Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Marriage ceremony

In England and Wales, you may marry either by civil or religious ceremony.

Civil marriages can take place at:

the Register Office in Bradford and the Town Hall in Keighley, or
other building which has been approved by the Local Authority for civil marriage ceremonies and civil partnership formations, these buildings are called Approved Premises

Religious marriages can take place at:

a Church or Chapel of the Church of England, or
at any other place of worship which has been registered for marriages by the Registrar General.

Civil partnership formation

Civil partnerships give legal status to couples in permanent relationships.
A civil partnership formation, with or without the addition of a ceremony can take place at:

the Register Office in Bradford and the Town Hall in Keighley, or
other building which has been approved by the Local Authority for civil marriage ceremonies and civil partnership formations, these buildings are called Approved Premises

What is the difference between Marriage and Civil Partnership?

The main difference between a Marriage and a Civil Partnership is that a civil partnership is entered into by signing the civil partnership schedule while marriage is entered by vows and signing the marriage schedule.

See government comparison of civil partnership and marriage for same sex couples

To enter, into a marriage or civil partnership the couple must be:

over the age of 18
not lawfully married or already a civil partner
not within the prohibited degrees of relationship

A period of 28 clear days must elapse once notice of intention to register the partnership has been given before the partnership formation can take place.

Once the couple have signed the appropriate documentation in the presence of two witnesses and a registration officer the marriage or civil partnership is formed. There is no requirement for a ceremony as part of the process of forming a civil partnership, but Bradford Council offers a ceremony to those couples who wish to have one.