Subject to Availability)
Maximum 80 Guests
|
Monday to Saturday
(01/04/13
to 31/03/14)
(01/04/14
to 31/03/15)
|
£175.00
£195.00
|
Alnwick 27 Fenkle Street
|
Monday to Thursday only
|
£ 49.00
|
| |
Friday and
Saturday
(01/04/13 to 31/03/14) |
£100.00 |
| |
Friday and
Saturday
(01/04/14 to 31/03/15) |
£100.00 |
Berwick Wallace Green
|
Monday to Thursday only
|
£ 49.00
|
| |
Friday and
Saturday
(01/04/13 to 31/03/14) |
£100.00 |
| |
Friday and
Saturday
(01/04/14 to 31/03/15) |
£100.00 |
| |
|
|
Hexham Queens Hall
(Subject to Availability)
Maximum of 60 Guests
|
Monday to
Saturday
(01/04/13 to 31/03/14)
|
£125.00
|
6 weeks before your Big Day?
If you haven't already done
so:
Pay any
outstanding fees.
This can be either by phone with your Debit or Credit Card to the
Ceremony Co-ordination Team telephone: 01665 602870 or by cheque
made out to Northumberland County Council and sent to the team
at
The Ceremony Co-ordination Team
The Register Office
27 Fenkle Street
Alnwick
NE66
1HW
Send your completed
Ceremony Form to our wedding co-ordination team
- Make sure
you include copies of readings, promises and anything else that
your conducting registrar needs for
your ceremony . This
is not relevant for Register
Office ceremonies.
If you have given notice
in another county – please ensure your ‘Authorities to Marry’ have
been forwarded to us.
You may need to collect these
from your local office; they are usually printed on blue
paper. We need both copies, one for the
Groom and one for the
Bride.
Speak
If you have any query or if you would like to talk to
us about what to include in your ceremony. Please do not
hesitate to contact the Ceremony Co-ordination Team telephone:
01665 602870 or via alnwickreg@northumberland.gov.uk
What happens on the Day?
Two registrars will attend your ceremony; they
will arrive approximately 30 minutes prior to the ceremony start
time.
One will conduct your ceremony and the other will register it and
produce your marriage certificate.
You will both be seen by the person who is
registering your wedding. This is done immediately before the
ceremony and can be either separately or together. The
registrar has to be happy that you are the person who they are
expecting to marry and that the information recorded is still
correct. This is all done verbally by asking you
questions.
You will NOT need any paperwork with you on
the day and ALL monies owed to the Registrar will have been
paid, so you can relax and enjoy your ceremony!!
Remember that the Registrars are required to
report any marriages that they think are suspicious or
shambolic
Normally they will see the Groom first to check the details he
gave at his marriage notice appointment (name, age, occupation
etc)
this will ensure we have the most up to date information to record
on your marriage certificate.
They will also ask about his father’s (or stepfather’s) name and
occupation or profession.
The conducting registrar will ask to see all
those having a special part to play in your ceremony, such as
readers, the best man, the ring bearer (the rings!) and the
witnesses. This is just to ensure everything runs as smoothly as
possible.
The witnesses can be anyone of your choice. Normally we would
suggest someone over 16 years cabable of understanding what is
being said. If someone that you wish to sign as a
witness is under 16yrs old, we normally ask that an adult
sign alongside them.
The Registrars will then visit the
bride. If she is arriving at the venue, they will see her
privately, prior to her making her entrance. Just as for the Groom,
all the details will be checked and amended if necessary – this
takes just a few moments. The Registrars will then return to the
marriage room, ready to start the ceremony.
We will speak to your photographer and
videographer to confirm we are happy for them to discreetly capture
the entire ceremony.
We ask that they don't take photograph during the signing of
the register, but we mock this up for photographs immediatley after
the legal signings are completed.
Remember you are not just being asked to sign the entry in the
Register, The Registrar will ask you to check that the
information that they have recorded is correct.
Any mistakes can be rectified at the time.
Any errors discovered later will have to be referred to
the General Register Office for permission to have the entry
corrected.
The Bride signs in the name she is using on the day, NOT
her new married name.
We ask that your wedding starts on time, as
our registrars may have to travel on to another venue.
Please remember if we have arranged for you to
say your own promises or there are readings; that you bring
copies with you.
Any Music CD / ipod should be given direct to
the venue or in the Register Office to the registrar who is
conducting your ceremony..
When I get married
On the day of your ceremony, you will both be
seen by the person who is registering your wedding. This is
done immediately before the ceremony and can be either separately
or together. The registrar has to be happy that you are the
person who they are expecting to marry and that the information
recorded is still correct. This is all done verbally by asking you
questions.
Remember that the Registrars are required to
report any marriages that they think are suspicious or
shambolic.
Who do I tell I’m Married
Some organisations may need notifying
following your marriage or civil partnership irrespective of
whether or not you are changing your name. An example would be a
company pension scheme.
Here are just some of the organisations either one or both of you
may need to contact; you may have to send them your marriage or
civil partnership certificate as proof:
- Bank
- Building society
- Child(ren)'s school or
childcare provider
- Council tax
- Credit card companies
- Dentists
- Driving licence
- Doctors
- Employers
- Hospital clinics
- Household insurance
- Income tax
- Internet provider
- Insurance company
- Life assurance
- Mobile phone company
- Mortgage company
- Motoring breakdown
policy
- Motoring insurance
- Passport
- Pension plans
- Private health care
provider
- Professional bodies
- Re-registration of any child(ren) born before you were married
if you have married their natural father
- Solicitor (generally any
“Will” made before marriage or civil partnership
will need revision)
- The Benefits Agency
- Utilities (gas, electricity,
water, telephone)
- Vehicle registration
A marriage made in
Northumberland
If you have an iPad or
iPhone...
then click here now to view our
Wedding Guide
