Marriages & Partnerships

We need your planning form around 4 weeks before the big day so we can start personalising your ceremony and check we have all the info we need. We often refer to these forms as “pre ceremony check forms” or “PCCs” for short. Previously this form was a downloadable word document but is now a digital form. It should be compatible with most devices. If you experience difficulties filling it in please email the team to request it in a different format.

You will not receive a confirmation email after submission – we will contact you if there are any problems.

Giving Notice

You will both need to give Notice of Marriage. This is the legal and public declaration that you intend to marry, and that you are both free and able to do so.

This must be done no more than 12 months and no less than 28 days prior to your marriage date. We recommend that you give Notice of Marriage around three to six months beforehand. After 28 days the register office will grant a legal authority to marry. The Registration office in the district of your ceremony will print and retain the paperwork for you. If either one of you is not a UK citizen and subject to immigration control, then the notice period could be up to 70 days so please allow plenty of extra time for this. Find more details about the process and booking information on the Giving Notice page.

Payment

Fees for full ceremonies are due 8 weeks before the big day. You can pay in person if you are giving notice at one of our offices. Alternatively, you pay over the phone by calling 01823 282251 during normal office hours. The fee includes the cost of one marriage certificate. You can also pay for additional certificates if you would like extra copies. We can only accept cheques at least four weeks in advance.

Go to the Costs page for up to date information on the costs for giving Notice, what details you will need to provide, and our locations.

On The Day

Before the ceremony begins, you will have a brief meeting with the registrar to check the details to be entered into the schedule. We ask that you arrive around 15 minutes before your ceremony start time or are ready for your interview if you are staying at the venue the night before.

We will produce your certificate after the ceremony details have been uploaded to the online register and will post it to you within ten working days. If you require extra copies of your marriage certificate you can request and pay for these online at somerset.gov.uk

Our ceremony schedule is very busy so we do urge you to be on time for your wedding. If there is a delay, please let us know as soon as possible. We will always do our best to accommodate you but may have to postpone your ceremony until later in the day, or even to another date if absolutely necessary.

The Ceremony

The enhanced ceremony is comprised of several legal elements and some optional extras that you can personalise. It lasts around 20 to 30 minutes. This is the normal order of service.

• Introduction and Welcome
• Giving away (Optional)
• Legal Preliminaries
• First Reading (Optional)
• Declaration of freedom
• Contract of Marriage
• Second Reading (Optional)
• Personal Ring Vows (Optional)
• Third Reading or Unity Ceremony(Optional)
• Announcement
• Signing of the Schedule
• Photography (Optional)

Completing the Pre-Ceremony Check Form

We need your choices around 4 weeks in advance to prepare your ceremony. If we haven’t heard from you, we will prepare a ceremony using the first option for each element.

Booking ID

Enter the 8-digit number that will be on your confirmation email.

POST CODE

Just enter the first half of your postcode here, e.g. TA1 or BS14. If you still live separately then just use the postcode for the person filling in the form.

Ceremony Date

Enter the date your ceremony will take place

Ceremony Time

This is the time that your ceremony is booked to start. You will need to arrive around 15 minutes earlier to arrange payment and have your pre ceremony interview.

Names

It is up to you who is Partner 1 and Partner 2. For an opposite sex couple there is no requirement for either the man or woman to be first. Partner 1 will say their vows first, followed by Partner 2.

Please state your current legal names, including all forenames. These are the names that you are using as you enter the marriage, that you will use to sign the schedule and that will be on your certificate.

It is up to you what surnames you adopt after the ceremony. If either party is changing their surname to the other’s, or you are going to double-barrel your names, this will not be recorded on your marriage certificate. The certificate simply acts as proof of your marriage and can then be used for changing your name elsewhere.

Alternative Names

We will need to use your full legal names during the declaration and contracting words. However, we can use alternative names during the rest of the ceremony if that is how you are normally known.

Announcement

Let us know how you would like to be announced at the end of the ceremony – eg The Surnames, Mr & Mrs Surname, the happy couple, Somerset’s newest couple, or First name & First name. If you will be using a double-barrelled surname or creating a new name, we can use that in the announcement.

Witnesses

You must provide two witnesses who could be, but do not need to be, friends or relatives. Please tell us their names in the pre-ceremony check form. If you need to change your witnesses just let us know on the day. There is no legal minimum age limit, but we ask that they are old enough to understand the ceremony and their role within it. Your witnesses will be asked to sign the marriage schedule after the ceremony.

CEREMONY VENUE TYPE

If you’ve booked an Enhanced ceremony at a privately run Approved Premises then select Licensed Premises. If you’ve booked your Enhanced ceremony at one of our larger Register Office Venues (Taunton, Weston, Abbey Manor or Frome Town Hall) then you’ll need to choose “Larger Register Office Venue.”

The following question will ask you to either select from the dropdown list of Register Office venues, or to type in the name of your Approved Premises venue. Just type the name not the full address, e.g. Elmhay Park or Quantock Lakes. What you type here is automatically used as part of the file name at our end so the shorter the better!

CEREMONY ROOM

Please add the name of the ceremony room if there is more than one option at your venue.

OUTSIDE CEREMONIES

Let us know if you’re planning an outdoor ceremony – this is normally available at any venue with outside space, depending on the weather. If it’s wet, windy, too cold or too hot then you’ll need to move everyone inside. Make sure you know in advance whether there’s enough in the indoor ceremony rooms for all your guests. If not, you may need to decide who can fit in the room for the ceremony.

Best Man/Woman/Person

Let us know the name of the Best Man/Woman/Person, if you have one, as they are normally a good point of contact if there are any queries on the day while the couple are unavailable.

Seating Arrangements

You will need to nominate someone who will be in the ceremony room to arrange seating. This could be the best man or other friend or family member, or there may be a wedding co-ordinator to help you. It’s up to you whether your guests are seated according to which member of the wedding party they are connected. However, you do need to ensure that there are enough seats reserved for key family and friends, or members of the entrance party who will enter after everyone else is seated.

Photographs and Videos

You may wish to organise a professional photographer and/or videographer for your wedding.  Alternatively, you may nominate a guest (who is not a witness) to do this.  Your photographer and videographer must liaise with the Registration Officer on the day who will advise on timings and positioning for photographs. We ask that the use of flash is kept to a minimum and that the photography doesn’t detract from your ceremony. We’ll make sure your photographer has the chance to take pictures of you sat at the signing table after the legalities have been completed.

Pre-Ceremony Interviews

We’ll need to see each of you before the ceremony to check final details. You can choose to do this together, or separately if you don’t want to see each other before the ceremony starts. If that’s the case, we’ll see one of you around 20 minutes in advance then make sure you’re safely out of the way before seeing the second partner around 10 minutes before everything starts.

Starting The Ceremony

You will need to think about how you will enter the ceremony room. Would you like to enter together, or separately? Would you like to walk in accompanied by bridesmaids, pages, a family member or close friend, or on your own? Would you prefer to enter with your guests and keep things completely casual? Give us details on the form.

Giving Away

This is another traditional element that is completely optional. Either or both partners can be “given away”. Traditionally this involves the father of the bride, but you can choose anyone to take on this role – parents, siblings, children or friends. Tell us if you’d like to include this part of the ceremony and the relationship between you and the person presenting you to be married.

Wedding Rings

It is customary to exchange wedding rings, but you don’t have to. It’s traditional for partners to place the ring on the third finger of the left hand. If you’d like to exchange a different token, you may. Please let us know if you will be exchanging one or two rings, or something else. If you tick the option on the form to say no rings it will automatically skip past this section. You can choose to use your own personal vows. Please add a copy of the text you’ll be using. You can email it to us later if it’s not ready yet.

Your Marriage Vows

The law requires that one of each of the following choices of the ‘Declaration of Freedom’ and ‘Contracting Words’ are repeated by both parties. You must choose the same option as your partner.

Declaration of Freedom

You will each be asked to repeat one of the following options after the Registrar. These are some of the words that legally marry you and cannot be changed in any way:

1) I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I . . . . . . . . . . may not be joined in matrimony to . . . . . . . . . .

or

2) I declare that I know of no legal reason why I . . . . . . . . . . may not be joined in marriage to . . . . . . . . . .

or

3) by replying “I am” to the question “Are you . . . . . . . free lawfully to marry . . . . . . .?”

The Contracting Words

You will each be asked to repeat one of the following options after the Registrar. These are some of the words that legally marry you and cannot be changed in any way:

1) I call upon these persons here present to witness that I . . . . . . . . . . do take thee . . . . . . . . . . to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.

or

2) I . . . . . . . . . . take you . . . . . . . . . . to be my wedded wife/husband.

or

3) I . . . . . . . . . . take thee . . . . . . . . . . to be my wedded wife/husband.

Ring Vows

If you are exchanging rings, please choose one of the following vows. The Registrar will say the vow in sections for you to repeat. You can also opt to use your own personal vows. Please add the text of your vows, or email them to us as soon as possible if they’re not ready yet. You can also choose to exchange something other than rings – e.g. necklaces, bracelets, books or other meaningful objects.

Standard

I give you this ring as a symbol of our love, trust and marriage.

Ring exchange one

I give you this ring as a token of my love and affection.

Please wear it with a feeling of warmth and pride

I will love you, and remain faithful to you, now and always.

Ring exchange two

I give you this ring as a sign of our love

I promise to be faithful, loving and loyal for always

To cherish you through good times and bad, and to respect and honour you

Ring exchange three

I promise to give you my love and friendship,

To be there for you when you need me the most,

To laugh with you, to cry with you, and to confide in you,

To trust you, to comfort you, and to support you.

All that I have I share with you.

I promise to respect you, and be faithful to you always.

These promises I make for the rest of my life

And I give you this ring as a token of our marriage.

Ring exchange four

This ring represents our love.

I vow to love you and care for you

I shall spend my life with you

And share everything I have with you.

Readings & Unity Ceremonies

You can to add up to three readings to personalise your ceremony, or up to two readings and a unity ceremony element. Readings provide a lovely opportunity to include additional family members and friends in your special day. There is a fantastic selection to be found online. Try to find readings that are personal or meaningful to you both and will reflect your love and commitment to each other. We will need to see them first to make sure they are appropriate and not too long. Add copies of your readings and the names of the readers to your form. If you are choosing an extract, please supply the full title of the piece. Please remember, all readings must be of a non-religious nature.

You can find details of the four Unity options on the Ceremony Enhancements page, including what you will need to provide or prepare. This is another great way to personalise your ceremony, make it even more meaningful or even create a lasting memento of the day together. The Unity Ceremony is an option for the third reading slot, but you can still opt to have no readings in the first two slots if you prefer not to. We’ll adjust the ceremony order to make sure things flow well. You’ll need to bring your own props and supplies for these ceremonies as they’re all very personal choices.

Music

Music is normally included in 4 places through the ceremony. You will need to provide your own copies of the music to be played.

• Background music as your guests arrive

• Your Entrance (This doesn’t need to be especially long and should be faded out or stopped when you reach the front of the aisle.)

• Signing the Schedule

• Exit music

Add the title and artist/composer for each piece on your form so we can check it’s suitable. The music can be recordings or played by live musicians. Do remember your choice of music must be of a non-religious nature. Ask your venue what format they would prefer the music to be (CD, USB, Bluetooth via phone etc) and whether they will have someone to operate the music for you or if you need to nominate someone in your party.

At our register office venues (including Frome Town Hall and Abbey Manor), we normally provide Bluetooth speakers so please bring your music choices downloaded on to a device that will connect with them. Ask a member of your party to operate the device, and the registrars will advise them when to start and stop the music. We don’t advise streaming, as we can’t provide guest wifi and the 4G signal may be unreliable.

Animals

If you’re having a ceremony at one of our approved premises then you may have the option of including pets or other animals in your ceremony. A popular choice is having dogs as ring bearers, for example. Check with your venue as to what they will allow and let us know your plans – essential in case of allergies, amongst other things!

If you’re having a ceremony at Taunton or Weston register offices, Abbey Manor or Frome Town Hall then the only animals allowed are registered service animals.

Additional Information

You can use the final box on the form to give us any other information that might be useful – special needs, unusual requests, or anything not covered by the rest of the form.

Food & Drink At The Ceremony

We don't need to know your reception plans, but we do get asked about food and drink rules during ceremonies. Licensing laws for ceremony venues mean that alcohol can't be served or consumed in the ceremony room during the ceremony and for an hour beforehand. This includes drinking from hip flasks, or including a toast during the vows. It's absolutely fine to serve welcome drinks elsewhere at the venue if your guests will be there in advance, but drinks can't be taken into the ceremony room. If it's an outside ceremony then drinks should be served away from the ceremony area and guests should be asked to leave their glasses before taking their seats. Once the ceremony has finished, you're fine to continue with your party however you wish. There are no restrictions on food before or during the ceremony.

Certificates

The cost of one certificate is included in your ceremony fee and it will be posted to you after everything has been added to the electronic register. Additional certificates can either be ordered when paying for your ceremony or online at any time afterwards at somerset.gov.uk