Marriages and Civil Partnerships
- Did you know we can marry or enter you into a civil partnership within one month of the date you give notice of marriage? We also have notice appointments available at short notice
We have put this page together to let you know what you need to do if you wish to marry or enter into a civil partnership. Arranging a wedding or civil partnership requires time and preparation. Outlined below are the three key steps in arranging a wedding or civil partnership:
Choosing your venue
Since the law was relaxed, a wide range of venues are now licensed for marriage. These include hotels and banqueting suites known as approved premises, or traditional venues like Register Offices and Churches.
Decide which venue you would like to marry in and make a provisional booking with the venue. The venue can be located anywhere in the world. Book your venue in plenty of time to avoid disappointment.
In Haringey we have a choice of venues including our own Civic Suite:
- please see our venues section for more information on the Civic Suite, and
- the Approved Premises page for details of other venues in Haringey
Giving Notice of Marriage/Civil Partnership
Notice must be given in order to get married:
- to book a Notice of Marriage appointment please complete a Notice of Marriage Request Form (Word, 34KB) or call 020 8489 2605
Unless one or both parties are subject to immigration control, Notice must be given to the district where you both live. To give Notice you must establish residency. Residency is established after you have lived at an address for seven clear days. If coming from abroad the date a person arrives in the UK and the date Notice is given is not taken into account. For example if you arrive on the 1st of the month the earliest Notice can be given would be the 9th of the month.
When giving Notice both parties must present evidence of their name, age and nationalities. This is normally done by presenting a passport. Some ID cards can also be accepted.
- Please see our documents needed to give notice of marriage page for more information
Proof of address is needed and evidence the parties are free to marry, such as divorce documents if applicable. Please note that most overseas divorces require clearance from the General Register Office. We will submit your documents to them on your behalf. This process normally takes at least three weeks and clearance is not always granted.
Evidence of immigration status is not required but if one or both parties are subject to immigration control you are advised to seek advice from the Home Office to ensure you comply with the immigration law side of getting married.
Once Notice has been given, the Notice goes on public display for a period of time, normally 15 clear days but this can vary. For example if getting married abroad the Notice period can be up to 21 clear days. Please see the Notice of Marriage and Civil Partnership page for more information.
|Back to topPersonalising your ceremony
Our Weddings and Civil Partnerships Team are here to help ensure that your special day is a memorable occasion. We offer a friendly and unhurried service tailored to you; from the simple to the extravagant we are here to cater to your requirements. Take a look at our Ceremony Guide (PDF 3MB) to help plan your ceremony. The guide is also available as an online e-book (external link).
Please also look at the personalising your ceremony page to see a choice of ceremony scripts and ideas to personalise your ceremony.
Our Venues
We offer a number of venues to meet all tastes and budgets. Our range of approved premises includes Alexandra Palace, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Bruce Castle Museum.
Visit our approved premises page for more information.
|Back to topThe Civic Suite
Our own Civic Suite offers two rooms in which your ceremony can take place. These are the Ceremony Room and the spacious Council Chamber.
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The Ceremony Room
The Ceremony Room with its wood panelling, floral arrangements and marble columns has large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Commonwealth Garden.
The room has seating for up to 50 guests with standing room for many more. This makes it one of the larger ceremony rooms in the area. This room is entirely on the ground floor.
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The Council Chamber
The Council Chamber is our largest room with seating for 200 guests including a 100 seat upper gallery area. There is also standing room on the lower level.
This is the perfect venue for larger celebrations. The Council Chamber with its wood panelling has modern comfortable free form seating in the main chamber making it the adaptable venue for your special occasion.
This room also benefits from having a white screen and projector that can be used for displaying photographs / PowerPoint presentations for a couples special day. This room is primarily on the first floor with access to the Gallery on the second floor. A lift and spiral staircase provide access to the first floor.
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The Commonwealth Garden / Photographs
The Commonwealth Garden is home to a number of trees from around the world.
This along with flowering shrubs makes it the perfect location for wedding and civil partnership photographs. A number of garden benches offer seating for guests.
The gardens opposite the Civic Centre offer further opportunities for photographs.
|Back to topParking and Public Transport
Parking is available on a first come first served basis at the front of the Civic Centre. Please use post code N22 9SB if driving to us. Free parking in our large car park at the back of the Civic Centre is available at weekends. Pay and display bays are located nearby.
We are located only five minutes from Wood Green Underground Station on the Piccadilly Line and close to Alexandra Palace Overground Station. Being based in Wood Green we benefit from excellent connections by bus to all parts of North London and beyond.
|Back to topPayments and fees
Details of fees for all of our weddings and services can be found on the Register Office Fees Page.
All ceremonies must be paid in full at least 3 months before the ceremony date. Fees are subject to change until paid in full.
We reserve the right to cancel ceremonies not paid in full by the due date.
Further information
If after reading these pages you require further advice or assistance please get in contact:
Tel 020 8489 2605 or
Email registrars@haringey.gov.uk
We will be happy to assist you with organising your special day.
|Useful External Links
The following links are not part of the Haringey Council website. Please read our legal disclaimer before using these links
