Getting married when you and your partner live in different districts
If you and your partner live in different register office districts, that is entirely normal and does not stop you marrying. You each give notice in person at the register office covering the district where you live, and both notices are then linked to whichever venue and district you choose for the ceremony.
Two notices, one wedding
The law asks each partner to give notice where they live, not where the wedding will be. So if one of you lives in Leeds and the other in Bristol, you each attend your own local register office to give notice — you do not need to travel together.
Choosing the ceremony district
Once both notices are given, you can marry in any district in England or Wales, provided the venue is legally approved and its registration service can provide registrars for your date. The ceremony district does not have to match either of your notice districts.
Timing across two offices
Try to book both notice appointments close together. The 28-day notice period runs separately for each of you from the date you personally give notice, so if one appointment happens weeks after the other, your overall waiting time is set by the later of the two.
What this means for you
- You do not need to live near each other, or near the venue, to marry legally.
- Book both notice appointments as close together as possible to avoid one partner's notice period holding up the other's.
- Confirm the ceremony venue's registration service can staff your date before you commit to it.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Give notice at your local register office
- GOV.UK — Marriages and civil partnerships in the UK
Last reviewed: 17 August 2026 · Next review due 17 November 2026
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Simply Married is an independent planning service, not a register office or government department. Confirm current requirements and fees with your own register office and on GOV.UK.