Getting married

You can get married in the UK if you are:

• 18 or over
• free to marry (single, divorced or widowed)
• not closely related

What you need to do

Give notice of your intention to marry

You can give notice at The register office at The Story.

After you have both given your notices of intention to marry you will be given a ceremony pack. The pack gives you information about making your wedding personal, with readings, music and personal promises. 

You must plan to have your wedding at least 28 days after you give notice.

Plan and book your wedding

There are two options for your wedding in County Durham: 

• a civil ceremony: this can take place at The register office at The Story, our ceremony room in Barnard Castle or a licensed venue such as a hotel and is a non-religious ceremony performed by one of our registrars  
• a church wedding: this is a religious ceremony performed in a church

Registrar booking fee

You will need to pay a non-refundable booking fee of £50. Changes to bookings will result in another £50 booking fee becoming payable.

This fee needs to be paid to the superintendent registrar at least six weeks before your wedding is due to take place.

Ceremony fees

The register

The register is now an electronic register, rather than a paper register as this is a more secure system for keeping marriage records.

What this means for couples on the day of their ceremony

• You can include more than one person as mother / father / parent, in the marriage entry and on marriage certificates, instead of only fathers' names.
• The couple, their witnesses and the superintendent registrar and registrar will sign a schedule, rather than a handwritten marriage register.
• No certificates can be provided at the ceremony.  

How the wedding will be registered

The schedule will be returned to the local Registration Service and input into the electronic register as a record of the event.

• If you are having a civil wedding, or a ceremony in a religious building where a civil registrar will be present, we will return the schedule for you.
• If you are having a wedding in a religious building without the presence of a registrar, the marriage schedule will need returned to the local Registration Service as soon as possible so it can be registered.

How to purchase official certificates of the marriage

After your ceremony you can order certificates online or by telephone.

Please note that we are unable to produce the certificates until the marriage has been entered to the electronic register. If you were married in a religious building, without the presence of a registrar, the marriage schedule will need to be returned to the local Registration Service as early as possible. Certificates cannot be issued until this has been received and registered.