1 Ceremonies terms and conditions
1.1 A ceremony for the purpose of the booking policy is defined as a:
Marriage ceremony
Civil Partnership ceremony
Renewal of vows ceremony
Naming ceremony
1.2 Your ceremony booking is accepted subject to the terms and conditions set out in this document and on the basis that you agree to the terms and conditions in their entirety.
2 Marriage and civil partnership ceremony bookings
2.1 Your ceremony booking is accepted subject to the following conditions:
- no legal impediment to the marriage or civil partnership exists and legal preliminaries are completed within statutory time limits
- any foreign divorce/dissolution papers are accepted by the Registrar General where applicable
- Home Office clearance is granted where applicable
2.2 A non-refundable booking fee must be paid at the time of booking a ceremony to secure your preferred date and time.
2.3 Any changes to the ceremony date, time and venue will incur a further booking fee.
2.4 Ceremony fees must be paid in full within 14 days of giving notice of marriage or civil partnership ceremonies.
2.5 Ceremony fees may increase each year. The fee that you pay is the one that is in force on the day of your ceremony. Any difference to the initial fee must be paid no later than one month prior to the ceremony.
2.6 It is the responsibility of the couple to ensure that they complete the legal preliminaries to the marriage or civil partnership correctly, and within the statutory time limits.
2.7 If at any point it is alleged that a legal impediment to a marriage or civil partnership exists, the Superintendent registrar has a legal duty to investigate before the ceremony can take place. Leeds Register Office cannot be held accountable for any resulting delay, postponement or cancellation and financial loss that may occur.
2.8 If either party has gone through a divorce/dissolution of a previous marriage/civil partnership and books a ceremony or a notice appointment before the decree absolute has been issued, no refunds or financial compensation will be given if the appointment or ceremony cannot go ahead.
2.9 If either party has gone through a divorce/dissolution of a previous marriage/civil partnership in a foreign country and books a ceremony before the divorce/dissolution has been approved as valid, no refunds or financial compensation will be given if the ceremony cannot go ahead.
2.10 If you are booking your ceremony at a licensed venue or you need a registrar to register your ceremony at a religious building you must first ensure that the registrar is available before you confirm any other arrangements.
2.11 Your provisional booking is held subject to you both giving notice of marriage or civil partnership no less than six months before the wedding/civil partnership. If you have booked your ceremony to take place within 6 months you must give notice within 14 days of making the provisional booking.
2.12 The registrar reserves the right to stop your ceremony from proceeding if:
- either of the parties to a marriage or civil partnership appears to be acting under duress
- either of the parties to a marriage or civil partnership appears to be intoxicated and is therefore unable to understand the nature and purport of the ceremony
- either of the parties to a marriage or civil partnership appears to lack the mental capacity to understand the nature or purport of the ceremony
- a lawful objection is made before or during the ceremony
2.13 No food, drink (including alcohol) or animals (with the exception of assistance dogs) are permitted within the ceremony rooms.
2.14 Leeds Register Office will allocate staff to your ceremony but is unable to guarantee the attendance of an individual registrar.
2.15 Both parties must be available to meet with the Registrars at the ceremony venue no later than 15 minutes before the ceremony start time. In the event of late arrival, your ceremony will be subject to rebooking and the full fee for the ceremony will apply.
2.16 It is an offence to enter into a marriage to help facilitate a stay in the United Kingdom. If a ceremony or appointment does not go ahead due to UK Visa and Immigration intervention, no refund shall be payable or financial compensation given for any losses incurred.
2.17 Leeds Register Office will not be held responsible for any financial loss, delay, postponement or cancellation caused by the late arrival of the couple or guests. The registrars attending your ceremony may have other ceremonies to attend throughout the day, and cannot allow the lateness of one ceremony to impact upon another.
3 Marriage and civil partnership ceremony content
3.1 The ceremony must be legally compliant and of a dignified nature.
3.2 All standard ceremony scripts, music and readings to be included in your ceremony must be agreed with the Ceremonies Co-ordinator at Leeds City Council no later than seven days prior to your ceremony. Please see bespoke and celebratory ceremonies below for further information.
3.3 Any additional words, readings or music must not contain any religious connotations.
3.4 Leeds Register Office shall have the final decision on any wording and the content of the ceremony
3.5 You must provide two witnesses who are over the age of 16 and can speak and understand English. Leeds Register Office staff cannot act as witnesses.
3.6 The witnesses must attend the whole ceremony, sign the register and must understand the nature and meaning of the ceremony.
4 Rescheduling marriage and civil partnership ceremonies
4.1 A new booking fee is payable where a request is made to reschedule a ceremony.
4.2 The new date must fall within the statutory period (between 29 days and 12 months after giving notice).
4.3 If the change involves a change of venue, a new notice of marriage or civil partnership must be given.
4.4 The fee applicable to the new day or venue will apply and must be paid at the time of rescheduling.
4.5 If the change is made less than 8 weeks before the original booking, the booking is subject to our cancellation policy.
5 Cancellation policy
5.1 We only accept cancellations from one of the parties.
5.2 Cancellations must be made by email to
register.headoffice@leeds.gov.uk or in writing to the Ceremonies Co-ordinator, Leeds Register Office, Merrion House, Merrion Way, Leeds, LS2 8BB.
5.3 You will need to include the full details of the ceremony booking (the date, time, venue and your full names) and the method of payment. It is also helpful if you are able to supply the date of payment and/or the authorization code number which can be found on the payment.
5.4 We will confirm cancellations of confirmed bookings by email or in writing to both parties. No confirmation will be sent following cancellation of a provisional booking.
5.5 No refund will be provided where ceremonies are cancelled or rearranged within 28 days of the ceremony.
5.6 Ceremonies cancelled or rearranged between 56 and 28 days of the ceremony will incur a cancellation fee equivalent to 50 percent of the ceremony fee.
5.7 No refund will be made for ceremonies which you fail to attend or are not cancelled.
5.8 Neither the ceremony booking fee nor the notice fee cannot be refunded.
5.9 We reserve the right to cancel your ceremony without refund if:
- you do not give your legal notice of intention to marry or form a civil partnership within the statutory time limits
- your ceremony fee is not paid within the required timescale and you do not respond to overdue fee reminders
- any foreign divorce/dissolution papers have not been cleared in time by the Registrar General where applicable
- Home Office clearance has not been granted in time or the Home Office has declined clearance
6 Renewal of vows, baby naming and celebratory ceremonies
6.1 Your ceremony booking is accepted subject to the following conditions:
- proof of birth/adoption is provided for naming ceremonies
- proof of a prior marriage/civil partnership is provided for renewal of vows
- proof of prior/arranged marriage/civil partnership is provided for celebratory ceremonies
- the booking fee and/or a ceremony fee has been paid (within 14 days of the pre-meeting appointment)
6.2 The ceremony does not give any legal status or rights.
6.3 Once you have attended your pre-ceremony meeting it is not possible for the booking fee to be refunded.
7 £57 Wedding (basic ceremony)
7.1 The £57 wedding is available on the last Monday in every month (except where this falls on a bank holiday). Only two guests are permitted who will be the witnesses.
7.2 Leeds City Council reserves the right to charge a higher fee should the number of guests exceed this amount.
8 Lateness
8.1 The time booked for the ceremony is the time that the ceremony proceedings will commence. If the ceremony commences late, Leeds City Council reserves the right to amend the ceremony content in order to reduce its duration to avoid impacting on subsequent ceremonies.
8.2 Should the ceremony not be ready to proceed within a maximum of twenty minutes of the scheduled time and Leeds City Council is not responsible for any such delay, then Leeds City Council reserves the right to cancel or defer the ceremony.
8.3 Where a ceremony is cancelled in such circumstances the fee will not be refunded.
8.4 Leeds City Council reserves the right to charge an additional fee if the ceremony takes place later than planned to cover staff costs.
9 Liability
9.1 Leeds City Council will not accept liability for:
- the failure of music systems provided by any venue, you or a third party
- any delay or loss caused by your late or non-arrival
- any delay or loss due to cancellation following the failure of a registrar to attend owing to circumstances beyond the council's control such as bad weather or road closures
- any financial loss, delay, postponement or cancellation caused by the late arrival of the couple or guests
- any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to delay the ceremony
- any loss or compensation where a ceremony/registration is stopped from proceeding because:
- it would be void if it went ahead
- an offence under the Marriage or Civil Partnership Acts would be committed
- it would be against the public interest
- there is unacceptable conduct or anti-social behaviour by anyone involved in the ceremony or any invited or uninvited guest - any decision to delay the ceremony is at the discretion of the registration staff attending on the day
10 Ceremonies at Leeds Civic Hall
10.1 Leeds Civic Hall is a multi-purpose building. It is also a popular venue for conferences, concerts and other activities.
10.2 Leeds City Council is unable to guarantee that ceremonies will have sole use of the building or facilities on the day of your ceremony. Whilst we will do our best to inform you in advance of your booking there may be occasions where other events are introduced at short notice.
10.3 Should an alternative event adversely impact on your ceremony we are only able to provide refunds in line with our cancellation policy.
10.4 For fire, safety and comfort if the number of guests exceeds the capacity of the room some guests may be excluded from the ceremony.
10.5 Room capacities for Leeds Civic Hall ceremonies are:
- The West Room - maximum of 38 people
- The Banquet Hall - maximum of 90 people
10.6 Maximum numbers indicate the total number of people who will be allowed into the ceremony room. Numbers include both parties, witnesses, guests and other attendees such as photographers.
11 Ceremonies at licensed venues
11.1 Legal marriage and civil partnership ceremonies may only take place in rooms which have been licensed to hold marriages and civil partnerships.
11.2 Approval of any venue is granted only in connection with the provision of civil ceremonies.
11.3 Leeds City Council cannot accept liability for the failure or neglect on behalf of the venue, or any agreement between you and the venue for the use or provision of any service and/or facilities.
12 Animals
12.1 Leeds City Council do not permit animals (with the exception of guide dogs or assistance animals) at ceremonies in Leeds Town Hall.
12.2 If a licensed venue permits a couple to have animals at their ceremony, the venue is entirely responsible for the health and safety of the guests as well as any housekeeping issues which may arise. Leeds City Council must be informed of these arrangements in advance of the day of the ceremony.
13 Photographs
13.1 Facilities are usually available either within or outside the venue for photographs. A limited number of photographs taken by the official photographer will be allowed during a ceremony by prior arrangements with the conducting registrar.
13.2 Photographers must not be allowed to cause any unnecessary delays to the commencement of ceremonies.
13.3 Photographers and anyone making a video recording must meet with the Superintendent Registrar prior to the ceremony to discuss and agree arrangements.
13.4 Provision and maintenance of all equipment is the responsibility of the operator.
13.5 Any equipment must be battery operated.
13.6 Video recordings may only be made using the lighting available in the ceremony room.
13.7 The photographer / video operator must undertake to remain stationary throughout the ceremony and to observe the instructions of the Superintendent Registrar at all times.
13.8 Photographers must not use high speed shooting during the ceremony due to the noise and distraction caused.
13.9 Neither the Superintendent Registrar nor Leeds City Council accepts any responsibility for any loss or damage to any equipment at the Register Office or any Approved Premises.
14 Outdoor ceremonies at approved premises
14.1 Civil marriages or civil partnerships which take place at Approved Premises, such as hotels, can be held in the outdoor grounds of the premises, providing that the venue agrees to hold outdoor ceremonies and can comply with the required conditions.
14.2 The outdoor location must be within the grounds of the venue and must be approved in advance by the Register Office. It must not take place without prior approval or in an alternative location to any approval previously given.
14.3 The venue will be responsible for ensuring the health and safety of all attendees.
14.4 There must be a convenient licenced room available inside the same venue, which will hold the same number of guests and is set up ready for a ceremony in case weather conditions are not suitable.
14.5 The Registrar will assess, on arrival at the venue, whether weather and ground conditions are suitable for the ceremony to take place outdoors. The assessment will include not only rain, but air temperature and lack of shade.
14.6 The Registrar will make the final decision whether the ceremony can proceed outdoors.
15 Notice of marriage / civil partnership appointment bookings
15.1 Your appointment booking is subject to the terms and conditions set out in this document and on the basis that you agree to the terms and conditions in their entirety.
15.3 Customers agree to provide all relevant original documents required at the time of the appointment. Customers arriving without the correct documents will not be seen and are subject to the rescheduling policy below.
15.4 Photocopies/scanned copies will not be accepted.
15.5 Customers with foreign divorces agree to provide the original documentation required by the General Register Office in order to assess if their divorce is valid in England and Wales.
15.6 All customers who have appointments with Leeds Register Office must arrive at the agreed time for their appointment.
15.7 If you do not attend your appointment, are more than 10 minutes late or are unable to complete the appointment because you do not have the relevant documents as specified in the giving notice checklist, you will be charged for all further appointments.
15.8 Once you have attended your notice of marriage or civil partnership appointment it is not possible for the booking fee to be refunded.
16 Rescheduling notice of marriage or civil partnership appointments
16.1 An appointment may be rescheduled once (subject to availability) without charge, provided more than 2 working days notice is given.
16.2 Any further changes will result in the full fee being charged.
16.3 Where less than 2 working days notice is given, you will need to rebook the appointment and pay the booking fee again.
17 Cancelling notice of marriage or civil partnership appointments
17.1 Booking fees can be refunded provided more than 2 working days notice of cancellation is given.
17.2 Where less than 2 working days notice is given, no refund can be provided.
18 Complaints and claims
18.1 Any complaint or claim must be made in writing to Leeds City Council within 21 days of the ceremony.
