Things to know before and the day of your ceremony
Before your ceremony
How to complete our Ceremony Choices
Once you have a secure booking with us, you will receive a confirmation email which contains a link to complete your Ceremony Choices online. Please get in touch if you have any questions
Paying for your ceremony
The final balance is due to be paid six weeks prior to your ceremony date. You will receive an email a week or two beforehand containing a link to GovPay to complete the payment online. Please make sure you have your Booking ID and a debit/credit card to hand. (Please note we do not accept American Express.)
If you have given notice and would like to make the payment now, please email registrars@kingston.gov.uk quoting your booking reference number to request the payment link, or call our office on 0208 547 6196.
Do I need a rehearsal of my ceremony?
There is no need for a rehearsal before your civil ceremony. We will personalise your ceremony using your Ceremony Choices, which include music, readings and personal promises.
The interview before the ceremony
The registrar is legally required to interview you both before the ceremony. They are checking that all your details are correct on the Marriage Schedule before it is signed, and that you are still free and willing to go ahead with the marriage or civil partnership.
They will also run through the personalised choices that you’ve made for your ceremony so that everything is clear before it starts.
You’ll find that this personal time with your registrar before the ceremony will be a welcome period of calm on your wedding day.
Who can be a witness
When you get married or form a civil partnership, you must have two witnesses to sign the marriage/civil partnership schedule.
Anyone can be a witness, as long as they understand what they’re witnessing. We, therefore, recommend that they speak English and are of an age to understand the meaning and purport of a marriage and civil partnership ceremony, however this is not set in law. They do not need to bring ID with them.
Please note that Kingston Register Office can neither provide or act as witnesses.
On the day of your ceremony
Neither you, your witnesses nor your guests need to bring anything with them on the day of the ceremony – just bring yourselves.
No-one needs to bring ID as you’ve already shown your ID when you gave notice.
Arrival time
On the day of the ceremony, we ask that you and your guests arrive 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony.
If you and your partner don’t wish to be seen by each other before the start of the ceremony, then we advise that you stagger your arrival times slightly.
In this case, one of you should arrive 20 minutes before, come to reception and one of the team will take you to meet the Registrar. The second party should arrive around 10 minutes before the ceremony start time and also please make yourself known at reception.
How long does the ceremony last
As a rough guide, ceremonies usually last about 25 minutes. It could be less depending on whether you have chosen readings, additional promises and the traditional exchange of rings. This allows time for your exit, and for the registrars to clean the room for the next ceremony.
There’s something wrong on our marriage or civil partnership certificate.
In your pre-ceremony interview, the registrar will ask you to check that all your details are correct on the schedule, and at the end of the ceremony, they will ask you to check that all the details are correct on the schedule before you sign.
It’s important to check that the details are correct before you sign. If anything is incorrect, it can be easily changed before you’ve signed. If you spot something that’s wrong after you’ve signed, there is a legal procedure to apply for a correction via the General Register Office. There is a statutory fee of £90 for applications for corrections to marriage or civil partnership registrations, which doesn’t include the cost of new certificates.
Full information on this process can be found on the Correct a marriage registration page on the GOV.UK website.