Ceremonies Marriage and civil partnership

With so many beautiful locations and stunning venues, Shropshire is the perfect place for your big day.  You can choose one of our approved venues or one of our Shropshire ceremony rooms.

We have a range of ceremony choices including enhanced ceremonies which means that we can help you make your day as smooth and as special as possible and we are here to guide your through the process.

Getting married in Shropshire

A marriage is formed by spoken vows preformed in a ceremony with your two witnesses. It is a legal contract between two people within a licensed premises. This can be done at one of our Register Offices in either Shrewsbury or Oswestry or at one of our approved venues. 

We offer you a choice of traditional or enhanced ceremonies. You can have a statutory ceremony which are held at the Shropshire Register Office on a Wednesday in Shrewsbury only.

A marriage ceremony requires two Registrars in attendance, one who will conduct the ceremony and take you through the spoken declarations and vows and the other Registrar who will ensure that the legal formalities are completed.

Civil partnerships in Shropshire

A civil partnership is formed by you and your partner signing a civil partnership document with your two witnesses. It is a legal contract and must be formed at one of the Register Offices in Shrewsbury or Oswestry or one of our approved venues.

If you wish to include a ceremony where you will be able to exchange personal promises to each other, this can be done in the Guildhall or in Castle View in Oswestry or at one of our approved venues.  If you opt for a statutory formation, then this is only a signing.

Your ceremony your way

We offer three ceremony packages for your special day and to make your ceremony personal to you we work closely with you, within our legal boundaries to ensure your ceremony is how you have envisaged it. We will guide you through the whole process and answer any questions or queries you may have leading up to your ceremony. 

The main differences of the packages are  that the enhanced and enhanced bespoke give you more options to make your ceremony more personal – but no matter which you choose your ceremony can have your choice of readings and music, providing there is no religious content.

Statutory ceremonies in Shropshire

The very simplest option available these ceremonies take place at the Shropshire Register Office on a Wednesday only.

Only two guests may attend, who will act as your witnesses. Shropshire Registration Service can not provide witnesses.

Your witnesses must be able to speak and understand English.

The ceremony fee is £56 plus £12.50 per certificate and this is a non refundable payment made on booking.

What next?

Once you have reserved your venue you can contact us to check availability of the registration service, by calling 0345 678 9016 or emailing registrars@shropshire.gov.uk. You will need to give the time you would like the ceremony to start the date of your ceremony and the venue.

We will email you with availability and will attach a booking form for you to complete, you will then need to email this back to us and we will then reserve the date and time and send you details for you to pay a £250 non refundable deposit. The balance of your fee will be due three months before your ceremony.

If you wish to book a ceremony in one of our ceremony rooms please contact us on 0345 678 9016 or email registrars@shropshire.gov.uk, you will need to know your preferred date, time and the which room and your contact details, we will then contact you via email with availability and a booking form for you to complete and return to us to make the booking. You will then receive payment details to make a £250 non refundable booking, with the balance of your fee due three months before.

Religious ceremonies

Marriage and civil partnerships can take place in churches, but they have to registered or licenced for this purpose. If you are planning to hold your ceremony in a religious building then they will advise you if you need to give civil legal preliminaries our your bands can be read. Some religious buildings will also need a Registrar to attend on the day to complete the legal part of your marriage.

Terms and conditions

Please read our terms and conditions before booking and view our fees.