Your ceremony day
Your ceremony day
The information below will also help you to complete your choices form, where you give us details of how you would like to personalise your ceremony. Once you submit your form, you will receive a copy of your completed form for your records. Your ceremony choices will be checked for suitability, for inclusion in your ceremony.
Once we receive your choices form it will be sent to your registrar a few weeks before your ceremony to give them time to prepare. They will be in touch with you a day or two before your ceremony to introduce themselves, answer any last-minute questions you may have and to address any changes you may wish to make to your choices.
Please also ensure you have read and understood the ceremony terms and conditions.
Legal requirements for a marriage or civil partnership
It is a legal requirement that you are interviewed by a registrar prior to your ceremony.
During the pre-ceremony interview the registrar will check the details you provided at your notice appointment with you. You do not need to bring any documents with you.
Witnesses
You must provide two witnesses for your ceremony. They must be:
- old enough to understand the purpose of the ceremony
- able to understand the English language.
We are not able to provide witnesses for you.
Interpreter
If you do not speak or understand English, you must provide a suitable interpreter to attend with you.
Any interpreter used will also be required to sign the marriage or civil partnership schedule as a witness.
Signing the legal documents (schedule)
At the end of the ceremony, you and your witnesses will be invited to sign the marriage schedule or civil partnership schedule.
Please check all the information that has been recorded before you sign the schedule.
Any changes that are requested after signing will require a formal application which has to be referred to the General Register Office, the fee for the application is £90 plus £11 per new certificate, payable by yourselves.
Certificates
The details of your legalised document (schedule) will be uploaded onto the electronic register to enable us to produce your certificate, which will be posted to you within 10 working days.
If you would like to order additional certificates, you can do this after your ceremony on our website.
For timings specific to our venues see below.
West Sussex Register Office
- Please be ready for your interview 10 minutes before your start time.
- The office can only accommodate you and your two witnesses. Additional guests are not permitted in the room.
- Your ceremony will start promptly at the time you have booked.
- Confetti - we are not permitted to have confetti inside or outside of the premises - this includes biodegradable. Bubbles are a lovely environmentally friendly alternative.
Find further information about our West Sussex Register Office.
Small Ceremony Room, Worthing
- Please arrive at the time of your booking.
- The office can only accommodate you and four guests, two of which must be your witnesses.
- Confetti - we are not permitted to have confetti inside or outside of the premises - this includes biodegradable. Bubbles are a lovely environmentally friendly alternative.
Find further information about our Small Ceremony Room, Worthing.
All other West Sussex Ceremony Rooms
- Please be ready for your interview 20 minutes before your start time. If you’d like to be interviewed separately, the registrars can see one of you 20 minutes before the ceremony and the other 10 minutes before the ceremony.
- Making your entrance - either one party or both may make an entrance into the ceremony room, together or separately and perhaps accompanied by a family member or friend.
- Confetti - we are not permitted to have confetti inside or outside of the premises - this includes biodegradable. Bubbles are a lovely environmentally friendly alternative.
Find further information about other West Sussex Ceremony Rooms.
Recording the event
A photographer/videographer will be allowed in the room to take photographs/record the event during the ceremony. Some of our West Sussex ceremony rooms have photo opportunities which you are welcome to use for a short time after your ceremony.
Order of ceremony
The registrar will incorporate the options on your choices form within the order below:
- Registrars welcome
- Reading 1 (optional)
- Choice of legal wording
- Exchange of rings
- Additional promises (optional)
- Reading 2 (optional)
- Signing of the schedule by couple, witnesses and registrars
- Presentation of commemorative certificate
- Conclusion
Licensed venue
- Our registrars will arrive about 45 minutes before your ceremony is due to start. If you’d like to be interviewed separately, the registrars can see one of you 20 minutes before the ceremony and the other 10 minutes before the ceremony.
- Making your entrance - either one party or both may make an entrance into the ceremony room, together or separately and perhaps accompanied by a family member or friend.
Find further information about our licensed venues.
Order of ceremony
The registrar will incorporate the options on your choices form within the order below:
- Registrars welcome
- Reading 1 (optional)
- Choice of legal wording
- Exchange of rings
- Additional promises (optional)
- Reading 2 (optional)
- Signing of the schedule by couple, witnesses and registrars
- Presentation of commemorative certificate
- Conclusion
Music, readings and vows
Music
- Your chosen music must not have any religious content/origin.
- Music can be played at your entrance, signing the schedule and exit.
Readings
- You may wish to include up to two readings, one to be read after introductions and one to be read before the signing of legal documents. You may wish to use one of our suggested readings below or provide your own.
- Readings can be read by your family/friends.
- Readings must not be religious in content or from a religious text/origin.
Vows
- Marriage - choice of legal vows
During the ceremony you will each be asked, in turn, to repeat the declaratory and contracting words.
- Civil partnership - Declaration (read out loud or to yourself)
"I declare that I know of no legal reason why we may not register as each other's civil partner. I understand that on signing this document we will be forming a civil partnership with each other".
You may wish to include your own personal vows and/or promises, but these cannot have any religious content/origin.
Supporting documents
Ceremony choice forms
You must book your ceremony before you complete your choices form.