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 log on to the Shropshire Registration Booking Portal for availability by using our online booking system. You will be able to see the availability for Registrars to attend your venue and times we have available for your ceremony to start.
You then make your booking through our online booking portal and pay your £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, this can be done on our booking portal you will need to know your preferred date, time and which room for availability to show. You will then make your booking and pay your £250 non refundable deposit. 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.