Get married or form a civil partnership

We are accepting new bookings for ceremonies of marriage and civil partnership formations up to two years in advance.

There are over 130 venues across Essex licensed to hold civil ceremonies. These include converted barns, stately homes and castles.

Full list of approved venues

Plan your ceremony

There are certain legal things that have to happen on the day of your ceremony.

You must give your notice of marriage or civil partnership and book a registrar before completing your ceremony planner.

After you have booked your registrar and given notice, you can use our approved premises ceremony planner (docx, 62.76kB) to make your special day go smoothly. You need to fill this in and email it to registration@essex.gov.uk ideally at least 10 weeks before your ceremony. If you miss this date please still send it in and we will check your choices as quickly as we can.

Attendees

You should still contact your venue to understand how many they can accommodate and if there are any restrictions that still apply.

Outdoor ceremonies

If you're planning to have the ceremony outdoors, please fill in the outdoor ceremony agreement form (Word 69 KB) and email it to registration@essex.gov.uk ideally at least 10 weeks before your ceremony.

Please remember that for your ceremony to be legal, we have to keep all the documents safe and dry. If there is bad weather on the day, it is up to the registrar to decide whether to hold the ceremony outside. Please make an alternative plan for an indoor ceremony if this is the case.