Book your ceremony

Terms and Conditions for ceremonies provided by the London Borough of
Sutton:

Bookings

Your booking is accepted on the following conditions.

Fees are taken at the point of booking. Your ceremony booking is accepted on
the condition that:

• no legal impediment to the marriage or civil partnership exists and legal preliminaries are completed within the statutory time limits.
• at the time of booking you have the necessary paperwork to complete any legal requirements such as proof of identity, residency and freedom to marry.

If the paperwork required cannot be produced in sufficient time the marriage booking would be subject to cancellation by us with no entitlement to refund.

• any foreign divorce / dissolution papers are given clearance by the service or the Registrar General*
• the ceremony and any other fees and any increases are paid in full
• the requested date and time of the ceremony is available within the commitments of the Sutton Registration Service
• the conditions laid out under CEREMONY are adhered to

* We have no control over clearance times from the General Register Office and
any delay would need to be taken up directly with them.

Ceremony

• the couple are required to arrive 15 minutes prior to the ceremony to allow for a preliminary meeting with the registrar
• late arrival of the Couple may mean that the ceremony cannot take place as planned. The Superintendent Registrar or Deputy Superintendent Registrar on duty will have the final responsibility in this matter
• all ceremonies must take place in the room to which a licence has been granted 
• for fire, safety and comfort the number of guests must not exceed the capacity of the room. Honeywood Drawing Room 40 guests. Additional guests will not be able to remain in the ceremony room.
• please contact approved venues directly for their room capacity.
• our premises and garden are smoke free, this includes the use of electronic cigarettes, so please refrain from smoking whilst on site.
• the Superintendent Registrar is responsible for the seemly and dignified manner in which a ceremony is conducted. Any music, readings or special requests must be agreed with the service in writing prior to the ceremony.
• The Superintendent Registrar reserves the right to decline or refuse any request on legal or other appropriate grounds
• the Superintendent Registrar may at their discretion suspend a ceremony if guests behave in a way which the Superintendent Registrar reasonably believes to be inappropriate

Amendment fee

• an administration fee of £45 is payable on each occasion you require a change to a booking which we have acknowledged and which includes (by way of example) change of time; date and ceremony venue. All details that are changed at the same time will only be subject to one amendment fee.
• if you wish to move the date of your ceremony at least 30 days’ written notice must be provided. Any difference in charges and the amendment fee will be payable. If you do not provide at least 30 days’ notice any fees paid will be lost and a fresh booking will need to be made and new fees paid.
• if the legal paperwork has to be completed again following any such change the statutory fee for new paperwork will apply.

Ceremony fees

• ceremony fees are payable in full at the time of booking for all ceremonies within 1 year
• for ceremonies more than one year ahead please contact the Register Office directly register.office@sutton.gov.uk
• for ceremonies more than one year ahead a non refundable deposit of £150 will be payable. The balance of the fee is required one year before the ceremony
• fees are subject to change on the 1st April each year. The fee that is applicable on the ceremony date will apply.
• statutory fees are changed or introduced by government departments. We will charge you the fee due at the time the service is used.
• all payments should be made by debit or credit card (visa and mastercard only)

Cancellation of a ceremony booking by the couple

In the event that you need to cancel your ceremony you will be required to notify
us in writing. Any ceremony payments made will be subject to the following
refund schedule:

• more than six months before the ceremony date you will receive a 50%
• refund of the ceremony room fee paid.
• cancellations received within six months of the ceremony date no refund
• will be made on fees paid.
• the booking fee is non refundable

Right to Cancel

• you have the right to cancel any contract made within 14 days of booking without giving any reason.
• to exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us of your decision to cancel this contract either by post or email within the 14 days.

Cancellation of bookings by the Sutton Registration Service

Your ceremony may be cancelled by the Sutton Registration Service if:

• the total fees have not been paid
• legal preliminaries, before the day, cannot be completed
• you or your guests arrive late for your ceremony

Where a ceremony is unable to take place due to legal restrictions identified
during a Notice of Marriage meeting any refund will be made in line with our
cancellation policy and with the non-refundable booking and administration fee
applied.

Liability

The Sutton Registration Service will not accept liability for:

• the failure of any music system or media provided by the venue, yourself or a third party.
• any delay or loss caused by your, or your guests, late or non-arrival at the due date and time.

Late start of a ceremony

The Sutton Registration Service will not accept any liability where a ceremony is
cancelled on the day due to the late arrival of the couple and or any guests. We
reserve the right to take appropriate action to ensure other ceremonies our staff
need to attend are delivered at the agreed time.

No refund will be made in these circumstances and a new booking will need to be
made and paid for in full again if you want us to perform the ceremony at another
time (subject to staff and booking availability).

General

In the event of a 'Force Majeure', the Sutton Registration Service will endeavour
to perform your ceremony on your chosen day. We strongly recommend that you
take out ceremony insurance to cover losses or expenses incurred in the case of
events outside our control.

'Force Majeure' means war, civil war, armed conflict, terrorist attack,
governmental action, fire, flood, severe weather conditions, pandemic or
epidemic or any other act or matter which not withstanding the reasonable
diligence and foresight of Sutton Council and its partner providers, is beyond their
reasonable control.

Statutory Marriage and Civil Partnership

For couples seeking a statutory marriage or civil partnership, ceremonies are conducted on one Tuesday morning a month. The ceremony will happen in a working office room. These ceremonies are exclusively for the couple and two witnesses only.  The fee is £56,  payable at the time of your booking. 

No photography, music or readings are permitted, couples are welcome to exchange rings.

To inquire about current availability or to book a ceremony, please contact the Register Office at 020 8770 6790.

The Sutton Register Office is situated in the West Walk of Civic Offices, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA.