Marriages

You can choose a civil, humanist or a religious wedding.  Civil ceremonies can only take place at locations that hold the relevant venue licence for marriages.  Religious and Humanist marriages can take place anywhere the individual officiant deems appropriate. 

Whether your ceremony is civil, humanist or religious, the appropriate paperwork must be lodged at the Registrar’s Office in the Council District where the ceremony is taking place.

Civil ceremonies are conducted by the registrar and are non-religious. There are some legal and procedural requirements involved. The Registrar and Deputy Registrars can explain this process.  Please contact the Registrar’s Office for information on the fees that will apply to your particular date and venue.

To marry in Northern Ireland, you and your partner must be:

• aged 18 or above on the day of your wedding (consent is needed if either of you is aged 16 or 17)
• unrelated to one another in a way that would prevent you from getting married
• free to marry, for example, neither of you is already a civil partner or legally married

You must also complete a marriage notice form before your ceremony can take place.  A form is available from the council offices at the Town Hall, The Castle, Bangor, BT20 4BT. 

The form is also available online here: Marriage notice form | nidirect

​Please note that from 1st September 2017 the Registrar’s Office located in the Town Hall, Bangor Castle will be operating an appointment only system.

To make an appointment at Bangor Castle please ring 0300 013 3333 ext. 40784

These forms, which give formal 'notice' to the Registrar of your intent to marry, must be completed by you and your partner. They are valid for 12 months from the date of notice.  This means you must tell us about your plans to get married in the 12 month period before your wedding date, and no later than 28 days before your ceremony.
 
Notice forms should be returned to the registrar of the district in which you intend to marry, along with the relevant documents (listed below) and fees.
 
You will also need to provide certain documents to the registrar:

• your full (long version) birth certificate (authorised photocopies will not be accepted)
• your passport or national identity card - the Registrar can advise on alternatives if you do not hold either of these
• a consent form (if you aged 16 or 17) - these are available from the Registrar
• if you have been married before and the marriage was dissolved, a certificate of divorce or annulment or a certified copy decree (decrees must be absolute or final)
• if you have been married more than once, only the documents for your most recent marriage are required
• if you have entered into a civil partnership before, a court order of dissolution for that partnership
• if you are a widow, widower or surviving civil partner, the death certificate of your former spouse or civil partner

Marriage certificates

You can buy marriage certificates from the registrar at the point of registration. Each certificate costs £8.00. You can pay by credit/debit card, cheque or cash.

Additional marriage certificates

You cannot buy additional marriage certificates from the registrar's office at any time after registration. You can only buy these from the General Register Office in Belfast. An additional certificate costs £15.00.

General Register Office
NISRA
Colby House
Stranmillis Court
Belfast
BT9 5RR
Telephone: 0300 200 7890
General Register Office website

For information on how to convert your Marriage to a Civil Partnership please visit our website page Conversion of Civil Partnership to a Marriage or Marriage to Civil Partnership | Ards and North Down Borough Council