Your Ceremony - Approved Venues / Council Chamber - Tie the Knot
Your Ceremony
Congratulations and thank you for choosing to have your ceremony in Camden.
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We understand that as your special day approaches you may have many questions on what your big day has in store. This guide is designed to put any worries to rest and give you an idea of the information our registrars need to make your ceremony one to remember!
Please read the below very carefully - including the clickable boxes - and then download and fill in this ceremony choices form and email it to [email protected]
A registrar will be allocated to your ceremony. They will arrange a telephone discussion about a week before your ceremony to answer any questions about your special day.
Arriving for your wedding
On the day of your wedding your registrars will arrive at your venue 20 – 30 minutes before your ceremony to enable enough time to interview you and your partner either together or separately depending on how you wish the start of your ceremony to proceed. This interview will ensure that your certificates are accurate.
Please arrange for your guests to arrive about twenty minutes before your ceremony time, particularly on a Saturday because your registrars may have other ceremonies to attend. If you or your guests are late, your wedding may have to be postponed.
Our aim is to make your ceremony run as smoothly as possible, and you will be pleased to know that you and your witnesses do not need to bring any documents to your ceremony. All we will need is your signature, we will provide the ink and the fountain pen for you to use.
Click on the boxes below for more detailed information.
Council Chamber capacity - 80 to 160 guests.
Approved Venue capacity - please check with your venue.
You will need to make available two people to act as witnesses. They can be any two people who are able to speak and understand English.
There is no lower age limit for witnesses but they must be old enough to understand what is taking place and be able to testify to what they have seen and heard should this be necessary.
In cases of doubt, it is advisable to have an additional adult witness.
If an interpreter has been used during the ceremony, they must sign the schedule as one of the witnesses.
For fire regulations, safety, and comfort, the number of guests (which includes all babies and children) must not exceed the capacity of the room. Additional guests that exceed the official capacity will be excluded from the ceremony.
Details of the room capacity for all venues can be found on our website and venue licence. The numbers shown are the numbers of guests you may invite and excludes registration staff, photographer, venue staff and the couple.
No food or drink (including alcohol) are permitted in the room where the ceremony is to take place one hour before, and during the proceedings.
Can I personalise my ceremony?
There are four scripts for you to choose from. As you can see below these scripts can be personalised with readings. However you may feel that you want to further personalise your ceremony.
If this is the case you may provide your own script. All we ask is that the sections in bold and beginning ‘I do solemnly……’ and ‘I call upon….’ in each of the ceremonies are included.
These are the statutory legal part of the ceremony and the wording must remain in its entirety. However, all the other parts may be omitted or modified to suit your personal preferences.
You can mix and match our scripts, but make sure you provide the text for us when you submit your ceremony choices form.
Please complete the ceremony choices form found at the top of the page to let us know of any omissions, modifications or additions.
You do not need to memorize the scripts, your registrar will guide you through them during the ceremony.
You may feel that having a reading such as a poem, or a personalised message, from friends or family would be a fitting contribution to your ceremony.
Any readings must not be taken from any religious texts or refer to any religion. (This is a legal requirement).
However, we welcome the addition of non-religious readings.
We will need you to provide the text for any readings so please include this in your ceremony choices form - found at the top of this page.
How long does a ceremony last?
Your ceremony will last approximately half an hour, but this could be longer depending on how you personalise your ceremony.
Do we have to exchange rings?
Rings are not a legal requirement, so it is your choice whether to use them.
Music at your ceremony
Live music is welcomed during ceremonies but it must not cause a disturbance to the ceremony or the area surrounding your ceremony location. Any music you chose to have must have no religious references or connections. (This is a legal requirement).
Please speak to the venue about playing recorded music at your ceremony. Our top tip would be to have a backup plan and bring a cd or usb with songs just in case of any technical glitches.
Council Chamber Ceremonies:
Our Music systems are able to support iPhone, Android smartphone, iPad and tablets. Bluetooth connections are available.
Videos and Photographs
For guests who are not able to be at your ceremony in person, you are more than welcome to live stream or record your ceremony if you would like. We advise you check with your venue about arranging this. All we ask is that the recording person/equipment is not disruptive.
Photographs, video and audio recordings can be done throughout the ceremony, as long as they do not interfere with the ceremony.
Our Ceremonies team take great pleasure in seeing the results of their assistance to our couples, so please do share your wedding pictures with us.
Print off, sign and return our Photo Consent Form PDF to [email protected] to give us permission to use them on our website, to show other couples what a ceremony in Camden looks like.
On your arrival a registrar will invite both of you for a private interview to check the information you gave at notice.
Make sure you check your details on the day very carefully. Once you have signed, any errors are expensive and time consuming to correct.
During the ceremony, you will sign a document known as a schedule. After the ceremony, the details from the schedule will be uploaded to the electronic register, and a certificate will be posted to your home address within 14 working days.
Additional certificates cost £12.50, and can be purchased by placing an order online.
We welcome any feedback, comments or suggestions you may have on how we can improve ceremonies for you before during or after.
If there are things we do well or things we could have done differently please let us know by emailing [email protected] please include your names, date, time and venue of your ceremony and the names of the registrar(s) if known.