Marriage and civil partnership ceremonies

Your ceremony booking is accepted on the condition that:

• No legal impediment to the marriage or civil partnership exists.
• Both parties to the marriage are over 18 years of age.
• The relevant notice of marriage or civil partnership is given no less than 30 days prior to the ceremony, otherwise the ceremony will not be able to legally proceed.
• Any foreign divorce/dissolution papers are accepted by the Registrar General where applicable.
• Home Office permission is granted where required.
• The appropriate fees are paid.
• All fees are subject to review and may increase before the date of your ceremony.

1. Ceremony Booking Fees

1.1 A non-refundable ceremony booking fee of £40.00 is payable at the time of making the initial booking.  

2.  Ceremony Administration Fees

2.1 A non-refundable administration fee of £40.00 is payable when a ceremony booking is changed. This includes change of venue, change of time and change of date.

3. Ceremony Fees

3.1 All fees for marriage, civil partnership, vow renewal and baby naming ceremonies are payable, in full, no later than 12 weeks prior to the date of the ceremony.

4. Ceremony Cancellation Fee

4.1 Refunds are made to the original payee only.

• If all fees have been paid and at least 8 weeks’ notice is given in writing by both parties then 75% of fees will be refunded.
• If all fees have been paid and at least 6 weeks’ notice is given in writing by both parties then 50% of fees will be refunded.
• If all fees paid and less than 6 weeks’ notice is given in writing by both parties then all fees are forfeited as the ceremony cannot be reallocated.

5. Cancellation of bookings by Rotherham Registration Service

5.1 Rotherham Registration Service reserve the right to cancel your ceremony booking if fees have not been paid in full 12 weeks prior to the date of your ceremony. You will be advised in writing if this is the case. Rotherham Registration Service will apply every effort to make contact with you to pay the balance prior to a cancellation decision being made. Once the cancellation decision has been made, you will be notified in writing.

6. Cancellation of booking by couple

6.1 All cancellations or changes to date and time of ceremony must be notified in writing to the Superintendent Registrar at Rotherham Registration Service at ceremonies@rotherham.gov.uk.

6.2 The above ceremony cancellation fees apply.

7. Late arrival

7.1 The parties and the witnesses are required to attend the pre-ceremony interview at the scheduled time. There is a legal requirement to complete this and failure to arrive on time may result in the ceremony not commencing at the agreed start time.

7.2 For Register Office at Riverside House ceremonies both parties and witnesses are required to arrive 15 minutes prior to the ceremony start time.

7.3 For Clifton Park Museum ceremonies, both parties and witnesses are required to arrive 20 minutes prior to the ceremony start time.

7.4 For all other venues, both parties and witnesses are required to be ready and at the venue 30 minutes prior to the ceremony start time.

7.5 In all circumstances each party will have a separate interview with the registrars and if they do not wish to see each other prior to the ceremony, this will be accommodated by the registrars and venue staff.

7.6 In the event of lateness, the Registrar reserves the right to implement one or more of the following measures:

• Shortening the ceremony wording to fit the remaining time allocation.
• Reducing or removing entrance processional arrangements.
• Restricting or prohibiting ceremony photography.
• Omitting readings or other non-statutory elements.
• Rescheduling the ceremony to a later time on the same day or to an alternative date, subject to availability for which the couple will be liable to cover the costs of a subsequent ceremony.

7.7 Compliance with scheduled times is essential to maintain the integrity of the service received and avoid disruption to subsequent bookings.

7.8 As a result of the above actions taken RRS will not be responsible for any consequential loss and or damage to the parties and their agents.

8. Outdoor Ceremonies

8.1 A booking is accepted for an outdoor area at an approved venue on condition that:-

• The ceremony date is between 1st April and 30th September.
• Your venue reserves and sets up, an alternative licenced ceremony room for use in the event that your ceremony needs to be conducted indoors.
• Rotherham Registration Service reserve the right to make the final decision on arrival at the ceremony venue as to whether it is appropriate and safe to conduct the ceremony outdoors.

9. Witnesses

9.1 This is a legal requirement for all marriage and civil partnership ceremonies. It is the responsibility of the couple to ensure they have two credible witnesses at the ceremony. The witnesses sign the schedule to confirm they have heard both parties state, in full, the declaratory and contracting words. There is no upper or lower age limit for witnesses but the witnesses must understand the legality of the ceremony and understand English to observe the statutory words being spoken during the ceremony.

10. Room capacity

10.1 For fire safety reasons, the number of persons present within the licensed ceremony room must not exceed the capacity stated on the venue licence. The capacity includes registrars, staff, photographers, videographers, musicians and any guests. 

10.2 It is the couples responsibility to ensure guest numbers do not exceed the maximum capacity. If the number of guests exceeds the permitted total you will be required to remove excess guests from the ceremony room. The registrar will advise how many need to leave the room and it will be the couples decision on who, this must be done swiftly to ensure the ceremony does not fall into the late ceremony parameters.

11. Liability (Public Liability Insurance)

11.1 Under the terms of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s public liability insurance policy, in the event of a ceremony being cancelled due to circumstances beyond the control of the Council (e.g. inclement weather), the Council will not in any circumstances be held responsible and will not be liable in any event to pay compensation.

11.2 You may wish to consider procuring your own insurance cover that would compensate you in the event of cancellation, irrespective of causation.

11.3 Approval of a venue is granted only in connection with the provision of ceremonies. RRS cannot accept liability for the failure or neglect on behalf of the venue for the use or provision of any services and or facilities.

11.4 RRS 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.
• Guests who are unable to attend or unable to remain in the room for the ceremony, due to excessive numbers beyond the permitted capacity.
• Any loss or compensation where a ceremony / registration is stopped from proceeding because (a) it would be void if it went ahead, (b) an offence under the Marriage or Civil Partnership Acts would be committed or (c) it would be against the public interest.
• Any decision to delay the ceremony. This is the decision of the Superintendent Registrar or their deputy, in line with their statutory duties.

12. General

12.1 Any reference in these conditions to the Registration Service shall also refer to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in so far as it relates to its legal responsibilities and obligations. Other words and phrases shall be interpreted as follows:-

12.2 Marriage & Civil Partnership Acts – means the Acts of Parliament (including any regulations made under those Acts) covering the legal preliminaries to, the solemnization and registration of a civil marriage / civil partnership either in a Register Office or Approved Premises within England and Wales.

12.3 Venue – means Approved Premises approved by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council under the Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005 for the solemnization and registration of civil marriages and civil partnerships.

13. The Registration Service and the Council have Privacy Notices that explain how the information we collect is used.  The privacy notices are on the Council website.

14. Acceptance of terms and conditions of booking

14.1 Where you have booked your ceremony online, you accepted the terms and conditions at the point of booking. Where you booked your ceremony by telephone with a Registration Officer, your acceptance of the terms and conditions is at the point of you paying the ceremony booking fee to reserve the ceremony date and time. A copy of these terms and conditions is sent with the confirmation of your booking.