Celebrate Your Ceremony in Richmond upon Thames | Page 15

www.charlottesteeples.com

A civil partnership is for couples of the same
sex who wish to enter into a legally recognised
union that will give them the same legal rights
and responsibilities as a married couple.

from a religious service. Further details will be
available in your ceremony pack which will be
emailed to you once you have given your notices
of intention.

Any two people of the same sex can register
as civil partners providing they are not already
married or in a civil partnership, or are closely
related.

All civil partnership formations that take place
in an approved venue or Register Office are
arranged through the Registration Service that
is responsible for the area. However, it is the
responsibility of the couple to book the venue and
to ensure that the necessary legal preliminaries of
giving notice of intention are completed.

You will both need to give your notices of
intention and be able to state the place where
your partnership registration will take place. A
civil partnership registration can take place in any
Register Office or approved venue. You will find a
wide variety of approved venues within Richmond
borough – all of them are listed in this brochure,
and further details are available via our website on
our Licensed Venues page.
You can choose to have a ceremony and
personalise the content with vows, readings
and music to celebrate the formation of your
partnership, or you can attend with just two
witnesses and simply sign the paperwork in the
presence of a civil partnership registrar without
any form of words or vows being exchanged. The
choice is yours.
If you choose to have a ceremony, you must
remember that the law does not permit the use
of any material in a civil ceremony, including
vows, readings or music which has religious
connections or connotations, or has been taken

We operate a booking system that is strictly first
come, first served and allows bookings up to a
year to the day. Our ceremony and appointment
calendars are available online, so you can book
or check availability at any time on our marriages
and civil partnerships page. Contact us for further
information.
Please make sure that you read our ceremony
terms and conditions before making your
booking.
In October 2011, the law was changed to allow
civil partnership registration in a religious building.
The religious building where you wish to register
your partnership must be licensed by the local
authority, and you must both give your notice of
intention to your local Register Office.

14