Your Ceremony Heath Suite and Combined CIVIL PARTNERSHIP - 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 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.
Arriving for your ceremony
Please arrive at Camden Town Hall, 5 Judd St, London WC1H 9JE, with your guests, fifteen minutes before your ceremony time, your registrars may have other ceremonies to attend. If you and 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 and we will provide the ink and the fountain pen for this purpose.
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.
Click on the boxes below for more detailed information, including information on the scripts available if you choose to have a more elaborate ceremony.
Our Ceremony Rooms are ideally placed to arrive via National Rail, Underground, by bus, or even Eurostar at St Pancras International Station.
The closest underground station is King Cross St Pancras to the north.
Our closest bus stop is St Pancras International (Stop A) and (Stop M). Bus routes: 30, 73, 91, 205, 390
The nearest car parks are the NCP Euston Station at the Brunswick Centre, or the NCP for Kings Cross on Judd Street.
We are located opposite St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, with our entrance on Judd Street.
Camden Town Hall
5 Judd St
London WC1H 9JE.
Our premier ceremony space is the Heath Suite, which can be combined with the Primrose Room if you wish.
The capacities for Heath Suite are:
Heath Suite: (60)
Heath Suite and Primrose Room combined: (100)
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.
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.
The Purpose of Civil Partnership
You do not need to memorize the scripts, your registrar will guide you through them during the ceremony.
Readings
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.
You do not need to memorize the scripts, your registrar will guide you through them during the ceremony.
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.
Can we decorate the ceremony room?
Our ceremony rooms are designed for ceremonies, therefore, aside from bouquets and buttonholes, there is no need to bring additional flowers.
Music at your ceremony
Any music you chose to have must have no religious connections or connotations. (This is a legal requirement).
Our Music systems are able to support iPhone, Android smartphone, iPad and tablets. Bluetooth connections are available, but please bring an aux cable, USB drive or CD just in case of any technical glitches.
WiFi Access
For Guests who are not able to be at your ceremony in person, you are more than welcome to use our guest WiFi to broadcast your ceremony to your loved ones.
You will need to set up a video conference on your own phone or tablet and have a tripod or willing camera person to monitor this for you.
Wifi name: Visitor. Password BMAHouse1832
Photographs
Photographs, video and audio recordings can be done throughout the ceremony, as long as they are not disruptive.
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.
With such a central location, you are never far from an iconic London landmark or attraction: the Brunswick Centre, the British Museum, the British Library and the Camden Lock to name only a few.
You can even escape to Paris and other European destinations as soon as your ceremony is complete from nearby St Pancras International Station.
Compliments, Comments and suggestions…
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.