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Your Ceremony CP - Approved Venues - Tie the Knot

Your Ceremony header

Your Ceremony

Your Ceremony CP - Approved Venues

Congratulations and thank you for choosing to have your ceremony in Camden.

Lovely flowers

Important note: please use Google Chrome or Firefox to view this page. There is currently an issue with Microsoft Edge which is not displaying the information correctly. 

We understand that as your special day approaches you may have many questions on what you 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. 

You can choose to have a signing only ceremony. 

This will entail:

  • Letting the registrar know at the pre-interview that you only want to sign the schedule (legal paperwork).
  • Both of you, your 2 witnesses and the civil partnership registrar will go to the room you booked.
  • You will both be asked to state your full names. 
  • Your witnesses will be asked if they know of any legal impediment to you both entering into the civil partnership.
  • Both of you will be asked to read the following declaration out loud before signing the schedule. “I declare that I know of no legal reason why we may not register as each other’s civil partner. I understand that on signing this document we will be forming a civil partnership with each other.”
  • Both of you, then your witnesses will be asked to sign, followed by the civil partnership registrar who will then declare you as Civil Partners.

Arriving for your civil partnership

On the day of your civil partnership 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 civil partnership 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.

Witnesses do not need to bring ID. 

If an interpreter has been used during the ceremony, they will be asked to 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, we appreciate that this is your day and the ceremony should reflect that so feel free to either choose one as it is, mix and match the wording that suits you, or even create your very own.

If this is the case you may provide your own script. All we ask is that the section "I declare that I know of no legal reason why we may not register as each other’s civil partner. I understand that on signing this document we will be forming a civil partnership with each other" remains unaltered.

Please complete the ceremony choices form found at the top of the page to let us know of any omissions, modifications or additions. 

Please click on the links below to view the scripts available for your ceremony. 

Simple Ceremony 

Standard Ceremony

What is Civil Partnership?

Will You? 

The Purpose of Civil Partnership

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.  

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 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.