Terms and conditions

Your booking is subject to the following terms and conditions, please read these carefully.

These terms and conditions are divided into the following sections:

1. Ceremonies terms and conditions

2. Appointments terms and conditions

3. Rebooking, rescheduling and cancellation policy

4. General terms and conditions

1. Ceremonies terms and conditions

Your ceremony booking is accepted subject to the terms and conditions set out in this document and on the basis that you agree to the terms and conditions in their entirety.

1.1  A ceremony for the purpose of the booking policy is defined as a:

a. Marriage Ceremony

b. Civil Partnership Ceremony

c. Renewal of Vows

d. Naming Ceremony

e. Commitment Ceremony

1.2 Payment must be paid in full at the time of the booking to secure a date for your ceremony in our diary.

1.3 It is the responsibility of the couple to ensure that they complete the legal preliminaries to the marriage correctly, and within the statutory time limits.

1.4 If at any point it is alleged that a legal impediment to a marriage or civil partnership exists, the Superintendent Registrar has a legal duty to investigate before the ceremony can take place. London Borough of Waltham Forest Registration Service cannot be held accountable for any resulting delay, postponement or cancellation of your ceremony and financial loss that may occur.

1.5 If either party has gone through a foreign divorce/dissolution of a previous marriage/civil partnership and decide to book a ceremony against the advice of London Borough of Waltham Forest Registration Service, before the divorce/dissolution has been approved, no refunds or financial compensation will be given if the marriage cannot take place due to the processing times or decision of the Registrar General.

1.6 Both parties must be available to meet with the Registrars at the ceremony venue no later than 20 minutes before the ceremony start time. In the event of late arrival your ceremony will be subject to rebooking and the full fee for the ceremony will apply.

1.7  London Borough of Waltham Forest Registration Service will not be held responsible for any financial loss, delay, postponement, or cancellation caused by the late arrival of the couple or guests. The registrars attending your ceremony have other ceremonies to attend throughout the day and cannot allow the lateness of one ceremony to impact upon another.

1.8 The ceremony must be legally compliant and of a dignified nature. London Borough of Waltham Forest Registration Service shall have the final decision on any wording and the content of the ceremony from start to finish.

1.9 Your registrar reserves the right to stop your ceremony from proceeding if:

• Either of the parties to a marriage or civil partnership appear to be acting under duress.
• Either of the parties to a marriage or civil partnership appear to be intoxicated and are therefore unable to understand the nature and purpose of the ceremony.
• Either of the parties to a marriage or civil partnership appear to lack the mental capacity to understand the nature and purport of the ceremony.
• A lawful objection is made before or during the ceremony.

1.10 No food, drink (including alcohol) or animals (with the exception of assistance dogs) are permitted at Waltham Forest Town Hall, or in ceremony rooms at other licensed venues.

1.11 Any gifts, flowers or general goods delivered to, or left at, the Town Hall in conjunction with your ceremony are not the responsibility of the staff at the Town Hall.

1.12 London Borough of Waltham Forest Registration service will allocate staff to attend your ceremony but is unable to guarantee the attendance of an individual registrar and reserves the right to substitute other qualified staff in the event of sickness or other unforeseen circumstances on the day.

1.13 You must provide two witnesses who are over the age of 16 and can speak and understand English to witness the marriage/civil partnership. London Borough of Waltham Forest Registration Service staff cannot act as witnesses. It is your duty to provide witnesses for your ceremony. 

1.15 It is an offence under section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 to enter into a marriage to help facilitate a stay in the United Kingdom. If a ceremony or appointment does not go ahead due to UK Visa and Immigration intervention, no refund shall be payable or financial compensation given for any losses incurred.

1.16 Melsetter Suite, Marigold Suite, Honeysuckle suite, Wilhelmina Suite and Foyer faces onto Fellowship Square fountain and Garden area.  These areas are used by the public and may be used for organised events.  Possible noise from these areas must be considered when selecting your chosen room as this may mean the windows may need to be closed during the ceremony.  By booking one of these rooms, you will be accepting all the terms and conditions.

1.17 If the ceremony cannot take place due to any of the above terms and conditions you are subject to the cancellation and amendment fees set out below.

2. Appointments terms and conditions

Appointment booked are subject to terms and conditions set out in this document and on the basis that you agree to the terms and conditions in their entirety.

2.1 All customers who have appointments with London Borough of Waltham Forest Registrar Service must arrive at the agreed time of their appointment.

2.2 Customers who arrive late for their appointments will not be seen and are subject to the rescheduling and rebooking policy below.

2.3 Customers agree to provide all original documents required (as per the guidance on our website) at the time of their appointment. Customers arriving without the correct documents will not be seen and are subject to the rescheduling and rebooking policy below. Photocopies/scanned copies will not be accepted.

2.4 Customers with foreign divorces agree to provide the documentation required by the General Register Office in order to assess if their divorce is valid in England and Wales.

2.5 London Borough of Waltham Forest Registration Service will not be held accountable for processing times of outside bodies e.g. UK Visa and Immigration, the General Register Office.

3. Rebooking, rescheduling and cancellation policy

Booking fees and deposits

3.1 If you attend the appointment/ceremony, the fees paid in advance will be used as payment for the service.

If you are unable to attend your appointment or ceremony, please see the rescheduling and cancellation details listed below.

Rescheduling notice appointments

3.2 All appointments can be rescheduled once (subject to availability) provided you give 28 days or more notice. Any further changes will result in the full fee being charged.

3.3 If the alternative date incurs a higher fee, the difference must be paid at the time of rescheduling.

3.4 If the alternative date incurs a lower fee than your previous date no refund will be given.

3.5 If you give less than 42 days’ notice you will have to rebook the appointment and pay the booking fee again.

3.6 Appointments can be rescheduled in writing - by letter (the 42 days will be measured from receipt of your message) or emailing ceremonies@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Ceremonies

3.7 All ceremonies can be rescheduled to a different day, time and/or room within your chosen licensed venue (subject to availability). An administration fee of £40.00 will be payable each time a change is made.

3.8 If the change is made less than 6 weeks (42 days) before the original booking, the booking is subject to our cancellation policy. A new booking would need to be made and paid for in full.

3.9 If the alternative date or room incurs a higher fee, the difference must be paid at the time of rescheduling. If your alternative date or room has a lower fee the difference will be refunded providing this is at least 6 weeks (42 days) before the original ceremony date.

3.10 Once you change or reschedule a ceremony you lose your rights to a refund at a later date.

Cancellations

Appointment

3.11 Booking fees are non-refundable in all circumstances.

Ceremonies

3.12 The full ceremony fee less £100 is refundable provided you give us 42 days or more notice of your intention to cancel.

3.13 Failure to attend your ceremony will be considered a cancellation without sufficient notice, and as such no fees will be refunded.

3.14 Ceremonies must be cancelled in writing - by letter or email only. You will need to include the full details of the ceremony booking (the date, time, venue and your full names) and the method of payment. It is also helpful if you are able to supply the date of payment and/or the authorisation code number which can be found on the payment receipt.

3.15 Cancellation requests should be emailed to Ceremonies@walthamforest.gov.uk

4. General terms and conditions

4.1 In the event of an emergency, disaster or extreme weather conditions Waltham Forest Registration Service will do everything it can to ensure your ceremony/appointment takes place on your chosen day and at the allotted time. However, Waltham Forest Registration Service cannot be held responsible and is not liable for any ceremony/appointment which has to be cancelled as a result of such events, which are outside our control.

4.2 Customers for ceremonies and their guests may not occupy the rooms at The Town Hall, earlier than the time agreed, and must vacate the room and/or the premises no later than the time agreed.

4.3 For fire safety the maximum capacity of all our rooms cannot be exceeded. If the number of guests exceeds the capacity of the room some guests will be excluded.

4.4 Ceremonies can only take place in venues that have been licensed for this purpose.  Waltham Forest Registration Service cannot take responsibility for any failure on the part of licensed venues to provide additional services, not covered by this licence.

We strongly recommend that all of our customers take out their own independent insurance against the possibility of cancellation or the postponement of any part of their celebrations.

• Appointments are:
  • Notices of Marriage,
  • Notices of Civil Partnership
  •  Private Citizenship Ceremonies.
• Ceremonies are:
  •  Marriages, Civil Partnership Ceremonies
  •  Renewal of Vows
  •  Naming Ceremonies.