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The Wedding Ceremony

Your Ceremony at the Town Hall

Wallingford Town Hall can accommodate up to 60 people.

We offer a 2 hour exclusive use of the venue which gives you plenty of time after your ceremony to have photographs before moving on to your evening venue.

More details about having a ceremony in the Town Hall can be found below. If you have any additional questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

For more details on the Ceremony itself including the legal formalities, vows and promises, readings and poems and the structure of your big day, please visit Oxfordshire County Council Registry website page for Weddings and other ceremonies.

Rooms and Capacity

Wallingford Town Hall can accommodate up to 60 people.

Our Wedding and Civil Ceremony hire includes exclusive use of the venue which includes the Main Chamber and Committee Room.

Photography and Filming

Your photographer won’t be at loss for the perfect setting for your wedding photographs. So many opportunities from the grandeur of the building frontage, beautiful tall windows overlooking our historic marketplace, to the opportunity to use our Castle Garden’s which is a short walk from the Town Hall and can be incorporated into your big day. Our Castle Garden’s offer a beautiful backdrop with stunning green space, romantic castle ruins and an opportunity to do a photo looking down on your whole wedding party. (visit our ‘Saying I do’ gallery for ideas).

Please note

  • Photograph’s before the wedding, must not hold up the Ceremony. The Registrars will expect the timings of the Ceremony to not be delayed.
  • Photograph’s after the wedding must not exceed your venue hire time.
  • There will be an opportunity for you to pose with the Schedule before being presented with your commemorative certificate.
  • If you would like official pictures during the ceremony, you will need to discuss with the registrar first.
  • Video Recordings are allowed, but please let the registrar know this before the ceremony.

Pre-ceremony Interview

Before the ceremony, the Registrar who will complete the Marriage Schedule will see both partners privately to check that the details recorded are correct. You can be seen either individually or together, whichever you prefer. This is also an opportunity for you to ask any last-minute questions.  After these checks have been made the Registrars will proceed with your wedding ceremony. The Pre-ceremony Interview is held in our Committee Room.

Décor for your ceremony

Please discuss any required décor plans with our Events Manager. Whilst we welcome you to decorate the venue to your style for the ceremony, we also have to be mindful that the Town Hall is a Grade II listed building and your plans adhere to our terms and conditions. Our Events Manager is on hand to discuss your arrangements and offer any advice.

Please note you are responsible for any décor arrangements so please allocate this role to a nominated person(s) or company who will be able to set up and take down the décor within the booking hire time.  We offer 2 hour exclusive hire of the Town Hall which gives plenty of time for the ceremony and for you to enjoy the Town Hall for photographs before you move onto your evening venue. The Town Hall is opened one hour prior to the Ceremony time which allows time for any décor to be put in place, flowers to be delivered, etc.  We try to be as flexible as we can, additional time can be booked by the hour. Please do discuss with our Events Manager.

The Main Ceremony room standard set up is :

  • Gold chairs for guests
  • Ceremony Leather Chairs for Registrars and if required Couple to use
  • Red Carpet Dais (which runs through the centre of the room allowing you to enter and down the central aisle)
  • Large Wood Table (in which Registrars use)
  • Smaller Wood Table (for signing the Register)
  • Additional items can include : Bay Tree’s on the Aisle entrance, White Faux Flowers on main ceremony table.  We also have some props and décor which you are welcomed to use, please discuss with our Events Manager to see if we can help you.

Our staff on the day

A member of our events team will be in attendance on the day to ensure that during the proceedings all arrangements comply with the conditions of the venue license.

Preferred Wedding Services and Suppliers

Our Events Manager would be happy to discuss wedding services and providers but is unable to make recommendations or be held responsible for the services provided. Please discuss with our Events Manager

  • Photographers
  • Outside Caterers
  • Licensed Bar
  • Equipment Hire Specialists
  • Crockery and Cutlery Providers
  • Florists
  • Party Accessories Specialists
  • Musical Accompaniments

Confetti

Confetti is allowed if it is eco-friendly and biodegradable.

Unfortunately the traditional paper or plastic confetti is difficult to clear up and harmful to wildlife so we do not allow this type.

There are great photograph opportunities for guests to throw confetti whilst the couple make their way down the outside stone steps. See our ‘Saying I do’ gallery for examples.

Music and Musical Accompaniment 

We have a sound system in the Town Hall which can take CD’s and can be connected to a phone or tablet device to play music at your ceremony.  If you have music at your ceremony please allocate a person from your wedding party to manage this role and any queries can be discussed with our Event’s Manager.

Normally you will need a background music whilst your guests arrive into the Ceremony Room, pre-arrival music, entrance music, music whilst the signing of the schedule takes place and exit music.  (You may also substitute a reading for music.) Please discuss with the Registrar any queries regarding music for your ceremony.

Canapés and a Champagne Toast after the Ceremony.

Please discuss with our Events Manager if you have any additional requirements such as Canapés, Champagne Toast after the ceremony or using the Town Hall as a Reception venue.

Additional time at our venue can be booked by the hour.

If you have any questions or queries regarding booking the Town Hall, or would like to check availability or you just have a general enquiry then please feel free to contact us on 01491 835373 or complete our Contact Form or email senioradmin@wallingfordtowncouncil.gov.uk  

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Castle Gardens

Our Castle Gardens offer a fantastic backdrop for photographs, whether for wedding photos, a family get-together, or even a birthday celebration.

Photos can be taken in front of our romantic crumbling ruins of Wallingford Castle which was one of the most important and biggest Castles in England.

To request use of the Castle Garden’s for photographs please complete our “Booking Form” and send by email to senioradmin@wallingfordtowncouncil.gov.uk