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

As this is not a legal ceremony, there is no need to give notice of marriage or partnership. The details on the ceremony form should tell us everything we need to know.

Payment

Fees for full ceremonies are due 8 weeks before the big day. You can pay online by clicking the Ceremony Payment button on the Contact page. Alternatively, you pay over the phone by calling 01823 282251 during normal office hours. The fee includes a presentation certificate that you and your witnesses will sign on the day.

Go to the Costs page for up to date information on ceremony costs.

On The Day

Before the ceremony begins, you will have a brief meeting with the registrar to check details. 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.

Our ceremony schedule is very busy so we do urge you to be on time for your ceremony. 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 renewal of vows ceremony is very flexible and has lots of options for you to make it really personal. It lasts up to 30 minutes. This is our suggested order of service, but all of the elements are totally optional. Let us know if you would like to include anything different.

• Introduction and Welcome
• Relationship Anecdote
• First Reading
• Acknowledgement of Children
• Acknowledgement of Family/Friends
• Second Reading
• Renewal Vows
• Third Reading or Unity Ceremony
• Announcement
• Signing of the certificate
• Photography

Completing the Pre-Ceremony Check Form

We need your choices around 4 weeks in advance to prepare your ceremony.

Booking ID

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

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.

Ceremony Venue

Please enter just the name, not the address of your venue, e.g. The Old Town Hall or Abbey Manor. The venue name is automatically used as part of the form’s file name, so entering a full address will cause the form to fail.

Names

Partner 1 will say their vows first, followed by Partner 2. 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. As this is not a legal ceremony, you don’t need to include middle names, and can use a shortened version if you prefer, e.g. Andy or Becky. 

Alternative Names

We will use the Forenames given for correspondence and on your certificate. However, we can use alternative names during the rest of the ceremony if that is how you are normally known but would like your full name used on the certificate.

Witnesses

We suggest having two witnesses who are children, friends or relatives – or even your original witnesses. You may have more if you would like. 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 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 renewal certificate after the ceremony.

Best Person

It’s not essential to have a best man/woman/person, but many couples like to have similar roles to that of their wedding. It’s normal for the best person to be a main point of contact for the registrar, and they are often in charge of seating arrangements.

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 how your guests are seated. 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 ceremony.  Alternatively, you may nominate a guest to do this.  Your photographer and videographer should liaise with the registrar 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 with your certificate.

Pre-Ceremony Interviews

We’ll have a chat with 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.

Ceremony Type

There are various reasons for renewing vows and we will tailor our script to fit. Let us know whether it’s for a special anniversary or other landmark event, if you’re celebrating with friends and family after a recent overseas or small ceremony, or something else altogether.

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 together, 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.

Relationship Anecdote

Tell us a little about how you met, the early days of your relationship or your wedding day. Just a few sentences to remind your guests of your history and set the scene for the ceremony. We’ll work that into our script for you.

Acknowledgement of Children

If you have children, whether they’re at the ceremony or can’t be with you, we can acknowledge their part in your story. Tell us their names and any essential details, and then a few sentences about the role they have played or why you would like to thank them. We will work this into our script, but if you would prefer to read a short speech yourself then let us know.

Acknowledgement of Friends & Family

We can include special thanks to family members and friends who have supported you along the way. Tell us their names and any essential details, and then a few sentences about the role they have played or why you would like to thank them. We will work this into our script, but if you would prefer to read a short speech yourself then let us know. We can also include special mentions for absent friends who have passed away or can’t be with you on the day.

Rings

It is customary to exchange rings, but you don’t have to. We will adapt our script based on whether you want to reuse your original wedding rings or exchange new ones. If you’d like to exchange a different token, you may. Tell us which kind of rings or tokens you’ll be exchanging. Alternatively, you can just say personal vows without a ring exchange.

The Renewal Vows

We have a range of pre-written vows for you to choose from. The Registrar will say the vow in sections for you to repeat. You can also opt to use your own personal vows instead. Please add the text of your vows, or email them to us as soon as possible if they’re not ready yet or you don’t want your partner to see them.

1. 1. 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.
   2. I promise to give you my love and friendship. To be there for you when you need me 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 to be faithful to you always. These promises I make for the rest of my life and I give you this ring/token as a symbol of my love.
   3. You are my best friend, my closest companion and my true love. I cannot imagine a life without you by my side. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and everything that you are. Please accept this ring/token as a symbol of my trust, my support and my love.
   4. It has been my privilege to have built a loving home with you. It has been my honour to be your comfort when times were hard. It has been my joy to celebrate successes and happiness with you. It has been my good fortune to have experienced a life alongside you. It will be my privilege, my honour, my joy and good fortune to continue this life with you. Please accept this ring/token as a symbol of everything we’ve shared and everything still to come.

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, or that show the connection you have with your children, friends or family. 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. 

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. We have specially adapted versions of these ceremonies specifically for vow renewals. 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, if you are walking in after your guests are seated. (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 certificate
• 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. 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 (particularly from free apps that may have adverts), as we can’t provide guest wifi and the 4G signal may be unreliable.

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, or First name & First name.

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.

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 comments 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.

POST CODE

If you still live separately then just use the postcode for Partner 1.

Certificate

You will receive a presentation certificate, included in the ceremony price, that will be signed by the registrar conducting your ceremony, yourselves and your chosen witnesses.