Getting married in a religious or belief ceremony

Religious marriages

A religious ceremony may take place anywhere in Northern Ireland, with the agreement of the Officiant. Services are conducted by authorised people, according to the relevant tradition.

You still need to give notice at the Registration Office in Belfast City Hall. 

If you are getting married in a different district, for example Newtownabbey, you will give notice in Mossley Mill. Contact us if you need advice. 

Once you have given notice, we’ll let you know when you can collect the schedule. The bride or groom can collect the schedule and give it to the marriage conductor.

Humanist marriages

Humanist ceremonies are conducted by a Humanist celebrant.

You can't have a humanist ceremony in Belfast City Hall, but you do still need to give notice at our Registration Office if your ceremony is in the Belfast district.

Once you have given notice, we’ll let you know when you can collect the schedule.

The bride or groom can collect the schedule and give it to the humanist celebrant.

Collecting your marriage schedule

You will need to book an appointment to collect your marriage schedule from City Hall. We can't issue the schedule more than 14 days before the marriage and only you or your partner can collect it.

How to book

• Go to our appointment booking form (link opens in new window).
• Choose the ‘short appointments’ option on the top of the form. 
• Select ‘marriage schedule collection’ on the drop-down menu when booking.

After you book, you’ll get a confirmation email with more details about your appointment. If you don’t see this, please check your junk or spam mail folder.

Returning your marriage schedule

After your wedding ceremony, you need to book an appointment with us to return your marriage schedule. It must be returned within three working days of your ceremony.

It’s an important document so we recommend bringing it to the Registration Office in Belfast City Hall instead of posting it. 

At the appointment, you can also pay for and collect your marriage certificate.

How to book

• Go to our appointment booking form (link opens in new window).
• Choose the ‘short appointments’ option on the top of the form. 
• Select ‘marriage schedule return’ on the drop-down menu when booking.

After you book, you’ll get a confirmation email with more details about your appointment. If you don’t see this, please check your junk or spam mail folder.
 

Marriage fees for religious ceremony

The fee for a religious wedding is £44. Marriage fees are payable in full at the time of giving notice.

More information

You can contact the Registration Office by calling 028 9027 0455 or emailing [email protected].

You can find details of the ceremony format, including information about your dress, music and flowers in our marriages and civil partnerships brochure.