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With our beautiful licensed venues, churches and reception facilities and some of the best weather in the UK, Hastings and St Leonards could be the perfect backdrop for your wedding day.
If you're tempted to hold your celebrations in this impressive corner of the South East, this information will help you plan your special day.
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You'll find there are lots of options when it comes to choosing the venue for your marriage or civil partnership ceremony.
In and around Hastings and St Leonards, you can choose from the Register Office, licensed hotels and historic venues, churches and other religous venues and not to mention Hastings' stunning gothic Town Hall and unique museum.
It's important you choose a venue that feels right and will be suitable for what you have planned. Take time to visit a venue at least once before you book. As well as the 'look and feel' of the place, it's important to consider practical things like access and parking.
You might find it useful to ask the following questions when visiting or contacting potential venues:
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You can marry at a range of religious and non-religious venues in England and Wales. Wheverever you marry, you'll have to get the paper work out of the way first, and there are certain things you must get sorted, most importantly you must give Notice of your Marriage.
Giving your Notices of Marriage to the Superintendent Registrar is one of the most important things you'll do in connection with your marriage. Without them there can be no marriage.
Both of you must attend the register office, in person, to give notice - no one else can go on your behalf. Notices are valid for 12 months, so should not be given more than a year before the wedding. You'll give notice in the register office in the district in which you have lived for the preceeding seven days. Once you have done this, a period of 15 clear days must elapse before the marriage can take place. On or after the 16th day, the authorities for marriage may be issued allowing the marriage to proceed. If you are not marrying in the reigster office where you gave notice, you'll have to collect the authorities of marriage and take them to the Minister at the church or the Registrar who will perform your marriage.
You may marry at any Register Office in England and Wales, even though you may not live in that district.
You'll need to contact the office where you wish to marry, arrange a date and time and then arrange to give formal notice to the office where you live (if different).
You can marry at any licensed venue across England and Wales.
These places range from hotels and castles to smaller venues like Hastings Town Hall and Durbar Hall at our museum. Arrange a date with your venue and then contact the Register Office to arrange for two Registrars to attend your marriage. You are strongly advised not to arrange a time with your venue until you have spoken to the Register Office.
You must first contact the minister of the church to make arrangements and then the Banns will normally be called, in which case you do not need to contact the register office at all.
To marry in the Church of England one of you must live in the parish in which the church is situated or be on the electoral roll of that church.
First make arrangements with your minister and then contact the Register Office in the district where you live to give notices of your marriage. Some churches will need a Registrar present as well as a Minister, so check with the Register Office at an early stage.
If you are ill or immobilised, it is sometimes possible to arrange a marriage in your own home or place of care. Talk to the Register Office to discuss these alternatives.
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Civil Partnership is a legal and formal recognition of the relationship between two people of the same sex. This partnership affords couples similar rights as married couples in areas such as tax, social security, inheritance and workplace benefits.
Anyone over 16 can register a Civil Partnership, as long as both partners are not married or in another Civil Partnership.
You must give notice of Civil Partnership and you can do this at any Register Office in your district. In East Sussex, there are four register offices; Hastings, Eastbourne, Lewes and Crowborough, so you may give notice, by appointment, at any of these.
Both partners must give notice in person - no one can go for you.
After 15 days have elapsed, the 'schedule' will be printed up in the district where the registration will take place.
There is no requirement in law for the couple to go through a Ceremony. The Partnership is formed by the couple reading a legal declaration and signing the schedule in front of the registrar and two witnesses.
However, many couples wish to celebrate the formation of their Partnership and staff at the Register Office can help you plan this. You can also choose to hold your Ceremony at one of the licensed venues across Hastings and St Leonards.
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You may choose to personalise your Ceremony by including a reading of poetry or prose either by you or one of your guests or you may wish to extend your marriage declarations.
At Register Offices, the Town Hall and Durbar Hall, you can play music and we can accommodate live music if required. Remember, all readings and music at Marriages and Civil Partnership Ceremonies must be of a non-religious nature.
Speak to the representative at your venue or the Registrar about other ways to personalise your day. You may wish to bring your own flowers into the venue or decorate the entrances for example.
For more information visit www.eastsussex.gov.uk.
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This page last updated: 25/02/2008