Arranging a civil partnership Planning your civil partnership

Getting started

You must give at least 15 days' notice of your intention to register a civil partnership

There are a few things you need to do before you can get hitched.

Decide on a date and venue

You can get hitched at a variety of authorised venues – for information on how to find one see ‘Planning the big day’, below.

Book a registrar

Only an official civil partnership registrar can perform the service. Contact the registry office in the district you want the service performed to check availability of civil partnership registrars. Contact the General Register Office to get details of local register offices in England and Wales.

For more information about registering a civil partnership in Scotland contact the General Register Office for Scotland. And in Northern Ireland contact the General Register Office in Northern Ireland.

Give notice

By law you must give at least 15 days' notice of your intention to register a civil partnership. Both of you need to give notice, in person, at your local register office – this is the nearest register office to where you normally live, even if you are planning to have your ceremony elsewhere.

The local register office will need to know the following details for each person:

• name and surname
• date of birth
• condition (marital or civil partnership status)
• occupation
• nationality
• where and when the service will take place.

They might ask for supporting evidence, such as birth certificates or divorce/dissolution documents to prove that any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended.

Civil partnerships are relatively new, so there's no special etiquette to follow

You can only give notice of your intention to register if:

• you are both 16 or over. If you are 16 or 17, you will usually have to get written consent from your parents or legal guardians
• you have lived in the same area for at least seven days
• neither of you is already either a civil partner, or married
• you are not close blood relatives.

Planning the big day

It’s your special day and it’s up to you what kind of service or ceremony you have. There are three main choices.

• Sign a civil partnership document in front of the registrar and two witnesses at a register office.
• Have a short ceremony, and sign the civil partnership document, with friends and family in a register office marriage room.
• Have a full ceremony and signing of the civil partnership document at a licensed venue. But you will need to discuss your requirements with the superintendent registrar when you make your booking.

Like a civil wedding, the service can’t take place in a church and you can’t have any religious readings or music. But you might be able to get a church blessing, after you have registered your civil partnership, if you have a gay-friendly vicar.

Choosing a venue

You can get hitched in a register office or a number of approved civil wedding venues, such as hotels, stately homes and beaches, around the UK.

You can details of local register offices and approved venues in England and Wales from the General Register Office, in Scotland from the General Register Office for Scotland or for Northern Ireland contact the General Register Office in Northern Ireland.

Ideas for your ceremony

As civil partnerships are relatively new, there is no special etiquette to follow. You could pick your favourite elements of a traditional wedding or opt for something completely different, but the main thing is, it’s entirely up to you.

You could go for a themed pink wedding, or use the colours of the rainbow flag

You might want a small, intimate gathering or a big, lavish celebration. You can write your own vows, exchange rings, choose your own readings and music (as long as they are not religious), have champagne toasts and a big cake.

Popular options include:

• having best friends as ‘attendants’ instead of bridesmaids; a best woman instead of a best man; or a man of honour instead of a maid of honour
• walking down the aisle together, rather than one of you walking down the aisle to greet the other
• a themed wedding using lots of pink – the colour of gay lifestyle choice – or the hues of the rainbow flag to represent gay pride
• female couples mixing it up with one wearing a suit, the other a long dress; or both opting for traditional white gowns, formal dresses or tailored suits
• wearing your wedding rings on your right hand rather than the traditional left.

As with any wedding, costs can quickly mount up. There is no convention about who pays for what, so make sure you discuss this with your partner beforehand. If you’re on a budget, you’ll find helpful tips in our guide to saving money on your wedding.

Contacts

For ideas and advice on every aspect of your ceremony:

• Pink Wedding Days
• Confetti

If you would like a wedding planner to organise your big day check out:

• Eleganza Weddings
• Pink Partnerships
• Amaryllis (Brighton)