Terms and conditions of ceremony bookings

Your ceremony booking is accepted on the condition that:

• no legal impediment to the marriage or civil partnership exists and all legal preliminaries are completed within the statutory time limits
• any foreign divorce or dissolution papers are accepted by the Registrar General where applicable and couples are advised not to make firm arrangements for their ceremony until General Register Office approval is given

These ceremonies do not give any legal status or rights.

If you need to cancel a ceremony you will be required to notify the West Sussex Registration Service in writing:

• by email to ceremonies@westsussex.gov.uk
• or by letter to West Sussex Register Office, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG

The West Sussex Registration Service will only accept a cancellation from one of the parties to the ceremony and not from any other person.

Where a cancellation notice is sent by post it will be deemed to have been received by the West Sussex Registration Service 2 working days after the date of posting. Where a cancellation notice is sent by email it will be deemed to have been received by the West Sussex Registration Service on the date of sending, provided that the cancellation notice is sent on a working day between 9am and 5pm. If a notice is sent by email at any other time, it will be deemed to have been received on the next working day.

If written notice of cancellation is received up to 48 hours (2 full working days) before the ceremony date the full fee will be refunded less a £100 administration charge (£50 for Worthing Small Ceremony Room).

If written notice of cancellation is received within 48 hours (2 full working days) of the ceremony date no refund will be given.

Fees for the Statutory Register Office room will be refunded if the ceremony does not take place.

The West Sussex Registration Service will provide the statutory ceremony. You may include additional enhancements and every effort will be made to include those choices, provided the content of the ceremony remains seemly and dignified and secular. The West Sussex Registration Service will make the final decision on any wording used and will not accept any liability for any amendments to, or omissions from, the ceremony.

The West Sussex Registration Service shall not be responsible for obtaining copyright licences for any music, readings or other matters permitted at the ceremony.

The West Sussex Registration Service will allocate suitably qualified staff to attend your ceremony but provides no guarantee that a specified registrar will be in attendance.

For fire, safety and comfort, the number of guests must not exceed the capacity of the room. The capacity of West Sussex rooms will be advised at the time of booking, for external venues you are advised to confirm this with the venue. Additional guests will be excluded from the ceremony.

The West Sussex Registration Service will not accept liability for:

• the failure of any music system provided by the venue, you or a third party
• any delay or loss caused by your late or non-arrival
• any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to delay the ceremony
• any loss or compensation where a ceremony is stopped from proceeding because
  
  • (a) it would be void if it went ahead
  • (b) an offence under the Marriage or Civil Partnerships Acts would be committed

Any decision to delay the ceremony due to legality or reasons beyond control of the West Sussex Registration Service is at the sole discretion of the West Sussex Registration Service.

The time booked for the ceremony is the time it will commence. If the ceremony should commence late, the West Sussex Registration Service reserves the right to seek to amend the ceremony to reduce its duration.

Should the ceremony not be ready to proceed within a maximum of 20 minutes of the scheduled time and the West Sussex Registration Service is not responsible for the delay, then the West Sussex Registration Service reserves the right to delay or defer the ceremony.

If a “Force Majeure Event” occurs the West Sussex Registration Service will endeavour to perform your ceremony on your chosen day but will not accept any liability for the delay or cancellation of a ceremony due to reasons beyond its control. The West Sussex Registration Service strongly recommends that you take out ceremony insurance to cover losses or expenses incurred in the case of events outside of the control of the West Sussex Registration Service.

“Force Majeure Event” means war, civil war, armed conflict, terrorist attack, governmental action, fire, flood, severe weather conditions, pandemic or epidemic or any other act or matter, which notwithstanding the reasonable diligence and foresight of the West Sussex Registration Service and its partner providers, is beyond their reasonable control.

Approval of venues is granted only in connection with the provision of ceremonies. The West Sussex Registration Service cannot accept liability for the failure or neglect, on behalf of the venue, in relation to any agreement between you and the venue for the use or provision of any services or facilities.

It is the responsibility of the couple to ensure that they have the required number of people at the ceremony to act as legal witnesses to the marriage or civil partnership. The West Sussex Registration Service will inform you of the legal requirements for your ceremony.

Any references to the West Sussex Registration Service shall be deemed to also refer to West Sussex County Council.

“Marriage or Civil Partnerships Acts” means the Acts of Parliament (and any regulations made under those Acts) covering the legal preliminaries to and the solemnization and registration of a civil marriage or civil partnership either in a register office or other venue.

“Venue” means premises approved by the West Sussex Registration Service under the Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005 for the solemnization and registration of civil marriages or civil partnerships.

Any reference to “working days” does not include Saturdays, Sundays or bank or public holidays in England.

If you have chosen to have a ceremony in a linked outdoor area and the weather is unfavourable, the decision whether the ceremony can reasonably take place outside or in the indoor alternative will be between you and the venue.