General Chat

Will one feel truly married without the certificate in their hands and will one trust their tearful Mum to get to the register office within the week whilst the bride and groom are off sunning themselves?
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/16-august/news/uk/unease-at-timetable-for-clergy-to-adapt-to-new-marriage-formalities

I think the period for lodging it with the registry office should be longer, maybe a month. 7 days is a very short timescale. But the couple will have the document in their hands so that will not make a difference I don't think

As far as I am aware, the local registrar has to be present at all marriages except those taking place in a C of E church, where the vicar has the responsibility.

So perhaps the answer to the OP's problem will be to "invite" the registrar to the ceremony.

Think you'll find it's more clergy than just C of E who are registrars.

You have to go to the registration office with the details within 7 days of the marriage, the alternative if away - get someone else to go or there'll be a £1000 fine.

They've just made it the same as registering a birth or a death, you have so many days or get fined in all three now.

We got 6 certificates of marriage but had to wait several days for our marriage certificate. :-D

Locally it's not easy to book a time with the registrar.
Even to register a death it is not always possible in the required timescale since the office closed and now the service is tucked away in the town library.

I can only think the situation will be worse, when church marriages have to be registered there too.

In Scotland I got married on June 1st of this year and our schedule had to be handed in within 7 days of the wedding. That can however include handing it to the receptionist. We don’t need a formal appointment to hand the form in and anyone can hand it in. We got our certificate four weeks later.

Hopefully it will turn out like Tawny said.
Lots more registrars will be needed. Can you imagine trying to register a death during the wedding season. Getting an appointment is difficult enough as it is.

I,m not even sure where our registrars have moved to. They had to leave the pretty building they,d used for years to move to ????

I.m sure my new hubby had our wedding cert in his pocket for safe keeping. A long long time ago!

We have about 10 copies of our marriage certificate, all filled out and signed by the Vicar in the Vestry after he had married us.

We left immediately for a 5 day honeymoon, then left the UK for good 5 days after that.

But we didn't have to take it ourselves to any registry Office back in 1967 ;-)