Your Northumberland Ceremony

Terms and Conditions – please read carefully.

 

Confirmation of your booking has been sent to you in a separate email.

 

The booking for your ceremony in Northumberland is agreed upon the following terms and conditions:

 

  1. Changes to a booking

 

If you wish to make a change to either the date, time, or venue of your ceremony you must:

 

  • Contact us by phone at the earliest opportunity to check availability.

 

  • Any change to the date, time or venue will incur an administration charge of that financial year. The changes will not be implemented until payment is received.

 

  1. Legal Preliminaries

 

*Please note this applies to legal marriage and civil partnership ceremonies only. It does not apply to non-legal ceremonies such as Renewal of Vows and Naming ceremonies.

 

  • Both parties are required to fulfil their legal obligations to obtain permission to marry / form a civil partnership. You must give ‘Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership’ at your local register office. If you are unsure of the process or which office to contact for an appointment, please call us directly on 01665 602870 for assistance.

 

  • Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership cannot be given more than one year in advance of your ceremony but must be completed at least 29 days before the date of your ceremony. Although we do NOT recommend leaving it this late. If you do not live in England or Wales or are subject to immigration the timescales and process can vary, please contact us as soon as possible for advice.

 

  • The notice is put on public display in your local register office for 28 full days following your appointment.  On the 29th day your legal paperwork will be produced. If you do not give legal notice, then we cannot conduct your ceremony. If you do not live in England or Wales or are subject to immigration the timescales and process can vary, please contact us as soon as possible for advice.

 

  • Legal preliminaries must be completed within statutory time limits, and it is the responsibility of the couple to ensure this is done (please note we do not issue schedules on a Saturday, Sunday or a Bank Holiday).

 

  • There are certain documents that are required at the notice of marriage appointment, and these will be discussed fully with you at the time of booking. We will be unable to take your notice(s) if you do not provide the specified documents.

 

  • Responsibility for the arrangement of your Notices of Marriage or Civil Partnership appointment lies entirely with the couple.

 

  • It is the responsibility of the couple to ensure they have booked a venue that is licensed and approved for Marriages and/or Civil Partnerships. A list of licensed venues in Northumberland can be found here: https://www.mynorthumberlandwedding.co.uk/ – You must ensure availability of the venue alongside availability of the registrars to attend your ceremony.

 

  • There must be no impediment in marriage or civil partnership legislation to prevent notice being given or the event taking place.

 

  • Please note any person who knowingly and wilfully gives false information or makes a false declaration is liable to prosecution for perjury.

 

  • Your marriage/civil partnership schedule being released is subject to any foreign divorce/dissolution papers being accepted by the Registrar General where applicable.

 

  • Your marriage/civil partnership schedule being released is subject to Home Office permissionbeing granted where applicable.

 

  • The relevant notice of marriage/civil partnership fee must be paid in full at the time of booking the appointment.

 

  • Once a notice has been signed legally, it is only valid for the exact location stated.

 

  1. Fees

 

  • All fees for the ceremony are payable 6 – 8 weeks prior to your wedding date and a reminder email will be sent to you at this time. All payments should be made by debit or credit card. Alternative arrangements can be made where this is not possible.

 

 

  • Fees are subject to change each financial year. Fees payable are those which apply to the financial year in which your ceremony is to be held. We reserve the right to pass on any future fee increases to you.

 

  1. Cancellations

 

Any request to cancel your booking will qualify for a refund of the ceremony fee on the following basis:

 

– More than 2 months prior to the ceremony date – full refund

– Between 2 months and 1 month prior to the ceremony date – 50% refund

Less than 1 month prior to your ceremony date – no refund

 

  • Refunds are made by BACS transfer as standard. Cheque refunds may be requested. No cash refunds are made.

 

  • In lieu of a refund, monies paid can be held for the ceremony to be re-arranged within the Northumberland district. *An administration fee is still applicable to rearrange a ceremony.

 

  • We reserve the right to cancel your booking if the legal preliminaries are not met and fees are not paid despite us contacting you via email and phone

 

Please note; deposits, administration fees and legal notice fees are non-refundable in all cases.

 

  1. Format and content of ceremonies

 

 

  • If you have chosen a ceremony in one of our register offices or at a licensed venue** you will be provided with a ceremony pack to help you plan and personalise your ceremony. You will be able to choose many aspects of your ceremony and be able to add content to make your ceremony special and unique. Your ceremony pack will be sent via email after you have given legal notice (or after you have booked if having a non-legal ceremony).

 

  • The Registration Service reserve the right to make the final decision on any wording used, and will not accept liability for any omission, which may be caused by reasons beyond its control.

 

  • A civil marriage or civil partnership is a legally binding and solemn ceremony. A civil ceremony can have no religious content by law.

 

**If you have chosen a statutory marriage/civil partnership registration at the Alnwick Register Office (not a ceremony) then please note the content is predetermined and not subject to customisation.

 

  1. Registrars attending your ceremony

 

  • Only registrars employed by Northumberland County Council can conduct your ceremony. Registrars from other registration districts or other members of the public (i.e., friends and family) cannot perform or register a marriage or civil partnership due to contractual obligations, health and safety reasons, to ensure a high degree of solemnity in keeping with the occasion and so that legal requirements are maintained.

 

  • Requests for specific Northumberland registrars to attend your ceremony cannot always be accommodated for operational reasons. We will allocate personnel to attend your ceremony and reserve the right to substitute other experienced and qualified staff in case of sickness or other unforeseen circumstances on the day.

 

 

  1. Place of Ceremony

 

  • A venue is granted a licence by Northumberland County Council, on the approval of General Register Office. Legal ceremonies cannot take place in any other location.

 

  • A marriage or civil partnership can only take place in a specified room, at a venue approved for such purpose. The legal ceremony may take place outdoors if the outdoor area lies within the boundaries, and it has been deemed suitable by the licencing officer’ of the licensed venue. Please read our outdoor ceremony section fully.

 

  • Each room licenced for marriages and civil partnership has a maximum capacity and no ceremony can proceed if this capacity is exceeded. Additional guests over this number will be excluded from the ceremony. Please liaise with your venue to ensure that the number they are licensed for is not exceeded; this will save any disappointment on your special day.

 

  1. Witnesses

 

*Please note this applies to legal marriage and civil partnership ceremonies only. It does not apply to non-legal ceremonies such as Renewal of Vows and Naming ceremonies.

 

  • Two witnesses are legally required to sign the marriage schedule or civil partnership formation document. The registrars cannot provide witnesses. Northumberland Registration Service request that your witnesses are aged 16 or over and must understand the nature and purport of a legal ceremony.

 

  1. Outside Ceremonies

 

Many couples wish to have their ceremony outside, and we will do everything we can to ensure your ceremony lives up to your expectations. If you are planning an outdoor ceremony, please ensure your venue must also provide alternative licenced facilities set up for a ceremony inside in case the conditions do not allow the ceremony to take place outside.

 

If the inside room is not large enough for all the guests, the couple will have to decide who joins them in the room.

 

The decision as to where your ceremony will take place is made by the Registration Staff present on the day and their decision is final. Our conditions for a ceremony being moved inside include but are not exclusive to:

  • Rain, damp conditions or the likelihood of showers and snow.
  • The paperwork being put at risk by damp conditions, winds, rain, or snow as the schedule is a unique document that cannot be replicated.

 

  1. Liability and problems that may arise in your ceremony

 

Whilst most ceremonies run without problem or incident, you should be aware of the following:

 

  •   Your ceremony must begin on time. Our registrars must be able to travel calmly and safely to their next ceremony. . We reserve the right to leave your wedding should we feel that the following ceremony will be compromised. This decision will not be taken lightly or without consultation with your venue and yourselves. It is a situation that our registrars dread and we trust that you will be more than happy to give us your co-operation and arrive at and begin your ceremony on time.

 

  • Where a ceremony starts late, due to the late arrival of the couple or guests, the registrar has the right to change the format and content of the ceremony to allow a legal ceremony to take place in the remaining time available.

 

  • The registrar has the right to refuse any music, reading or ceremony content deemed unsuitable for a civil ceremony.

 

  • The registrars always endeavour to work with photographers, videographers, and musicians so your special day is captured the way you imagine. However, we do reserve the right to restrict usage if it impedes on the ceremony.

 

  • Please note the only aspect of the ceremony that cannot be photographed is the signing of the schedule/formation document. A ‘mock’ signing can be set up afterwards if you so wish.

 

  • The register office is not responsible for any problems arising at a licenced venue which impacts on the planned ceremony taking place.

 

  • In the event of an adverse weather condition, which will result in the ceremony being disrupted, the registration service will make every reasonable effort to attend the ceremony whilst maintaining the health and safety of its staff. In such conditions when staff cannot safely reach the approved premises of your ceremony, Northumberland County Council will not accept liability for their non-attendance.

 

We do not accept liability for:

 

- The failure of any music system provided by the venue, yourself or a third party

– Any delay or loss caused by your late or non-arrival at the due date and time

– Any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to delay the ceremony

– Any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to cancel a ceremony on the day following the decision of Registration Staff to move the ceremony inside as set out above under ‘Outside Ceremonies’

– Failure or neglect on behalf of the venue, for any agreement between you and the venue for the use or provision of any services and/or facilities.

– Any loss or compensation where a ceremony is stopped from proceeding because (a) it would be void if it went ahead, (b) an offence under the Marriage or Civil Partnership Acts would be committed, and (c) it would be against the public interest

– Any loss to the extent that it is caused by a Force Majeure event as described below.

 

  1. Force Majeure

 

‘Force Majeure’ means war, civil war, armed conflict, terrorist attack, governmental action, fire, flood, severe weather conditions, pandemic or epidemic or any other act or matter which notwithstanding the reasonable diligence and foresight of Northumberland County Council and its partner providers, is beyond their reasonable control.

 

In the event of a ‘Force Majeure’, we will endeavour to perform your ceremony on your chosen day if circumstances allow.

 

We strongly recommend that you take out ceremony insurance to cover losses or expenses incurred in the case of events outside our control.

 

  1. After your ceremony

 

*Please note this applies to legal marriage and civil partnership ceremonies only. It does not apply to non-legal ceremonies such as Renewal of Vows and Naming ceremonies.

 

  • After the ceremony is finished you will be asked to check and sign the marriage schedule/civil partnership formation. It is important that you check the details carefully before signing it. If a mistake is found later and you require a correction to be made, a statutory fee of £90 is payable. The Registration Service are not liable for any mistakes found after you have checked and signed the document.

 

  •   You will not be issued with your certificate on the day. Your paperwork will be returned to the office by us, and your official certificate will be sent to you in the post within 15 working days of your ceremony.

 

Additional certificates can be purchased at a cost of £12.50 each. This is a statutory fee. Following your ceremony, you can order addition certificates via the Northumberland County Council website at https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Registration.aspx or over the telephone on 0345 600 6400.

 

 

  1. Further advice and information

 

More details about ceremonies in Northumberland can be found on our website. Up to date information, including fees, is always accessible here and you can even watch some real ceremony videos.

 

 

  1. Customer Contact

 

It is your responsibility to ensure that you update us with any changes to relevant contact details, such as; phone numbers, home address and e-mail address.

 

Most questions can be answered by reading all the pages on our website at www.mynorthumberlandwedding.co.uk. However, you can contact our friendly ceremony co-ordination team on 01665 602870 or alnwickreg@northumberland.gov.uk, who will be more than happy to help.

 

  1. Complaints

 

We take customer complaints very seriously. We subscribe to the principles of The Local Government Ombudsman – Commission for Local Administration in England – Remedies Guidance on good practice. Any complaint must be made by via the official complaint’s procedure. Details can be found at www.northumberand.gov.uk

 

  1. Sharing your information

 

We may disclose your information to others, but only where this is necessary, either to comply with our legal obligations or as permitted by Data Protection Legislation. This includes for the purpose of the prevention and/or detection of crime, or where it is necessary to allow a third party working for or acting on behalf of Northumberland County Council, to provide a service.

 

  1. Contact Details

 

Main Office:01665 602870

Email: alnwickreg@northumberland.gov.uk

Website: www.mynorthumberlandwedding.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeddingsinNland

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingsinnorthumberland/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeddingsinNland/

Address: Registration Services, Northumberland County Council, 27 Fenkle Street, Alnwick, NE66 1HW