Guide to arranging marriages and civil partnerships in Reading

A guide to getting married or forming a civil partnership in Reading.

Choose your venue
Book your ceremony
Give notice
Pay your balance
Complete your ceremony planner
Preliminary interview
Enjoy your special day!
Connect with us and local suppliers

1 Choose your venue

An external venue

You can book our registrars to come to one of our unique approved venues for marriages and civil partnerships across Reading.

Capacity varies between 2-700 people.

Reading Town Hall

The Ceremony Room

For between 2-47 guests. You can add ceremony personalisation such as music, readings and personalised vows.

The Register Office

Statutory ceremonies for the couple plus their 2 witnesses only.

First Tuesday morning of the month only.

2 Book your ceremony

Call us on 0118 937 3533 to check our availability and book your ceremony.

If you have chosen one of our approved external venues you will need to check availability directly with the venue before contacting us.

You will be required to pay a £56 non-refundable deposit at time of booking.

You will then be sent a booking confirmation email containing all the relevant information.

You may be required to show this confirmation email when giving your notice of marriage.

Administration fees apply if you need to change or move your booking.

3 Give notice

You are both required to give your legal notice at your local register office in the district you have resided in for at least 7 clear days.

You must give notice at least 29 days before, but no longer than one year, before your ceremony. We recommend you give notice 3 months ahead of your big day.

If one/both of you are not a British national/does not hold the relevant Visa for the purpose of marriage/civil partnership in the UK you will have to attend your appointment together and at least 70 days before your ceremony.

If you live in the Reading district, please call 0118 937 3533 to book your appointment. Please be aware appointment availability can vary.

Your notices are publically displayed during the notice period giving anyone a chance to make any legal objections to your marriage/civil partnership.

4 Pay your balance

Call us on 0118 937 3533 to pay your remaining ceremony balance at least one month ahead of your ceremony.

All fees are taken on a secure payment line.

Full list of ceremony fees.

You will be asked to pre-order at least one legal certificate at a fee of £12.50 pr certificate. You can order further certified copies of these after your ceremony has taken place.

Failure to pay for your balance in advance can result in the cancellation of your ceremony.

5 Complete your ceremony planner

We ask that all our couples complete their online ceremony planner ahead of the ceremony.

You will be sent a link to your planner in your booking confirmation email.

Ceremony planners contain information such as number of guests attending, witness details, legal declaration and vow options. You can also personalise your ceremony by adding additional and personalised vows, music and reading options, and if you are exchanging rings. You can also specify details of your preliminary interview, arrival times and any additional requirements.

Your registrar will only contact you regarding your planner if there are any issues or changes to be made.

6 Preliminary interview

Before the ceremony begins, both partners must attend a brief preliminary interview.

We’ll double-check all the details on your marriage schedule document and make any necessary changes.

If you would like to be seen separately to your partner, please specify this on your ceremony planner. Our team will do our best to ensure that you do not see each other before the ceremony.

You will not be required to bring any legal documents to your preliminary interview.

But most importantly ….

7 Enjoy your special day!

Our lovely team of registrars are experts in making you feel at ease and ensuring your ceremony is personal and special to you.

Prioritise the parts of your day that are important to you and forget about everyone else’s opinion!

The most important part of your day will be the commitment that you are both making to one another.

Embrace every moment. It’s your day to cherish, so enjoy every special moment to the fullest!

Connect with us and local suppliers

We love to see your photos and hear feedback about your ceremony. Don’t forget to tag us in your special moments @readingceremonies or #readingceremonies.

Our social media pages also offer a full range of local suppliers including photographers, florists, cake makers and much more.

We are happy to help connect you with the right suppliers for your big day.