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Civil Partnerships
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 introduced a new legal relationship for same-sex couples wishing to make a formal, lifelong commitment to each other.
Trafford Borough Council and the Trafford Registration Service are delighted to offer civil partnership registrations, with the option of a civil partnership ceremony to accompany the registration.
We promise to provide a courteous and responsive service and a ceremony which will be conducted in a sincere and professional manner. We are dedicated to making your partnership ceremony a special occasion which you will remember as one of the happiest days of your life.
As far as possible we will tailor your ceremony to meet your own personal choices and encourage you to include readings, poems and music. The only restriction is that there must be no religious content to the ceremony.
If you wish to keep the event private and simple you may choose to sign the partnership register in the Mayor's Parlour at Sale Town Hall in the presence of two witnesses.
If you decide to make a special occasion of your partnership registration you may wish to invite family and friends and hold a partnership ceremony in our larger room at Sale Town Hall. This room provides the ideal setting for such an event and will accommodate up to 50 guests.
Making a booking
You may hold the ceremony in Trafford, regardless of where you live, but you must give notice of your partnership registration to your own local register office.
You will need to make an appointment to give notice of Civil Partnership. We offer appointments Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 4.30pm
Call the register office on 0161 912 3026 to make an appointment.
The fee is £30 for each notice.
Your Civil Partnership Ceremony
Your ceremony will begin with a welcome and introduction by the celebrant who explains that you will be making a formal and public declaration of your love, and a promise of lifelong dedication to each other.
There is an opportunity at this point for a reading.
You will then be invited to make the declarations which you will later sign in your civil partnership schedule. Each of you will be asked to recite the following words:
- In the presence of our family, friends and witnesses here today, I declare that I know of no legal reason why we may not register as each others civil partner. I understand that on signing the partnership schedule we will be forming a civil partnership with each other.
You will each then be invited to make your second declaration as follows:
- I.......promise you......to be loving, faithful, loyal and kind and to support you for as long as we live, whatever the future may bring. You are my partner, my friend and the one I love.
Or
- I promise you that I will cherish our love and I will be faithful as your partner and your friend until my life ends.
The moment will then arrive for the exchanging of rings (or gifts). If you are exchanging rings, you will each be asked to place your ring on your partner's finger and say following words, which may be varied by prior arrangement:
- I give you this ring, on this special day in our lives, as a symbol of my everlasting love and commitment to you. I hope that you will wear it with happiness and pride, now and always.
(If you wish to say additional words of your own choosing, this is an ideal opportunity)
There is an opportunity here for a further reading.
The Partnership Registrar will conclude the ceremony with the following form of words:
- ....... and ......... you have made commitments to each other in the presence of your family, friends and witnesses and in so doing you have made a promises to live your lives together.
- I shall now invite ....... and ........ and the witnesses to sign the partnership schedule and then in a few moments you will be welcome to take some photographs.
- ........and .........from this time on you are legally recognized as civil partners and we wish you success and happiness in your future life together.
- Optional kiss/hug
- Applause
You will then be presented with your certificate and receive the congratulations of your guests.
Finally......
This is just a short guide to what happens during a Partnership Ceremony, if you have any queries at all please contact us, we will be happy to discuss your plans with you.
Fees
Both parties must give notice of civil partnership to the register office for the area in which they live. The fee for each notice is £30.
Partnership registration at a register office:
The statutory fee for the partnership formation (signing the schedule) at a register office is £43.50, which includes the cost of a certified copy certificate.
At Trafford Register Office couples will be given the option of adding a partnership ceremony at no extra cost.
Partnership registration at an approved premises:
An approved premises is a venue that has been licensed by the Local Authority. The cost depends on the day:
- Monday - Friday: £200
- Saturday: £230
- Sunday/Bank Holiday: £280
Approved premises
We have a wide variety of premises for you to choose from. See our list of approved premises for full details.
Who to contact
Trafford Register Office
Sale Town Hall
Sale Waterside
Sale
M33 7ZF
Email: registrars@trafford.gov.uk
Telephone: 0161 912 3026
Fax: 0161 912 3031
Textlink: 0161 912 1855
This page was last reviewed on 24 September 2009
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