When planning your big day it can be easy to get excited about all of the pretty details but it’s also important that you remember the legal stuff too. Unless you are getting married in a Church of England Church – you MUST give notice (register) your intent to marry at your local registry office.

I know that this bit can be confusing – so today I am going to tell you everything you need to know about registering your marriage in Cambridgeshire.

Do I need to give notice (register) my marriage?

You MUST give notice of your intent to marry at your local registry office in order for your marriage to be legal. The only exception is if you are planning to get married in the Church of England as they have their own process.

If you are planning to get married abroad there may be a different process to follow. You can get more details about what to do on the government website.

When do I need to give notice?

Notice MUST be given at least 28 days prior to your wedding date. You can give your notice anytime up to a year before your wedding date though, so I suggest you make this a priority and don’t leave it until the last minute.

Where do I give notice?

Both partners must give their notice in their local registry office. It doesn’t matter if you are not getting married locally to where you live, you still need to give your notice locally. For example if you live in Cambridge but are getting married in Cornwall – you must give your notice in the Cambridge registry office.

What if we don’t both live in the same place?

If you and your partner do not live in the same place, you will both need to give your notice separately at your own local registry offices.

My partner is not British, does that matter?

If one or both of you are not British / EEA nationals you will need to give your notice at a special designated registry office. You can click to see a full list of those here.

What do I need to know?

You must have lived in the district where you are registering your marriage for at least 7 days (some places say 9 or more so double check)

You must know the exact date and location of your ceremony in order to register your marriage (so please ensure that is booked first)

You will need to take ID documents to your appointment, this should be confirmed with you when you book your appointment, but if you are unsure what you need, please check your local registry office website.

There will be a charge for this appointment, so factor that into your wedding budget. Charges vary so again check with your local office.

Once you have given notice it will be displayed publicly in the registry office for 28 days.

I live in Cambridgeshire, where should I give my notice?

There are a number of registry offices across Cambridgeshire, you will need to contact the one in your district.

Cambridge Registry Office

Ely Registry Office

Huntingdon Registry Office

March Registry Office

Wisbech Registry Office

If you do not live in Cambridgeshire or are unsure which is the correct registry office for your district then click here.

Still unsure if you need to register your marriage, answer our questions below to find out:

1. Are you getting married in a registry office? If yes, you need to register your marriage as above.

2. Are you getting married in a wedding venue? If yes, you need to register your marriage as above

3. Are you getting married in a church of England church? You do not need to do the above, you need to speak to your vicar about how they give notice for you.

4. Are you getting married in a church or religious building that is not Church of England? You will need to register your marriage as above?

5. Are you getting married abroad? Your process may be different, you need to check the government guidelines by clicking here.

Still got questions about how to give notice and register your intent to marry in Cambridgeshire? Leave me a note in the comments and I will do my best to help.