Before you can marry in a Register Office you must both give notice of your marriage to the Superintendent Registrar of the Registration District in which you have had your usual place of residence for 8 consecutive nights. You must give both notices before you break your residences.

A statutory minimum period of 15 days must then elapse before the Superintendent Registrar may issue the authority for the marriage to go ahead.

If you live in different registration districts then you must each arrange to give notice to the Superintendent Registrar of your district. Your personal attendance is required by law and you cannot nominate your partner or any other person to attend in your place.

A notice of marriage cannot be given more than 12 months before the date of the marriage.

You will need to make an appointment to give notice of your intention to marry.

If you wish to make an appointment within the next 10 days to give notice of marriage, you can:

• Book an appointment online
• call the register office on 0161 912 3026

When you visit the office, you must bring with you:

• Documentary evidence relating to your name, age, marital status and nationality i.e. your passport (and/or your birth certificate if you were born in Great Britain) and one other form of identity
• Documents relating to change of name and a divorce decree absolute or the death certificate of your former spouse if you have been married before
• Proof of your current address e.g. driving licence, council tax bill, bank statement etc.

Only original or court sealed documents can be accepted. If either of you is under the age of 18 years, the person or authority in charge of you will need to give their consent before notice can be given.

Rules were introduced in February 2005 for people subject to immigration controls who plan to marry in the UK.

If you are a British citizen, a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or you have a certificate of entitlement giving you right of abode in the UK in your passport, you are not subject to immigration controls. The new rules do not apply to you.

If you are coming into the UK from overseas to get married, you must have either a fiancé or fiancée or marriage visitor visa in your passport in order to give notice of marriage to a registrar.

If you are already in the UK, you will need to either have a settled status in the UK, or apply to the Home Office for a certificate of approval before giving notice of marriage to a registrar.

Whether you are overseas or already in the UK, you may need to give notice of marriage to a registrar at a designated register office. The nearest designated register office is Manchester, telephone 0161 234 5504.

For further information please visit the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website or telephone 0870 241 0645.

The new rules will not affect your choice of venue for the wedding ceremony.

We want you to enjoy your wedding day and whether your wedding is large or small, formal or informal, we will do our best to make it a day to remember.

Some couples choose to have a very simple ceremony, whilst others may wish to add readings or poetry. You may prefer to enter the marriage room together or the bride may choose to enter the room with a relation or friend when all the guests are assembled. The choice is yours.

If you would like a photographer at your wedding or if any of your friends want to take photographs, we ask that flash photography is delayed until the end of the ceremony. If you would like a video camera operating during the ceremony, please let the Superintendent Registrar know.

We have a limited choice of classical or popular music that is available to be played at ceremonies.

If you prefer to use your own music, please let us know in advance what music you will be bringing and whether it will be on tape or CD.

You may only bring original CD's, copies are not permitted.

Trafford Register Office is located at Sale Town Hall and marriage ceremonies are held in the marriage suite on the second floor.

There is a choice of 3 ceremony rooms. The Mayor's Parlour will accommodate up to 16 guests, the Marriage Room will hold up to 50 guests and the Council Chamber will accommodate up to 120 guests.

Ceremonies in the Council Chamber are a little more expensive and are organised in partnership with the Waterside Arts Centre. The Arts Centre can also organise pre-ceremony refreshments and wedding receptions.

The marriage suite is accessed from the double staircase at the main entrance to Sale Town Hall.

Facilities are provided for music to be played at wedding ceremonies and the building is fully accessible and equipped for people with disabilities.

Sale Town Hall provides a high standard of accommodation and is an attractive setting for marriage ceremonies. The Town Hall is part of the Sale Waterside development and stands alongside the Bridgewater Canal in the centre of Sale. There are several bars and restaurants in the area around Sale Waterside and the Town Hall and Waterside Plaza provide good locations for wedding photographs.

The bridal car is allowed to park at the front of Sale Town Hall. The nearest public car park is three minutes walk away at QPark, Broad Road, Sale, opposite Sale Leisure Centre.

A Sale Town Hall picture gallery is available to view.

Under the Marriage Act 1994, civil marriages may be solemnized in hotels, stately homes and historic buildings which have been licensed by the Local Authority.

View a list of our approved premises.

If you are planning a Church of England wedding, you should contact the vicar of the church for advice about the necessary legal requirements.

If you are getting married in any other religious building, apart from a church belonging to the Church of England, you must both give notice of marriage at the Register Office for the district where you live.

You may only marry in a church, mosque or temple etc. in a different district from where you both live if it is your usual place of worship or there is no church of your religion in your district. Our staff will be pleased to advise on 0161 912 3026.

A registrar from the district which covers the building must be present at the wedding, or the governing body of the religious building can choose to apply to the Registrar General to appoint an Authorised Person to register marriages there.

Common Law marriage is a myth and does not actually exist.

Many people believe that once you've been living with your partner for two years or more you get the same legal rights as married couples. This isn't true. In fact, you have very few rights.

For further information please visit the advicenow website.