Apply to hold marriages and civil partnerships at your venue

Your venue and any linked outdoor areas must meet certain criteria. 

Be an appropriate venue 

Appropriate venues for marriage and civil partnership ceremonies include:

• hotels
• stately homes
• civic buildings 

Have a permanent structure

The venue must have a permanent structure as the main built premises for the approval.

For example, it cannot be a tent or marquee. However, this type of temporary structure can be used in a linked outdoor area with the built premises reserved for use in bad weather.

Be readily available

The venue must be readily available to hire for marriage and civil partnership ceremonies. 

 It cannot be somewhere that's:

• used for a one-off ceremony
• a home
• a place of business 

Be a non-religious venue

This includes having no religious connection. For example, it must not have any religious symbols, furniture or stained glass windows showing a religious scene.

Exemptions to this eligibility include: 

• applying to hold a civil partnership ceremony in a religious venue
• some listed and historic buildings 

Contact us for advice before the ceremony if you believe your premises or rooms have historically-religious iconography. 

Be freely accessible to the public 

This means that anyone can attend the service or make objections. 

Have appropriate capacity 

The designated capacity of any linked outdoor areas must not exceed the capacity of the largest, single approved room inside the venue.

This is the case even if that outdoor area could physically hold a bigger capacity. 

Have sufficient indoor space 

Where ceremonies take place in linked outdoor areas, the venue must be able to accommodate the ceremony indoors in the event of: 

• bad weather
• unseemly or undignified appearances
• other reasons determined by the attending Registrar 

Advertise outdoor areas appropriately

When advertising outdoor areas, account for the requirements for ceremonies and receptions. For more information email us at licensing@royalgreenwich.gov.uk   

Have relevant planning permission 

Some venues may need planning approval to hold marriages and civil partnership ceremonies.

Before applying for approval, make sure at your premises has the correct approval. You can contact our Planning department to find out if you need planning permission.