Information needed if you are planning a wedding in a church or other religious building in Newham.
Church of England
To get married in a Church of England church, make an appointment to see the vicar at your church and set the date and time of your wedding ceremony.
The vicar will usually read out ‘banns’ church, which counts as notice being given and the vicar will register the marriage.
So, providing you are a British, EU or Swiss national you do not have to give notice at a register office.
Non British or EU nationals
If you or your partner are a national of a country outside the EU and subject to immigration control, you must give your notice of marriage at Newham Register Office instead of the church. You will not be able to use the banns system.
You must also ask the vicar to write a letter to:
- Say that he or she has agreed that the marriage can take place in their church
- Ask that we take the marriage notices on their behalf.
Getting married outside your district
You can only be married in a church outside the district(s) where you live if:
- Either you or your partner usually worship at that church
- There is no building of your denomination in the district where you or your partner live.
Other religions
To get married in any other religious building, you need to meet with the religious leader to check they hold a licence to conduct legal marriage ceremonies. You can then arrange a date and time for your ceremony. The ceremony should be held at the religious building where either you or your partner worship.
If the church or religious building does not have an authorised person appointed to register its marriages, you need to book a registrar from Newham Register Office.
You must do this in advance and pay a fee.
Either way, you must also give notice at least 28 full days before the ceremony. To learn more about giving notice, please visit our give notice of intention to marry or enter into civil partnership page.
Fees
You must pay a fee to give notice.
If you need a registrar to attend the ceremony, you must also pay a fee.
