Weddings

Getting married in Kent and Bexley

Welcome to the wedding section of akentishceremony.com. If you are looking for the perfect venue and ceremony for your big day, you've come to the right place! 

If you feel overwhelmed at the prospect of planning and booking a wedding in Kent, don't panic! We are here to help guide you through.

Kent County Council (KCC) is responsible for providing civil marriages in the county of Kent and the London Borough of Bexley and for licensing venues where these marriages may be celebrated.

If you're unsure whether you wish to have a marriage or a civil partnership and would like to learn more about the similarities and differences please click here.

Where do I start?

The first thing most couples decide on is the venue where they wish to be married. In Kent and Bexley there are more than 200 venues to choose from - including hotels, stately homes, castles, restaurants, theatres and wild animal parks for example. Or you may want to get married in one of KCC's register offices where we offer a wide variety of special venues owned or managed by the council. 

You can use this website to find a wedding venue or register office. 

We also offer an electronic version of our quarterly magazine A Kentish Ceremony which contains a wealth of helpful information, articles and ideas. You can view latest issues by clicking the images under "Read our latest issues" or request a magazine by post.

Who books staff to conduct my ceremony?

If you choose a venue, you’ll need to book your ceremony with the event staff there. They will take your details, enter your ceremony onto an online booking system and the local ceremonies team will then contact you to tell you what to do next.

If you choose a Register Office, our ceremonies team will take the booking and let you know what you need to do next. You can book by calling your local ceremonies team. 

Making your decision and what to do next

You will probably want to visit several venues before you make your final decision. It is often a good idea to book an appointment in advance so that you can speak to the venue staff and ask questions.

Once you have decided on your venue, you need to decide on the ceremony date and time. The ceremony can take place any day between 8am and 8pm.

A Registration of Marriage

You can choose to have a basic Registration of Marriage. Please note that if you are planning to have just a registration of marriage for the statutory fee of £56, this is carried out in a small room at a Register Office. Only 2 witnesses and 2 guests are allowed to attend and it does not include a Kentish Ceremony. If you would like to book a Registration of Marriage please call one of our Register offices.

Please note: All ceremonies provided by the Kent Registration Service are civil ceremonies, with no religious content (hymns, carols, and prayers for example).