Marriages and Civil Partnerships

• Please call 020 8489 2605 for the latest availability and to book a ceremony, there is currently good availability from mid June onwards
• The way marriages are registered is changing on the 4 May 2021, please visit the Marriage Schedules page for more information.
• Visit GOV.UK for updated government guidance on weddings and civil partnerships (external link)
• Approved Premises ceremonies (for example Banqueting suites) are currently suspended until Step 3 of the government roadmap
• Ceremonies are only be allowed to take place if a venue is permitted to open for its primary purpose. For example, a bar cannot hold a marriage or civil partnership ceremony until it can serve drinks inside
• Social distancing, limits on guest numbers and COVID-secure measures remain in place (see ceremony sizes below). We do not have a room large enough to accommodate 30 people with social distancing. See ceremony sizes for more information
• Find out more about the government COVID-19 Spring Response - GOV.UK (external link)

COVID-19 guidance

Attending a ceremony

We recommend that you and all those attending your ceremony get a free lateral flow COVID-19 test the day before or on the same day of your ceremony - test results are received in less than an hour.

Find out more on how to get a rapid COVID-19 test in Haringey.

Ceremony Sizes

Ceremony sizes are determined by room sizes, risk assessments, social distancing, law and local decisions made by Haringey Council. The number of people that can attend a ceremony can increase or decrease at any time, with very little notice.

Important: until the pandemic is over, do not book a ceremony unless you are prepared for it to happen with just the couple and 2 witnesses present. The pandemic is unlikely to end by 21 June 2021 and we expect some level of restrictions until at least Spring 2022.

The Government Roadmap and Position

The Government's approach to exiting lockdown is to cautiously ease lockdown restrictions. The Governments COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021 can be found on GOV.UK (external link).

Government proposed dates and limits on guest numbers are maximums and not targets, so dates may change and numbers may reduce - please proceed with caution.

The above capacity limits for Haringey assume that there will be a Haringey requirement for 2-metre social distancing even if this is not required by law.

As of April 2021 we do not expect our largest Woodside Room to be accommodating 30 or more people until at least Spring 2022. Do not book a ceremony in the hope of 30 people being able to attend.

Cancellation and rescheduling of ceremonies

• Ceremonies may be cancelled or changed. A full refund is given if the ceremony is cancelled at least 30 days before the ceremony date, otherwise any deposit paid will be lost.
• To cancel a ceremony please email registrars@haringey.gov.uk and call us on 020 8489 2605 / 1775 to change for a later date.
• If one of the partners in the ceremony, or a person having a private citizenship ceremony, needs to cancel because they are ill, a full refund of the ceremony fee or rescheduling of the ceremony will be arranged. Medical evidence may be required.
• The coronavirus pandemic has not ended and the COVID-19 virus is still present in the population. It may be necessary to cancel and/or reschedule appointments and ceremonies at short notices due to changes in government restrictions, or the need for you or our staff to self-isolate.
• Please also read the following  Important ceremony information (PDF, 110KB) for full details relating to ceremonies in Haringey.

Personalising a ceremony

Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to personalise ceremonies conducted by Haringey Register Office - a legal ceremony will be performed.

See the latest government guidance on small weddings and civil partnerships during the pandemic (external link).

Immigration issues

If you have an immigration issue, such as a visa that is due to expire, you need to discuss your exceptional need and make arrangements with the Home Office via GOV.UK (external link) for exceptional assurance or seek another route.

• Haringey Marriage Venues
• Choosing your venue
• Checking Registrars are available to conduct and register your Wedding or Civil Partnership
• Make an appointment to give Notice of Marriage / Notice of Civil Partnership
• Our Venues
• Further information
• Reducing the spread of COVID-19

Please also read the rest of this page including The Marriage and Civil Partnership Process in 5 Steps (PDF, 316KB).

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Haringey Marriage Venues

Do not give Notice of Marriage/Civil Partnership for any Haringey venue without first getting our agreement in principle to attend. Please email registrars@haringey.gov.uk to request this. You must still proceed with caution at this time.

Only three Haringey venues (The Earlham Suite, Regency Banqueting Suite and Bruce Castle Museum) are currently approved for Haringey staff to attend a COVID-19 Secure ceremony.

The Haringey Registration and Citizenship Service and Haringey Register Office are now based at:

George Meehan House
294 High Road
Wood Green
London N22 8JZ or N22 8YX

George Meehan House is a fully refurbished Italianate style house in the middle of Woodside Park, just a few minutes up the road from the Civic Centre but a million miles away in terms of peace and tranquillity. The house delivers a fusion of traditional and contemporary design. Read more about the history of George Meehan House.

The Earlham Suite

The ceremony suite at George Meehan House (formerly Woodside House) is called The Earlham Suite. The Earlham Suite consists of The Earlham Room and the larger Woodside and Westbury Rooms. Please note that restrictions on guest numbers and social distancing are significantly impacting guest numbers in any room used for a ceremony. Fees are based on the room used and the day of the week, not the number of guests attending.

Our Earlham Room is the smallest of our two ceremony rooms (the Woodside Room is our biggest). We will be following government guidance to maintain 2-metre social distancing where possible and will look to maintain this measure even if the official measure is reduced. All venues will be expected to comply.

Please note that the venue given on a Notice of Marriage cannot change, and so it is important that notice is given for the correct venue. More information about giving notice can be found on the Notice of Marriage page.

Statutory Fee Ceremonies

Every register office is required to offer a ceremony for the statutory fee - this is currently £57 as of March 2021. Demand for these ceremonies is high and waiting times can be six months or more, but if your ceremony is small with just the couple and a witness each, you are happy to wait and want things very basic, then this may be the ceremony for you.

These ceremonies only take place on Tuesdays at 10am. If you would like to use this service, please give notice of marriage/civil partnership for The Earlham Suite and mention that you would like a wedding or civil partnership for the statutory fee at time of booking. If more than the two witnesses attend the ceremony, then the standard Tuesday ceremony rate will be charged.

Please note that every register office is required to offer a ceremony for the £57 fee (£46 and £11 certificate fee), and you do not have to have a ceremony where you live.

Arranging a wedding or civil partnership requires time and preparation. We have compiled a document called The Marriage and Civil Partnership Process in 5 Steps (PDF, 316KB) to help your planning of a wedding or civil partnership run smoothly.

The five steps to meet the legal requirements for planning a civil wedding/partnership in England and Wales are:

1. Choosing your venue
2. Checking Registrars are available to conduct and register your wedding or civil partnership
3. Make an appointment to give Notice of Marriage / Notice of Civil Partnership
4. Giving Notice of Marriage / Civil Partnership - directs to new page
5. Have your ceremony within 12 months of the date Notice has been given.

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Choosing your venue

A wide range of venues are available including hotels and banqueting suites in addition to traditional venues like Register Offices and Churches. A couple can only marry in a church or religious building if it is one or both partners usual place of worship or if one or both partners live in that district. Special arrangements apply to marriages in the Church of England.

Once you have decided which venue you would like to marry in, make a provisional booking with the venue. The venue can be located anywhere in the world although we cannot always assist you if you are having a ceremony outside England or Wales. Book your venue in plenty of time to avoid disappointment and be fully aware of all of the costs involved before committing to a venue.

In Haringey we have a choice of venues including our own Earlham Suite at George Meehan House.

• Please see our venues section below for more information about The Earlham Suite, and
• The Approved Premises page for details of other venues in Haringey

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Checking Registrars are available to conduct and register your Wedding or Civil Partnership

Please check that registrars are available and able to carry out your ceremony on the date and time that you require before you exchange any money or give Notice - you cannot recover your money or change your notice afterwards.

Please note that we are currently not attending most venues in Haringey as we do not have COVID-19 Secure plans and risk assessments for them. Staff will not be allowed to attend venues until we are satisfied that they are safe. Please also carry out your own COVID-19 awareness checks. We expect venues to provide the necessary documents for us to approve them, but this is not a certainty.

The Earlham Suite at George Meehan House is fully up and running, but ceremonies could still be disrupted or cancelled at short notice due to the ongoing Pandemic and/or other related issues.

Haringey Register Office can be contacted by calling 020 8489 2605, or by sending an email to registrars@haringey.gov.uk

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Make an appointment to give Notice of Marriage / Notice of Civil Partnership

Notice must be given in order to get married or form a civil partnership

• Payment starting at £35 per person will be taken at time of booking. This fee is non refundable unless your appointments are cancelled or changed at least two clear working days ahead. Additional fees for people subject to immigration may apply. Additional fees may be collected at the time of appointment or by somebody calling you before the appointment

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 at least 28 clear days and possibly 70 clear days. Please see the Notice of Marriage and Civil Partnership page for more information and to make a Notice appointment.

Forming a Civil Partnership

We offer a number of ways to form a Civil Partnership. Ceremonies can take place in our Earlham Suite, at one of our approved venues. If you would like to keep things simple and keep costs down you can simply sign a Civil Partnership Schedule in front of your two witnesses. Signings take place each Tuesday morning at 10.20am for the statutory fee of £57 per couple (as of March 2021).

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Our Venues

We offer a number of venues to meet all tastes and budgets. Our range of approved premises includes Alexandra Palace and Bruce Castle Museum. Social distancing rules, limits on guest numbers or other restrictions may apply to any ceremony.

Visit our approved premises page for more information.

The Earlham Suite

Our ceremony suite at George Meehan House is called The Earlham Suite. The house is located in Woodside Park N22, between Wood Green and Palmers Green (Wood Green on the Piccadilly Line is the nearest underground station and Bowes Park is the nearest national rail station). George Meehan House has two main ceremony rooms, the smaller Earlham Room and the larger Woodside Room. Our Earlham Room seats seven people (six people until at least 17 May 2021) including the couple and our Woodside Room seats 13 including the couple. Social distancing and other restrictions are in place.

Please confirm availability by calling 020 8489 2605 before giving Notice of Marriage for our venue. 

Parking and Public Transport

Parking:

George Meehan House - parking at George Meehan House (post code N22 8JZ) is limited to a wedding car and pick up/drop off parking only, we recommend that people arrive using public transport, walk or cycle. Parking restrictions apply on side streets from 11am to 1pm and on our driveway.

London Underground and National Rail

Wood Green Station on the Piccadilly Line is less than 15 minutes walk away and Bowes Park Station on the Moorgate to Hertford Line is about the same walk.

Buses:

A number of buses including the 121, 329, 141 and 232 stop outside the gates to George Meehan House.

Being based in Wood Green we benefit from excellent connections by bus to all parts of North London and beyond.

Payments 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.

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Further information

If after reading these pages you require further advice or assistance please get in contact:

• Email registrars@haringey.gov.uk

We will be happy to assist you with organising your special day.

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Reducing the spread of COVID-19

• All guests must wear a face-covering unless they are exempt - this is a legal requirement
  • For further information see the latest government guidance on GOV.UK (external link)
• All visitors to George Meehan House must use hand sanitiser on entry to the building. The couple having the ceremony are not required to wear face coverings during the ceremony. We recommend that people carry hand sanitiser and their own pens to use when signing documents.

You or members of your party will not be able to attend George Meehan House or another venue where Haringey registrars are present if:

• you or members of your party believe that they have COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19 over the past two weeks. Key symptoms include:
  • a high temperature
  • a new, continuous cough
  • a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste
• you or members of your party believe that anyone in their household (not just family) or anybody you or they have been in close contact with have any of the symptoms of COVID-19.
• you or members of your party are currently feeling unwell or are caring for somebody who is currently feeling unwell with an illness harmful to others.
• a medical professional has advised you or a member of your party to not attend an appointment or ceremony.
• you or members of your party are supposed to be in quarantine or in an area subject to local lockdown.

Please ensure that you have contact details for any person attending an appointment or ceremony with you in case you need to contact them about COVID-19 at a later stage.

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