Wedding Ceremony Guide for Cheshire East Cheshire 2011 | Page 23

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Book the Venue – Once you have found
your dream location (even if it’s abroad or in
church) make a provisional booking…
Book the Registrar – it is your responsibility
to ensure that you have booked the Venue
and the Registrar. Please contact our
Ceremonies Team on 01270 375140 -
they will be able to give you all the advice
you need about what to do next.
‘Give Notice’ – This confirms your booking,
and without you both doing this, the
wedding cannot take place. Notice can
be given up to one year in advance of the
ceremony date.
Authorities for Marriage - If you live outside
Cheshire East Registration Authority, we will
need your Authorities for Marriage before the
date of your ceremony. Please contact the
Ceremonies team if you need further advice.
The Ceremony – Start to think about the
ceremony, what you want to happen, and
what you want to include – remember it’s
‘Your Ceremony and Your Choice’. Try and
arrange to either meet or speak with a
member of the Ceremonies Team to discuss
your wedding plans – remember we are all
part of the same team making sure your day
is exactly what you want it to be.
Witnesses – You will need to choose two
people (either friends and/or family) to
witness your signatures in the marriage
register. They will need to be able to
understand and be present throughout the
ceremony. If you need any further advice,
please speak to your Registrar.
Passports - If after your ceremony, you are
going to change your name, then one of the
documents that you can change in advance
of the Big Day itself is your passport. This can
be amended up to three months in advance
of your ceremony.
You will need to complete a form PD2, you
can get this:
• by downloading the form as a PDF file
from www.direct.gov.uk/passports
•  from Post Office branches that offer the
Check & Send service
•  from any Regional Passport Office
•  by calling the IPS Passport Adviceline
0300 222 0000 to get the form sent out
to you.
Part of the form should be completed by you
and the whole form sent to the Ceremonies
Team for confirmation that the ceremony will
take place. The leaflet (PD1) explains this in
more detail.
What you must also remember is that any
name used for travel bookings or tickets
etc. must be the same as that shown in the
passport you will be using to travel.
Additional Certificates - On your wedding
day you will be presented with your marriage
certificate. Should you require additional
copies please speak to your Registrar prior
to the day of the ceremony. Extra copies
will help you if you are going to change
your name after the ceremony and need to
send your marriage certificate to the various
organisations where you wish your new
name to be used. The more copies you have
means that you do not have to wait for your
one certificate to come back before sending
it out to tell someone else about your
new name!
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