Couples may now have their marriage or civil partnership ceremony carried out by the Council’s Register Office at any time of the day or night.
A recent change in legislation means that ceremonies can be carried out 24 hours a day, across Bath and North East Somerset. In the past, couples who have wanted to get married or create civil partnerships in the district have only been able to do so between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
The new legislation will allow more venues in the area to become licensed for marriages and civil partnerships, and museums will potentially be able to stay open outside of their normal working hours in order to host ceremonies. Furthermore the change has created an opportunity for more business in the local wedding industry.
Councillor Cherry Beath (Lib-Dem, Combe Down), Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “We are delighted that this change has allowed Bath & North East Somerset Council to provide a really flexible service to couples. Our Register Office is already receiving enquiries from venues wanting to take advantage of this new opportunity to earn revenue outside normal hours of operation and have taken further bookings to have ceremonies in the evening.
“In the Guildhall, we have extended our marriage ceremonies times to allow couples to have ceremonies in the Alkmaar Room and The Russell Room up to 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.”
The historic Mayor’s Parlour, in the Bath Guildhall, is also available for evening ceremonies on Saturdays.
Pauline White and Peter Roberts, from Wotton-under-Edge, have opted for an evening ceremony to get married at the Roman Baths, at 7.30pm on Friday 8 February.
Pauline said: “We hadn’t planned for an evening ceremony initially, and went to the Pump Room with a view to a ceremony in one of the beautiful rooms available there. However when we found out that the legislation had changed and we’d be able to get married at the Great Bath in the evening, with the Abbey lit up in the background, we knew immediately that this was an unbeatable opportunity! The fact that we will be taking our vows amidst 2,000 years of history will make our commitment even more exciting and unique.”
In 2012, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Register Office conducted 1,010 marriage and civil partnership ceremonies within the district. The Council hopes that this number will increase considerably over the course of 2013, as more venues get involved, and help to boost the local economy.
If you would like more information on registering your venue for marriages and civil partnerships, please contact Alison Manning at [email protected] or call 01225 477234.
