Booking Terms and Conditions for Ceremonies in Cambridgeshire

A ceremony or appointment booking is accepted on the condition that:

There is no impediment in marriage or civil partnership legislation to prevent notice being given or the event taking place
Legal preliminaries are completed within statutory time limits (noting we do not issue schedules on a Saturday, Sunday or a Bank Holiday)
Any foreign divorce/dissolution papers are accepted by the Registrar General where applicable
That Home Office permission is granted where applicable
That all relevant fees are paid in full in accordance with required timescales (see below)
The requested date and time of the ceremony, and any associated notice, is available within our commitments
That for civil partnerships and marriages you provide two suitable witnesses (legally our staff cannot act as witnesses)
That for non-statutory ceremonies (Naming and Renewal of Vows ceremonies) you accept these do not confer any legal status or rights
That once a notice has been signed you understand that legally it is only valid for the exact location stated, and only valid for 12 months.
Any request to post any documents is at your own risk, even if the postal service is paid for
Citizenship ceremonies are subject to regulations imposed by the Home Office therefore we cannot accept any liability for circumstances outside our control
Public health or government restrictions may impact on ceremonies, such as, but not limited to, numbers of guests permitted to attend the ceremony

Fees

Fees are published on our website cambridgeshireceremonies.co.uk/fees Our locally set fees are subject to change on 1 April each year, statutory fees changes can take place at any time. As we take bookings in advance, if the fee changes between the time of booking and the date of your ceremony we reserve the right to pass on any fee increases to you.

Once you have booked and paid for a ceremony or appointment you have 14 days to cancel it in writing (including e-mail). In such cases you will be required to pay a cancellation fee in proportion to the costs of the services provided up until the date you communicated your cancellation of the booking

Ceremony fees are payable in full at the time of booking. An administration fee for certificates is taken once notice is given / when requested by us – whichever is sooner. An administration fee is payable whenever details of a booking are changed, and is inclusive of multiple changes if made at exactly the same time. This includes (but is not limited to) changing the time, date or venue of a ceremony after a booking is made. Such changes may incur increased fees (such as changing to a higher price band) or the legal requirement to give new notices. For cancellation of ceremonies please see relevant sections below.
An administration fee is taken at the time of booking for all notice appointments. Provided you turn up on time with all original valid documents and meet the legal criteria notice will be taken and the admin fee utilised accordingly. You may re-schedule your appointment once free of charge provided you give us at least 2 full working days notice (Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays). If you give less notice, fail to turn up, fail to turn up on time and we are unable to proceed due to other appointments, we are unable to take the notice due to you not following the information provided on booking or you cancel completely this fee is forfeit. If we have to cancel the appointment for any reason we will re-schedule free of charge but no refund will be due.
Postage and handling fees are paid for at your own risk.

Cancellation of Ceremony Bookings by Us

Your ceremony may be cancelled by Cambridgeshire Registration Service if the total fees have not been paid and / or legal preliminaries cannot be completed due to any normal reason.

If the ceremony cannot be completed solely due to any temporary Government/ Local Government restriction or legislation in place, for example (but not limited to) social distancing or lockdown as a result of a pandemic, then the ceremony will be re-scheduled once free of charge - otherwise the conditions below will apply.

No refund will be made where the couple fail to notify the Registration Service after the notice of marriage or notice of civil partnership of any restrictions that affect the legality of the ceremony or registration.

Cancellation of Ceremony Bookings by the Couple

In the event that you need to cancel your ceremony for any reason you will be required to notify us in writing (including email). Where you have previously moved a ceremony and then subsequently cancelled the following will apply from the original ceremony date. Any ceremony payments will be subject to the following refund schedule, based on the date we received such a request from one of the parties in writing (including e-mail):

More than 6 calendar months before the ceremony date you will receive a full refund of the fees paid (subject to the deduction of the administration fee)
Between 6 calendar months and 3 calendar months before the ceremony date you will receive a 75% refund of the fees paid (subject to the deduction of the administration fee)
Between 3 calendar months and 30 days before the ceremony date you will receive a 50% refund of the fees paid (subject to the deduction of the administration fee)
Less than 30 days before the ceremony or failure to cancel in writing before the ceremony date no refund will be made on fees paid
Notice Fees are statutory fees and cannot therefore be refunded
Please include your ceremony date, location and reference number. The refund will be made to the original payee and if paid by card, refunded by card. If cash or cheque was used, the refund will be by cheque which may take longer to issue. All refunds will be processed within 30 days of receipt of the required written confirmation.

The Ceremony

We will provide the ceremony delivered at a venue of your choice..

The content of some ceremonies has a range of additional options that needs to be agreed with us in advance of the ceremony.

Marriage or civil partnership registrations, delivered at our Registration offices, are subject to specific booking conditions and exclusive to limited week day availability. The content of a marriage or civil partnership registration is predetermined and not subject to customisation.

All ceremonies are exclusively delivered by Registration Service staff to ensure a high degree of solemnity in keeping with the occasion and so that legal requirements are maintained. The Registration Service reserve the right to make the final decision on any wording used, and will not accept liability for any omission, which may be caused by reasons beyond its control.

We will allocate personnel to attend your ceremony and reserve the right to substitute other experienced and qualified staff in case of sickness or other unforeseen circumstances on the day.

Registration Staff will decide on the day if a ceremony can be held outside at a venue with an approved outside structure and their decision is final.

For fire, safety and comfort the number of guests (which includes all babies and children) must not exceed the capacity of the room. Additional guests over this number will be excluded from the ceremony. Please liaise with your venue to ensure that the number they are licensed for is not exceeded; this will save any disappointment on your special day.

Liability

We do not accept liability for:

Ceremonies

The failure of any music system provided by the venue, yourself or a third party
Any delay or loss caused by your late or non-arrival at the due date and time
Any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to delay the ceremony
Any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to cancel a ceremony on the day following the decision of Registration Staff to move the ceremony inside as set out below under ‘Outside Ceremonies’
Approval of the venue is granted only in connection with the provision of ceremonies. We cannot accept liability for the failure or neglect on behalf of the venue, for any agreement between you and the venue for the use or provision of any services and/or facilities.
Any loss or compensation where a ceremony is stopped from proceeding because (a) it would be void if it went ahead, (b) an offence under the Marriage or Civil Partnership Acts would be committed, and (c) it would be against the public interest
Where a ceremony is cancelled on the day due to the late arrival of the couple and/or any guests. We reserve the right to take appropriate action to ensure other ceremonies our staff need to attend are delivered at the agreed time. No refund will be made in these circumstances
Any loss to the extent that it is caused by a Force Majeure event as described below.

We strongly recommend that you take out suitable ceremony insurance to cover any losses or expenses incurred. We cannot recommend any particular insurance provide for you.

Other appointments and services

Any delay or loss caused by your late or non-arrival at the due date and time
Any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to delay the appointment
Any delay or loss relating to items posted out to you. Our liability ends at the point we hand the item over to the relevant postal service
Any loss or compensation where an appointment is stopped from proceeding because (a) it would be void if it went ahead, (b) an offence under the relevant Registration Acts would be committed, and (c) it would be against the public interest
Any loss to the extent that it is caused by a Force Majeure event as described below

General

In the event of a 'Force Majeure', we will endeavour to perform your ceremony on your chosen day. We strongly recommend that you take out ceremony insurance to cover losses or expenses incurred in the case of events outside our control.

'Force Majeure' means war, civil war, armed conflict, terrorist attack, governmental action, fire, flood, severe weather conditions, pandemic or epidemic or any other act or matter which notwithstanding the reasonable diligence and foresight of Cambridgeshire County Council and its partner providers, is beyond their reasonable control.

Any reference to working days does not include Saturday, Sunday, Bank or Public holidays.

Animals (with the exception of assistance dogs) are not permitted at our own ceremony rooms but this is discretionary for Approved Venues and MUST be discussed at the time of booking and after prior agreement with your venue. An additional charge of £40.00 will be applied to your booking and is a non-refundable payment. A member of the Ceremonies Team will contact you to complete a checklist before the ceremony date, animals will not be permitted to attend a ceremony without this.

Outside ceremonies

Many couples wish to have their ceremony outside and we will do everything we can to ensure your ceremony lives up to your expectations. Outdoor ceremonies can take place at our approved venues during the period 1 March to 31 October.

If you wish to hold your civil ceremony outside at an approved venue, you have two options:

A permanent licensed outdoor structure, such as a pavilion or summerhouse. This must be included in the venue’s license granted by Cambridgeshire County Council. The law states that civil ceremonies must be performed with all parties within the licensed structure. ‘All parties’ mean the couple, the two Registration Officers, the two witnesses. In addition, there must be a table large enough to complete the legal paperwork.
An area of land within the boundaries of a licensed venue, such as a lawn or courtyard. This area must have been approved by the Superintendent Registrar and fulfil the requirement to be ‘seemly and dignified’. It is possible to erect a temporary structure, for example a marquee or gazebo, on this approved area of land.

Please consult with your chosen venue directly to determine which options for outside ceremonies they are able to offer.

The venue must also provide alternative licenced facilities set up for a ceremony inside in case the conditions do not allow the ceremony to take place outside. If the inside room is not large enough for all the guests, the couple will have to decide who joins them in the room. Our conditions for a ceremony being moved inside include but are not exclusive to:

Rain, damp conditions or the likelihood of showers and snow or intense heat and sunshine.
Unsuitable conditions for our staff to wear registration service ceremony attire, normally a business suit. An example would be if a coat was needed due to cold weather.
The paperwork being put at risk by damp conditions, winds, rain or snow as the schedule is a unique document that cannot be replicated and must be protected at all times. Your guests being unable to hear the ceremony and at risk of being uncomfortable.

Once the ceremony has started, it cannot be moved. However, please do not let your day be spoilt if your ceremony cannot take place outside. The indoor alternative will be just as lovely - consider it a bonus if the weather is kind to you. The alternative room must be licensed by Cambridgeshire County Council and set up ready for the ceremony to be moved. The decision as to where your ceremony will take place is made by the Registration Staff present on the day and their decision is final.

You agree to the above conditions and that the final decision on where the ceremony takes place is the responsibility of the Registration Staff in attendance on the day. You agree to use the alternative indoor licensed ceremony room if the ceremony cannot take place outside and to decide who comes into the room if the capacity is below our guest numbers. If you do not accept these terms and conditions, the ceremony will be held inside.

Customer Contact

It is your responsibility to ensure that you update us in writing (including e-mail) with any changes to relevant contact details, such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Most questions can be answered by reading all the pages on our website at cambridgeshireceremonies.co.uk. If there are still further queries the quickest way to contact us is via cambridgeshireceremonies.co.uk/contact, or you can call the Contact Centre on 0345 045 1363.

We take customer complaints very seriously. We subscribe to the principles of The Local Government Ombudsman - Commission for Local Administration in England - Remedies Guidance on good practice. Any complaint or claim must be made in writing to the Cambridgeshire Registration Service, Huntingdon Library, Princes Street, Huntingdon PE29 3PA, or email to regadmin@cambridgeshire.gov.uk no later than 21 working days after the ceremony or appointment.

Your information

Sharing your information

We may disclose your information to others, but only where this is necessary, either to comply with our legal obligations or as permitted by Data Protection Legislation. This includes for the purpose of the prevention and/or detection of crime, or where it is necessary to allow a third party working for or acting on behalf of Cambridgeshire County, to provide a service.

Obtaining your information

Under Data Protection Legislation you have a right to ask for and receive a copy of the information we hold about you. To exercise this right please write to or e-mail data.protection@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
More information about your rights is available on the Information Commissioner's website.

Definitions

"Data Protection Legislation"
i. the Data Protection Act 1998
ii. the Data Protection Act 2018 to the extent that it relates to processing of Personal Data
iii. the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679),
iv. the Law Enforcement Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/680) and
v. any applicable national implementing Laws as amended from time to time and privacy and all applicable Law about the processing of Personal Data and privacy.

Other

“us” and “we” – Cambridgeshire Registration Service
“you” – a party to the ceremony
“ceremony” – civil partnership formation, civil partnership ceremony, marriage ceremony, citizenship ceremonies and non-statutory services (for example (but not limited to) naming ceremonies and renewal of vow ceremonies)
“legal impediment” – this relates solely to legislative aspects that are in contravention of permanent marriage or civil partnership legislation. This does not include any temporary Government restriction or legislation in place, for example (but not limited to) social distancing or lockdown as a result of a pandemic

‘Marriage and Civil Partnership Acts’ means the Acts of Parliament (and any regulations made under those Acts) covering the legal preliminaries to, the solemnization and registration of a civil marriage/civil partnership either in a register office or approved premises within England and Wales provided these are permanent.
‘Venue’ means Approved Premise

Public health or Government restrictions may impact on ceremonies, either now or in the future (such as, but not limited to, numbers of guests). There is no refund / financial compensation for any such impact.