Essex Register Office
You can get married or form a civil partnership in the Essex Register Office in Chelmsford. The Register Office is only available on Mondays and Thursdays. This does not include bank holidays.
We are accepting new bookings for ceremonies of marriage and civil partnership formations up to one year in advance
Attendees
Until 31 October 2024 the maximum attendance at Essex Register Office ceremonies is 12 people. This includes the couple and two witnesses, plus eight other guests.
From 1 November 2024 we will no longer be offering the current statutory ceremony package. It will be replaced with You Plus Two. This is an intimate ceremony for just the couple and their two witnesses.
Fees
It costs £56 to get married or form a civil partnership in the Essex Register Office.
Each certificate costs £12.50. You can choose how many certificates you would like to purchase.
This must be paid in full at the time of booking.
Plan your ceremony
There are certain legal things that have to happen in advance of your ceremony.
You must give your notice of marriage or civil partnership and book a registrar before completing your ceremony planner.
After you've booked your registrar and given notice, complete and return a ceremony planner to make your special day go smoothly.
Planner for ceremonies taking place before 31 October 2024 (DOC, 52.01KB).
Planner for ceremonies taking place from 1 November 2024 (DOC, 52.64KB).
Using the wrong version of the planner won’t change the number of guests you can include. All ceremonies from 1st November 2024 will be “You Plus Two”, for the couple plus 2 witnesses only.
You need to fill in a planner and email it to registration@essex.gov.uk ideally at least 10 weeks before your ceremony. If you miss this date please still send it in and we will check your choices as quickly as we can.