Approved premises for marriages and civil partnerships

Premises (not churches) that are wished to be used as venues for marriage and civil partnership ceremonies must hold a licence under the Marriage Act 1994 and the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005.

You as the proprietor or trustee must meet the requirements set out in the Registrar General's guidance.

To apply, you should complete the approved premises application form (PDF) [253KB] (opens new window)  and email it back to us along with the following documentation:

• A plan of the premises which identifies the built premises (and the room or rooms within the built premises for which approval is sought and which are to be used for proceedings) together with the boundary of the land of which the built premises form part.
• A copy of the premises fire safety certificate or fire risk assessment. Should it be your intention to offer outdoor ceremonies in a covered structure such as a marquee or gazebo you will also have to provide a fire safety certificate or fire risk assessment for this also.
• A copy of the premises public liability insurance.

Licences are valid for a period of three years.

Advertising the application

Your application will be advertised for a period of 21 consecutive days on the council's website. If no comments or objections are received in this time, the licence will automatically be granted.

Inspection of the premises

Once your application is validated, the council will arrange for an inspection of the premises to ensure that it is seemly and dignified.

From 6 April 2022 The Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 came into force, which means that ceremonies can now take place outdoors. You can find guidance below on what you will need to do in order to conduct an outdoor ceremony.

Definitions

"Built premises" means a permanently immovable structure comprising at least a room, or any boat or other vessel which is permanently moored.

"Linked outdoor areas" means any areas within the boundary of the land of which the built premises form part, which are not built premises and which may be used in common with the built premises.

"Premises" means "built premises together with linked outdoor areas".

General information

If your premises already holds a licence, you will be able to conduct outdoor ceremonies without any need for your licence to be updated. However, in order to conduct a ceremony outside you must obtain prior confirmation from the Superintendent Registrar that the outdoor location you wish to use is seemly and dignified. This will require a site visit from the Superintendent Registrar and Licensing. To arrange a site visit please contact us.

Failure to obtain prior approval from the Superintendent Registrar and Licensing may result in the ceremony not taking place on the day.

Ceremonies can take place outdoors without the requirement of any structure, marquee or gazebo, as long as it is within the boundaries of the land in which the 'built premises' form part of. You may want to enquire with the council's Planning section on whether any new planning permission or revisions to existing planning permission are required.

The location of the outdoor proceedings must be identifiable by way of description to the public and you must display notices at each of the public entrances to the premises which state the following:

• That the premises have been approved for the proceedings.
• A description of the location of the outdoor proceedings.
• Directions to the outdoor proceedings.

You do not have to offer outdoor ceremonies should you not wish to.

If you are applying for a new licence and want to include an outdoor area on it, please see the how to apply section.

Contingency arrangements

The main reason why a ceremony may not take place outdoors may be because of inclement weather. Inclement weather can include wet, cold, heat, wind and other extreme conditions. This will depend on the shelter and facilities your premises have.

If you have a ceremony that is due to take place outdoors, contingency arrangements should be made in the event of inclement weather. Contingency arrangements will likely vary for each licensed premises, but in any event you should have an licensed indoor ceremony rooms kept readily available and set up to host a ceremony in case for any reason an outdoor ceremony has to be moved.

It is recommended the maximum number of guests attending an outdoor ceremony does not exceed the maximum number of guests permitted in the approved indoor room so the entire party could move there if it became necessary. Or, alternative arrangements must be made for some of the guests if they are not able to move to the approved room. The registrar will make the decision if a ceremony has to be moved due to inclement weather and all decisions are final.

The couple will need to decide in advance which guests are to be excluded from the ceremony, if the number of guests exceeds the capacity of the alternative room and where they will wait while the ceremony takes place.

When will outdoor ceremonies be approved for?

We will only approve outdoor wedding ceremonies between 1 April and 30 September of any given year. Outdoor ceremonies will also only be conducted in daylight hours.