Our local registry office doesn't take provisional bookings, nor does it...

Ours was the same, I just set a reminder to make sure I booked as soon as the date was released and so got the time I wanted! X

It's the norm nationwide. Don't panic! Xxx

To be honest if it's their rule, then nobody else can book your date/time either. Just get in there quickly as soon as you can!

Call 1st may 2019 to book for the next year?

It's not the norm nationwide actually... we booked out registrar a few months back for our summer 2019 wedding. I would hate for someone to of got in before us and we didn't get the time we wanted!

Ours is also 2020 and ours seems to be different. They took a deposit so we don't have to worry until a year before to pay the full amount and give notice.

I booked ours 2 years in advance. Seems a bit strange.

Ours didn't either! I made sure I phoned exactly 12 months before to book in our registrar!

Usually you can at the very least pay a small deposit to save the date...its not a provisional booking per se but it secures your date for you...maybe ask again but reword it and make it clear that you just want to secure the date at this stage

I had to book the registrar before I could book my venue....my wedding is Dec 2019 x

We booked our 18 months in advance - clearly different councils have different rules!

Ours didnt either so i set a reminder in my phone and called 9am exactly 12 months before lol! X

This is quite standard across the U.K. some councils differ but not many. Don't worry too much, it's unlikely all the registrars will get booked up and you can't have someone on your date, it's more about your preferred time. Set a reminder for yourself exactly 12 months before your wedding to book it and you shouldn't have any issues getting the date and time you want!

We booked ours a few months ago and we are only just coming up to a year away now. Our venue only uses a certain one and they only had one availability for the time we wanted on our day

My wedding has been booked for next year since last year. We were also told we could not book the registrars any earlier than 12 months before. We've just booked them at the beginning of this month to make sure the license doesn't expire. We are getting married on a Sunday and they said they had no bookings that day at all so we got the time we wanted. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Booked ours 6 months in advance for a Saturday wedding and still had date at time we wanted so I wouldn't worry. X

Does your venue not do weddings? Or can hold a wedding ceremoney tbere.Maybe worth looking into
If not ask registry office the earliest date you can book.the date you want and set a reminder for that date for yourself make an appointment for that date the week two before

We didn't get the time we wanted as the registrar only had one slot left for our date which was 10.30am. I was devastated but now means I am having a humanist ceremony later on for the rest of my guests!

We had our venue and photographer booked over a year in advance as well. I applied for our notice of marriage a year to the date and was able to book the registrar with no problems for the exact time I wanted x

It is not the norm at all, every registrar is different. Some do let you provisionally book and some don't it really just depends where you live unfortunately. We booked ours 18 months in advance Like people have set a reminder to book exactly 12 months beforehand and you should be fine x

Hi you can only book 1 year in advance :)

Ours was provisionally booked I think, but they wouldn't let us do any meetings or even book a meeting to give notice etc until 12 months before. If that is their policy then I'm sure it'll be fine.

We get married March 2020 and our registrar was booked 2 month ago

We could book 2 years in advance but no don't worry about it as it is standard in some parts of the country. Don't worry about it though as if nobody else can book either. Just set a reminder for a year in advance and phone them up as soon as it's possible.

I think you can provisionally book a date more than a year ahead but you can only give notice of marriage up to 12 months ahead. That may be where the confusion lies.

It was like this with our registrars x we just rang up bang on a year before our date in the morning and didn't have any trouble booking x

Just be sure to be the first person to call exactly a year before your wedding. Put an alarm and calendar reminder. There is nothing more you can do about it if that's the rules of the council you wish to get married in.

We provisionally booked our date almost 2 yrs before but couldn't serve notice and officially book until within 12 months of the date, we in northern Ireland

Is your venue registered to allow a marriage ceremony to take place? If so have you considered having a humanist ceremony? You can book them now for 2020 and the service is personal to you and your partner xx

I could book mine before 12 months but at a £50 extra charge. I waited till ecactly a year to the day and booked it, thankfully the day was still available!

I was really surprised by this. I also get married May 2020 and I've paid a deposit to the registrar to provisionally book both the date and the time. They set me an online account up so I can put my own vows on etc. They couldn't have been more helpful x

I booked mine for next September a few months back now and struggled to get a registrar, they told me I had left it fairly late and it would either have to be on a day other than a Saturday or change it to the year after!! So we've ended up on a Friday in September as it was the only time we could get! I would be worrying personally especially when you have to book venue etc, however if that's your areas norm and you ring exactly a year to the day I'm sure you will get the day xx

We have booked our registrar for September 2019 with a small booking fee of £50 but can't give formal notice of intention to marry until September 2018 and can finalise the formal booking for the wedding then

I could only book my registra 12 months in advance, they wouldn't take earlier bookings. I get married next week. It really wasn't a problem x

Mine was exactly the same. I booked mine on exactly 12 months when the date became available and it was all fine

I've booked mine for 2019, just had to leave a deposit

I'm in the uk. I booked registrar April 2016 for Aug 2018 wedding

Jessica Tuckwell

There are two different stages. We had to phone the registrar in the area of our venue and book our date and time with them before confirming with the venue. This deposit secures that ceremony date and time.

However, we then need to go to 'our' local office to legally give notice of our marriage - it's that that can only be done within 12 months of the date of the wedding, as it's the license and will expire.

You can book the registrar itself well in advance (it's over 2 years till our wedding).