After welcoming everyone to the wedding, the Superintendent Registrar will remind the bride and groom of the solemn and binding character of the ceremony.
First the groom and then the bride will be required to declare that there is no lawful reason to prevent them marrying each other. The declaration is repeated, a few words at a time, after the Superintendent Registrar. The usual wording in use at the Leicester Register Office is:
I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I (your full name)
may not be joined in matrimony to (full name of partner).
The Superintendent Registrar will then say a few words about what will happen next, before asking the groom and bride to repeat the contracting vows. Once again the bridegroom will be the first to repeat the words followed by the bride. The usual wording used at the Leicester Register Office is:
I call upon these persons here present to witness that I (your full name)
do take thee (full name of fiancée)
to be my lawful wedded wife.
And
I call upon these persons here present to witness that I (your full name)
do take thee (full name of fiancé)
to be my lawful wedded husband.
The ceremony will conclude with the signing of the register. Both the bride and groom will be asked to check the entry in the marriage register to ensure that the details are correct.
Once they have confirmed that the entry is correct the bride and groom will be asked to sign the register. Their witnesses will then add their signatures to the entry.
Please note that it is very important to check the entry carefully because making any correction after signing can be a complex and lengthy process.
The Superintendent Registrar and the Registrar will then complete the entry by signing it. The Registrar will make out a certified copy of the entry (the marriage certificate) which will be presented to the bride and groom.
Once the register has been signed there is usually an opportunity for photographs to be taken.
How you can personalise the Marriage Ceremony.
