Say "I Do" at an Oxfordshire registration office

Congratulations! You said ‘Yes’.  What do you do now? 

Four steps to planning your day at an Oxfordshire registration office 

Enquire with us today to speak to our friendly ceremonies team.      

Planning a wedding is such an exciting time and we’re here to help you make it a stress free and joyful day.     

When booking your legal marriage or civil partnership ceremony here’s the four best steps to follow.     

1. Choose your perfect venue and date

Find your perfect Oxfordshire venue and decide on the date for your wedding or civil partnership. With seven registration office ceremony rooms and almost 100 approved venues in Oxfordshire, you’re guaranteed to find the venue of your dreams.

2. Book your ceremony and registrars 

Once you’ve chosen your venue and decided on a date, you will need to contact the Oxfordshire Registration team to book the registrars for your special day (and the ceremony room if you’re holding the ceremony at a registration office). You can check our availability by contacting our ceremony advisors.

For your marriage ceremony, two registrars are required and for a civil partnership only one registrar is required.

Don’t forget, if you’re holding your ceremony at an approved venue, you’ll need to book and pay for the venue separately, and before booking the registrars.  The Registration Service can’t book the venue for you.

3. Give your notice of marriage or civil partnership 

Once your venue and registrars are booked you must then book and attend a notice of marriage or civil partnership appointment at your local register office in the area where you live, even if your venue is in another County.

Notice can be given up to 12 months in advance of your ceremony, but no later than 30 days prior to your ceremony or 71 days if you are subject to immigration control.  We recommend that you give notice at least 3 months before the big day to ensure all the legalities are taken care of in advance.

To give notice, you must have lived in the council district for a minimum of seven full days (immediately before you give your notice). If you are coming from abroad the day of arrival does not count and notice cannot be given until the ninth day. For example, if arrival day is Tuesday, notice cannot be given until the following Wednesday.

Confused?  Giving notice can be a complicated process, so if you’d like some advice then please contact our ceremony advisors or you can book your appointment on line. 

4. Plan your ceremony 

Once you have booked your venue, the registrars, and organised your notice appointment, you can enjoy planning your ceremony. After booking the registrars, you will receive an options form where you can choose your legal declarations and personalise your ceremony with readings and personal promises.

There’s lots of different ways you can make your ceremony special to you and your guests.  Maybe you want to choose particular music, or read poems that mean something to you? Ask us and we will do our best to help you.

Please remember that civil marriage and civil partnership ceremonies cannot include any religious wording or music.

Once you have completed these four steps, you are now ready to get married or form your civil partnership!  

Here’s what couples say about getting married with us

Our registrar was really excellent. She was friendly, warm, and gave a carefully considered ceremony which made my family and I feel very special. Both my husband and I we very pleasantly surprised by how lovely the ceremony was.

The staff were super friendly and were amazing with dealing with how nervous me and my partner were. Thank you for putting us both at ease on such a lovely day.

We have had so many complements on our ceremony. Many said how personal it was with a few little laughs added in.         
Myself and my husband loved it and can’t thank the registrar enough for creating the perfect ceremony 🥰

Plan your wedding day with our Oxfordshire Registration service and speak to our friendly team who can answer your questions, to make your day special 

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