Ceremonies

You need to book a registrar to conduct your civil wedding or civil partnership if it's taking place at an approved venue. You might also need to book a registrar if your ceremony's taking place in a church or religious building other than the Church of England.

Before booking a registrar you need to have chosen the date and location of your ceremony and booked the venue. You'll need to tell us these details in the online form.

If you want to book a room at Barnsley Town Hall, you can do this when booking a registrar. At the register office, attendance is restricted to the couple and two witnesses only. Children of any age can't attend. If you'd like to include other guests, please book the Ceremony Suite instead.

Please note, your ceremony can only to take place after you both give notice of marriage or civil partnership. You need to do this in the district where you live, at least 29 days before your ceremony.

Book a registrar

You can use our online form to:

  • book a registrar and Barnsley Register Office at Barnsley Town Hall
  • book a registrar and the Ceremony Suite at Barnsley Town Hall
  • book a registrar to conduct your ceremony at one of our approved venues

You'll have 30 minutes to fill in the online form. If you don't complete your booking in this time you'll lose your chosen slot.

Book a ceremony

Terms and conditions

By booking your ceremony with us you're agreeing to our ceremony booking terms and conditions.

Paying for your ceremony

When making your booking you'll pay a non-refundable booking fee. You need to pay the outstanding balance in one instalment at least three months before the date of your ceremony.

Your balance will consist of:

  • room and registrar fee (for town hall ceremonies)
  • registrar attendance fee (for approved venues or religious buildings)
  • one copy of your marriage/civil partnership certificate
  • cost of any additional certificates you've ordered
  • postage fee for your certificate(s)

If we don’t receive full payment, your booking will be cancelled.

See our registration charges for details of the fees.

Non British or Irish nationals

If either of you are not a British or Irish national, you must apply for a visa to get married or form a civil partnership in the UK. To find out more, please read the marriage and civil partnerships information on GOV.UK.

You'll still need to give notice of marriage or civil partnership. We recommend allowing plenty of time between giving notice and your ceremony. This is to make sure all immigration clearance is obtained if needed.

Users of British Sign Language (BSL)

If you have a hearing impairment and use BSL, we recommend you arrange for a trained interpreter to attend your ceremony. This is to avoid any miscommunication.

The interpreter will also be a witness to your ceremony.

 

More information

Wedding ceremonies in the Church of England

If you want to get married in the Church of England, you should contact your local church. Once the vicar has agreed to marry you they'll deal with all the legal requirements involved, including the reading of banns or issue of a Common Licence.

You don’t usually need to give notice with the register office if you’re getting married in an Anglican church.

Ceremonies in other churches or religious buildings

Places of worship and religious buildings which are not churches or chapels of the Church of England need to be licensed for ceremonies to take place there. You can find a list of all licensed places of worship on GOV.UK.

If you’re intending to hold your ceremony in a religious building or church of another denomination, it must be in the area where you or your partner live, or be your usual place of worship for one or both of you.

Some religious buildings need a registrar to be present at the ceremony and others have their own authorised person. If you need a registrar to attend you'll need to contact us to book this.

Ceremonies outside England and Wales

If your marriage or civil partnership is taking place outside England or Wales, different rules apply depending on the country you choose.

You should always consult with the authorities in the country where you’re planning to have your ceremony. This will ensure you have all the legal paperwork you need. You may also need to complete legal paperwork once you get to that country. 

You may need to provide a certificate of no impediment. This confirms there are no objections to your proposed ceremony. If you live in the borough, Barnsley Register Office can sometimes provide this document. They can't be issued for all countries due to various legislation. You need to contact us to make an appointment if you need a certificate of no impediment.

You should check the GOV.UK website for more information about ceremonies abroad and to find out if a certificate of no impediment is needed.

Different regulations also apply in Scotland. These can be found on the National Records of Scotland website.

Marriages or civil partnerships overseas will be recognised in the UK if you follow the correct process according to local law. You won’t have to register it in the UK.