We're engaged... what now?

If you're recently engaged, you may well be wondering where to start at this point. A question we often get asked is: what happens once the venue is booked – how do we sort out the legal bit? We turned to the Somerset Registration Service's marketing officer, Amber Packer-Hughes, for advice.

Amber says, “The most important next step is to book your registrar. We take bookings up to two years ahead here in Somerset, though other districts vary. Do be flexible about the exact ceremony time, in case registrars already have a lot of bookings in their diary. We'll always do our best to fit your plans and normally have space, but there are only so many 2pm slots we can offer!

“The other legal step is booking your Notice of Marriage appointment. It needs to happen at least 28 days in advance, but we recommend around three to six months before the big day. This is a face-to-face meeting you both need to attend in the district where you live, even if you're marrying elsewhere. Once completed, you have up to a year to marry at your chosen venue. This is a handy flexibility in case disaster strikes and you need to postpone (we're looking at you Covid!). If you change venue you'll need to give notice again, so make sure your plans are firm first. The registrars will bring your paperwork on the day, so that's one less thing to add to your to-do list.”

For further information head over to www.somersetweddingservice.org.uk