Booking system availability
From Tuesday 16 April to Wednesday 24 April, no new ceremony bookings can take place and no payments for existing bookings can be made. This is because of the introduction of a new booking system.
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.
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There are a range of community venues where you can hold your ceremony.
Our venues
Essex Records Office provides a great venue for ceremonies in central Chelmsford
Other community venues
We are accepting new bookings for ceremonies of marriage and civil partnership formations up to two years in advance.
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've booked your registrar and given notice, you can use our community venue ceremony planner (docx, 29.52kB) 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 apply.