Get married or form a civil partnership

Everything you need to get married or form a civil partnership in Essex. Includes booking a registrar, a venue and giving notice.

Approved venues

We are accepting bookings for ceremonies of marriages and civil partnerships up to two years in advance.

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

Full list of approved venues

Plan your ceremony

There are legal requirements that have to happen in advance of your ceremony. This includes booking a registrar and giving notice.

Once you have booked your registrars online you will be able to access a checklist in your personalised ceremony portal. This checklist will show your outstanding tasks. All of these tasks must be completed before your ceremony can happen.

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

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.