Types of ceremonies

A civil ceremony is a non-religious ceremony that you can choose to have in:

• our Ceremonies Suite or Ceremony Gardens at Brent Civic Centre
• an approved licensed venue

The  civil ceremony is conducted by two registrars. One registrar will conduct the ceremony, while the other will complete the legal paperwork. The whole ceremony lasts approximately 45 minutes; this includes a short interview before the ceremony, unless you choose to this it in advance. 

If you have a civil ceremony, you won't be allowed to have religious readings or music as part of the ceremony.

Preparing for your civil marriage or partnership

• You will need 2 witnesses to sign the marriage or civil partnership schedule. They can be friends or relatives, but should be over the age of 16 and able to speak and understand English.
• You can choose to write your own personal vows and we have different ceremony scripts for you to choose.
• You can invite a guest to do a short non-religious reading during the ceremony.
• You can choose to play non-religious music during the ceremony. This can be played while your guests are waiting, as you walk down the aisle and during the signing of the marriage or civil partnership schedule. You can provide this to us on a CD or via Bluetooth.

We recommend that you tell us your plan and running order for the day at least a week before the ceremony.

All registrations and ceremonies are held in English. If either you or your partner can’t speak or read English, then you should arrange to bring an interpreter. (You can’t interpret for each other).

Our registration services team can help you to plan your day and make it unique and personal to you. 

Speak to our team today to find out what is involved

A wedding ceremony may take place in a Church of England or any other religious buildings, which has been registered for worship and marriages.

You should contact the Religious Leader or Administrator of the religious building to find out if they have availability, the costs and discuss the arrangements. 

View further information about church weddings

Following their agreement to conduct your ceremony, you will need to contact the Register Office where you live to give your notice of intention. 

Most religious venues have an authorised person to perform the ceremony. However, if they do not have an authorised person, you will need to contact the Register Office where the venue is located and book and pay for a registrar to attend.

Church of England weddings

If you’re getting married in a Church of England, you don’t have to give your notice of intention at a Register Office. You may have banns read instead which counts as notice being given.

European Nationals and Foreign Nationals subject to Immigration Control

If you are marrying in the Church of England and you are subject to immigration control, you will need to attend together to give legal notice of intent in a Designated Register Office where either party lives.  

View further information about weddings in religious building on GOV.UK

If you are planning on getting married abroad there are some things you need to do to make sure your marriage or civil partnership is legal.First you’ll need to find out the rules in the country where you are getting married. Use the gov.uk tool to check this or contact the relevant consulate or embassy for advice about the documents you’ll need.

If you need to provide a Certificate of No Impediment (legal document showing that you are free to marry or register a civil partnership) you can normally do this through your local register office.

You can apply for a Certificate of No Impediment in Brent if:

• you are a British subject
• you live in the London Borough of Brent
• your proposed spouse or civil partner is a foreign national
• the marriage or civil partnership ceremony will be in a foreign country
• you have lived in Brent for at least the full seven days before the day of your notice appointment

or:

• you are two resident British subjects (some residence restrictions apply)
• the marriage or civil partnership ceremony will be in a foreign country.

Apply for a Certificate of No Impediment

You can book an appointment online Giving Notice of Marriage.

You will need to confirm with the foreign country's authorities before the appointment:

• how the place that you getting married should be listed e.g just the town or city’s name, or the exact building where the ceremony will take place;
• how long before the ceremony the certificate needs to be issued. This varies by country from a few months to a year.

It usually takes 29 days from the notice appointment date to issue the certificate.

Please note

Certificates of no impediment can only be issued for marriages/ civil partnerships taking place abroad. They are not single status documents.

You can only give notice for a certificate of no impediment if you are planning a marriage or civil partnership ceremony to a specific person in a specific country in the next few months. This information is stated on the certificate of no impediment.

If you have been asked for a single status document by another country and you are not planning a marriage or civil partnership, please ask that country’s embassy what else you can supply, as in England, there is no central record of your marital/single status, so the register office cannot give you a single status document.

The General Register Office for England and Wales can issue a letter confirming no trace of marriage record for your name during a set period of time, which may be acceptable for some purposes where a single status document is requested. ‘No trace letters’ cost £50 for each 10 year period from age 16 or when you entered the UK. You will need to specify how many years you need the search to cover and quote reference ‘SEARCH 123’ when contacting them on 0300 1231 837. It can take up to 3 weeks for a ‘no trace letter’ to be issued.

If you need to get your document legalised

The local authority abroad may also request that you get your document legalised. This means getting the UK government to confirm that a UK public official’s signature, seal or stamp on the document is genuine. You can do this through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Legalisation Office by following instructions on gov.uk.

If you are already married or in a civil partnership you may choose to renew your vows to reaffirm your commitment to each other.

It may be a special anniversary or a renewed commitment to each other after a period of difficulty.

These ceremonies are also popular with couples who had an overseas wedding or civil partnership and want to share their commitment in a UK ceremony with family and friends.

The ceremony

The ceremony is very similar to a wedding or civil partnership ceremony, with an exchange of vows and rings. You can hold it at any of the licensed spaces at the Brent Register Office or at a venue of choice in Brent.

Unlike a marriage or civil partnership, the ceremony has no legal standing but it is an opportunity for an important symbolic commemoration and public gesture of love and support to each other.

You will receive a commemorative certificate to mark the occasion, but this cannot be used for identification.

Fees

The cost of your ceremony will depend on where and when you decide to have hold it. Please check our fees page for full details.

Booking renewal vows

Please call the Register Office to book your renewal of vows ceremony.

This is a brief, simple ceremony held in an administrative office at the Brent Register Office in the council’s Civic Centre. 

This ceremony will include the exchange of words of declaration and the legal contract. A civil partnership does not require a ceremony therefore you can choose to sign the schedule in front of two qualified witnesses as part of the statutory ceremony.

Both ceremonies last 20 minutes.

There is limited weekday availability, mainly Monday mornings and no availability at weekends. It cannot be personalised or enhanced with things such as music or readings. Only 2 guests are permitted, and they will also act as your witnesses. Both witnesses should be over the age of 16 and able to speak or understand English.

Please call us to arrange a statutory ceremony, the fee is £46.00 plus the cost of £11 per certificate.