Oxfordshire, the place to marry Oxfordshire 2017 | Page 7

Booking a Wedding Ceremony
Once you have settled on the date and venue for
your marriage and made a provisional booking,
you will need to get in touch with the helpdesk
on 0345 241 2489 to ask if Registrars will be
available on the day and at the time you want.
It is essential that you do this before making
any other arrangements.
Registration Office Weddings
There are several ceremony rooms across the
county, in Abingdon, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot,
Henley-on-Thames, Oxford, Wheatley (part
time) and Witney. They all vary in style, size and
appearance, from the more traditional rooms,
such as Oxford’s wood-panelled Dexter Room
and Banbury’s Bodicote House to the purpose-
built modern Broadway Room in Didcot. You can
see a list of these, with photos, on pages 32 and
33. Please note, apart from Oxford, not all offices
are open every weekend.
Time restrictions on ceremonies have been
lifted, so you can now marry at any time subject
to staff availability. Provisional bookings can
be taken in advance of your legal Notices of
Marriage.
Notice of Marriage
After booking your wedding at a Registration
Office or an approved venue, both of you will
need to give your Notices of Marriage. Details of
how to do this are on pages 4 to 6.
Marriages in Churches
A religious ceremony may take place in any
religious building which has been registered
for worship and marriages. Your first contact
should be with the church minister where you
would like to marry and they will advise you
further. Following their agreement to conduct
your ceremony, you may need to contact the
Register Office where you live
(see page 4 - ‘Giving Notice of Marriage’).
The Register Office for Oxfordshire is situated in The telephone number for the Oxfordshire
the heart of Oxford city centre and its helpdesk
Register Office is 0345 241 2489.
is pleased to answer questions on arranging a
wedding in any of the rooms in the county.
You may find the following links useful:
www.achurchnearyou. com
Call 0345 241 2489 for further information
www.yourchurchwedding.org
on the rooms, their capacity for guests and to
discuss any special requirements you or your
Marriage Abroad
guests may have, such as provision for people
Tying the knot abroad is becoming an
with disabilities.
increasingly popular option. If you are thinking
of doing this, please contact the appropriate
Approved Venues
country’s embassy in England for advice on the
Instead of having your wedding in a Registration formalities and documentation required.
Office, you could opt to hold it in one of the
many diverse approved venues throughout
Insurance
Oxfordshire, from an old Cotswold hotel or
If, for whatever reason, you need to change
a famous city centre museum to an Oxford
your plans, it could be extremely expensive.
College. The only difficulty will be making your
Therefore, it makes sense to take out insurance
decision!
against this possibility.
Registrars are happy to attend marriages at
approved venues on any day, including Sundays
and Bank Holidays (excluding Christmas Day).
• For a complete list of approved venues,
see pages 34 - 36.
www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/registration
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