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Ceremonies we offer

Types of ceremony we offer

Congratulations on your forthcoming marriage or civil partnership!

Nottinghamshire Registration Service offer civil marriages and civil partnerships and whether you choose a simple or more personalised ceremony, either at one of our registration offices or at any of our approved venue premises, we will guide you through proceedings from start to finish.

We offer three types of service for both civil marriages and civil partnership ceremonies and these are called, statutory, standard and enhanced. You can find out more about each of these in the drop-down menu below.

Marriage

The enhanced ceremony is an ideal choice for couples who would like to create a more personal ceremony for their special day.

We understand how important it is that your ceremony will be one you will remember and treasure for years to come which is why we offer you a choice of 3 different ceremonies; Traditional, Modern and Romantic.

As well as choosing your ceremony, we also invite you to include your own personal additions: choosing your own music; adding a reading or poem; exchanging rings and/or making personal promises to each other (in addition to the legal declaration and contract words). 

The law does not allow religious content to be included in a legal civil ceremony.  This means the inclusion of prayers, hymns, or a passage or verse from religious text, a ritual, or any other religious song, poem, or music is not allowed. 

If you want your enhanced ceremony to be legal, it must take place in a registration office ceremony room or at a licensed Nottinghamshire venue.  If you are thinking of holding your ceremony in a venue that isn’t licensed or would like to include any aspects detailed above that are not permitted in a legal civil ceremony, we can conduct a wedding celebration ceremony at a venue of your choosing and oversee the legal side of things at the registration office.

Civil Partnership

We are currently working on our new enhanced civil partnership ceremony script for 2025 which will be published soon.

Marriage

If you are looking for a 'no frills' ceremony without any personalisation the standard ceremony is for you. These are available on specified mornings only in registration office ceremony rooms. Standard ceremony content is predetermined, with no form of personalisation. Guests are limited to the seating space available (maximum 20) so please check with your chosen venue at the time of booking.

Standard ceremony [PDF]

Civil Partnership

We are currently working on our new standard civil partnership ceremony script for 2025 which will be published soon.

If you would prefer to have a basic ceremony with just the minimum legal requirements (two witnesses only) then the statutory ceremony is for you. These are available at our register office in Worksop at specified times.

Please note, statutory ceremonies are only available for marriages. You can find out further information regarding a statutory civil partnership signing

Plan your ceremony with us

We can help you to organise the finer details of your special day at a ceremony rehearsal discussion. Many couples choose to book an appointment for this discussion around one to two weeks before their ceremony, and this can be done at one of our registration offices. Please note that a ceremony rehearsal discussion is not compulsory. 

Ceremony rehearsal discussion

For a small fee, the discussion will cover: 

  • time of arrival
  • the pre-ceremony interview (including fee for certificates)
  • seating arrangements
  • entrance of your wedding party into the ceremony room
  • music
  • legal wording (declaration and contracting words)
  • readings 
  • witnesses 
  • signing of the schedule
  • photographs and filming
  • your exit from the room

If time is precious and it's difficult for both of you to attend in person, please ask about booking a virtual meeting via Microsoft Teams.

If you would like to book a ceremony rehearsal discussion, contact us.

Other ceremonies 

In addition to civil marriages and civil partnerships, we also offer: