Blackpool Council - Marriages & Civil Partnerships

Arranging Your Ceremony

Decide on the venue and preferred date
A Notice is valid for a specific venue only. If you change your mind on the venue, you will have to Give Notice again and pay the fee again.
Contact the venue to check availability
You can book a date at Blackpool Register Office exactly one year to the day in advance.
You can probably book a date at a hotel further in advance of this, but you will only be able to book the registrars one year to the day in advance.
Contact the Register Office to provisionally book the registrars for the ceremony.
To provisionally book your preferred date and time, you will need to pay a one-off booking fee which is non-refundable. This will become a permanent booking once you have given Notice. For our up-to-date fees, click on Register Office Fees.
Make an appointment to give Notice
You need to give notice at the Register Office located in the district where you reside. For residents within the Local Authority District of Blackpool, use the contact details on the right. If you reside outside Blackpool and you would like to locate your nearest office, use this DirectGov link to Search for a Register Office.
Decide on the format of your ceremony
After you have given Notice, you will be given a marriage or a civil partnership information pack (either in person or by post, depending on where you gave Notice). The pack contains a choice of the legally binding phrases that must be spoken by each person and a choice of suggested formats for the ceremony.

Remember, you can tailor the ceremony to suit you. You can incorporate readings, poems and your own choice of music on CD. If you decide to include poems or readings in your ceremony, you should let the Superintendent Registrar see them beforehand.

The only thing to remember is that you cannot include any religious content (such as hymns or readings and poems with a religious slant). Civil ceremonies by their very nature must remain non-religious.
Collect your ‘Blues’ (if applicable)
When you give Notice, you will be advised of the date that your Legal Preliminaries (often referred to by our staff as 'Blues') can be issued. This is usually 16 days after your Notice appointment.

If your ceremony is taking place in Blackpool, you need do nothing else. The Blues will be issued and kept at the Register Office. The registrar will be responsible for bringing the Blues to your ceremony.

If your marriage is outside the Blackpool boundary, you will be given the earliest date that you can collect your Blues. You should phone us first to let us know that you will be calling in to collect them, we can then make sure that they are ready for you.

At the earliest opportunity, you should then give your Blues either to the Superintendent Registrar or to the religious person who will be officiating at your wedding. The Superintendent Registrar or religious person will then keep them safe until your ceremony date.
Discuss the format and pay for your ceremony
When you do this depends on where you are holding your ceremony.

If your ceremony is being held at The Register Office, you will discuss and pay on the day. You should arrive 15 minutes before the ceremony time. You should bring your chosen wording, any readings or poems, your choice of music (preferably on CD) and the ceremony fee.

If your ceremony is being held at an Approved Venue, the Town Hall or the Main Ceremonies Room of the new sea-front Register Office, you should book an appointment at The Register Office at least a month before the ceremony in order to discuss your requirements. You should bring your chosen wording, any readings or poems and the ceremony fee.

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