Community Venue FAQs
How do I book?
1. Contact Essex Record Office first to check that we have availability on your chosen date.
You can contact us by email: ero.reception@essex.gov.uk
or by telephone: 033301 32500 option 4
2. Once we have provisionally booked your ceremony you will need to book your Registrars through Essex Registration Service, we will send you a link to do this once we have confirmed.
3. You will also need to book an appointment to give your Notice of Marriage, if you live in Essex this can be done with Essex Registration Service, otherwise, you will need to book with your local registration service.
Book your Notice Appointment - Essex
How many guests can I invite?
Ceremonies in the Andre Room can seat up to 34 guests excluding the couple. Two of your guests will need to act as witnesses during the ceremony.
How much will it cost?
The fee includes the price of the room and the Registrar, you can find the most up to date prices on the Essex Registration Service website. All of the fees for the ceremony are paid directly to Essex Registration Service. For a Community Venue, no fees are payable to Essex Record Office.
How do I play music?
The Andre room has a sound system which can be used to play music from CD, USB or Bluetooth. We find that the most reliable way to play music is by Bluetooth from a phone. You will need to nominate one of your guests to play the music on the day and you will also need to provide details of the music that will be played to the Registration Service before the ceremony.
Is there car parking on site?
We are able to accommodate one wedding car on site. There are also three disabled parking bays at the venue, though we are not able to reserve these. The closest car park to us is the Baddow Road Carpark which is just a short walk away from the Record Office. More details about getting to the Record Office can be found on our getting here page.
What time do me and my guests need to arrive?
Before the ceremony starts you will need to be interviewed by the Registrars, you can choose to be interviewed separately or together.
If you are being interviewed separately,
Partner 1: must arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony time.
Partner 2: must arrive 15 minutes before the ceremony time.
If you are being interviewed together you should both arrive 20 minutes before the ceremony starts.
Please ask you guests to arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony starts, they will not be able to access the Andre Room before this time.
Your ceremony will last around 30 minutes and we ask that you vacate the the building within 15 minutes of the ceremony coming to an end.
We may have another ceremony before or after your ceremony time, so we kindly ask that you adhere to the above timings as closely as possible.
