After booking your ceremony, we will send you a confirmation email with a link to give you specific information to help you plan your day, depending on the ceremony and room you have chosen.
Photo credit: Grace Pham Photography
This page covers information that may help you decide if a ceremony at Islington Town Hall is right for you.
Is the Town Hall accessible for people with disabilities?
Yes. There is a ramp to the Town Hall building and lifts to all levels, as well as accessible bathrooms.
Guide dogs and other trained assistance animals are welcomed. Your animal should wear their vest to show that they are a trained assistance animal and not just your pet. If your animal does not have a vest, please bring the paperwork to show that they are a trained assistance animal.
We have limited special access parking spaces available for people with disabilities on the Town Hall forecourt, and these need to be booked well in advance by emailing securitytownhall@islington.gov.uk
If you or any of your guests have a disability, please click here to complete a personal emergency evacuation plan form so we can ensure safety on your ceremony day.
Can we come and look around the Town Hall?
Yes! We hold monthly tours for couples to visit the building and chat to our registrars, as well as occasional seasonal events.
Please see this page for more information on our events.
We also have a brand new virtual tour, which you can see by clicking here.
Do you have parking at the Town Hall? Will I be able to be dropped off outside by my wedding car?
We don’t have general parking available at the Town Hall, so we advise your guests to arrive by public transport.
If you or your guests have a disability, we have limited special access parking spaces available on the Town Hall forecourt, and these need to be booked well in advance by emailing securitytownhall@islington.gov.uk
Chauffeured cars, taxis and buses are able to stop outside the building to drop off or collect couples or guests.
Can our pet come to the ceremony?
You can bring one pet to your ceremony in the Angel Suite, the Canonbury Suite, Council Chamber or Room 99 if you choose.
We will ask you to complete a form agreeing to our terms and conditions of bringing a pet at least a month before your ceremony.
Unfortunately, pets cannot attend ceremonies taking place in the Richmond Suite or Mayor’s Parlour.
Please note that this change in policy does not affect registered assistance animals attending ceremonies, which are welcomed in all rooms. Your animal should wear their vest to show that they are a trained assistance animal and not just your pet. If your animal does not have a vest, please bring the paperwork to show that they are a trained assistance animal.
Can we personalise our ceremony?
Our ceremony personalisation options vary between our rooms and on certain days of the week:
- Council Chamber – fully personalisable
- Mayor’s Parlour – fully personalisable
- Richmond Suite – fully personalisable
- Room 99 – 2024 weekdays are simple ceremonies as standard, 2024 Saturdays have limited personalisation as standard, and 2025 dates are fully personalisable
- Angel and Canonbury Suite – weekdays are simple ceremonies as standard, Saturdays have limited personalisation as standard
- Statutory Room – simple ceremonies only
Please see below what each of these ceremony types allow.
Fully personalisable ceremonies can include any of the following:
- A choice of ceremony scripts or the choice to write your own script (meeting legal criteria)
- Up to three readings
- Personal vows in addition to the legal vows
- Personal ring words
- Separate entrances to the ceremony room
- Separate interviews before the ceremony (so you don’t need to see your partner before the ceremony starts)
- Music at certain points of the ceremony
- The opportunity to speak to your own registrar by phone a month before the ceremony (weekend ceremonies only)
Limited personalisation ceremonies can choose to add any of the following to a simple ceremony script:
- One reading or personal vows
- Separate entrances to the ceremony room
- Music at certain points of the ceremony
No other personalisation options are available in a limited personalisation ceremony.
Simple ceremonies do not include any personalisation options.
A simple ceremony will last around 20 minutes, with limited personalisation ceremonies lasting around 30 minutes and a fully personalised ceremony may last 40 minutes.
It may be possible for you to pay an additional fee to enhance a simple or limited personalisation ceremony in Room 99, Angel or Canonbury Suites to include full personalisation, depending on the ceremonies booked after yours. Enhanced ceremonies can only be booked by email request, not online.
The specific personalisation choices for your ceremony room and date will be provided to you after booking.
How long will our ceremony take?
A simple ceremony will last around 20 minutes, with limited personalisation ceremonies lasting around 30 minutes and a fully personalised enhanced ceremony may last 40 minutes.
How long do we have the use of the room for?
We book our ceremonies with enough time before the next ceremony so that the couple can be interviewed, guests brought in, the ceremony conducted, the paperwork completed and some photographs to be taken, and the room cleaned and prepared for the next ceremony without couples feeling rushed.
Having said that, please note that while we may book ceremonies which start at, for example, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm, each couple should not expect sole use of the room for an hour until the next slot, due to the interviews, guest entrances and cleaning that needs to take place. All our booking costs include use of the room for the ceremony, the registrars’ attendance and one copy of the certificate, but we don’t book ceremonies for a particular period of time; we book for a ceremony start time.
What are our music options?
All rooms have Bluetooth speakers, so if your ceremony type includes personalisation, our staff will help you connect to play some pre-recorded music from your device.
Musicians can perform at the majority of our larger ceremonies, but please have a look at the information below depending on the room you have chosen:
The Angel or Canonbury Suites: These rooms only hold the couple, two witnesses and the registrars, so musicians cannot be accommodated at any ceremony.
The Council Chamber: You are able to invite live musicians, which need to be included in your guest number.
The Mayor’s Parlour: You are not able to invite live musicians to perform at your ceremony in the Mayor’s Parlour, due to the size of the room and the proximity of our residential neighbours.
The Richmond Suite: You are able to invite live acoustic musicians, but you are not able to have amplified live music at your ceremony, due to the proximity of our residential neighbours. The musicians need to be included in your guest number.
Room 99: In 2024, you are able to invite live musicians to your ceremony on Sundays or at enhanced ceremonies only, which need to be included in your guest number. Due to the shorter ceremony slots for other Room 99 ceremonies, musicians cannot be incorporated.
In 2025, you will be able to invite live musicians, which need to be included in your guest number.
The statutory room: this room only holds the couple, two witnesses and the registrars, so musicians cannot be accommodated at any ceremony.
Please note that drums and bagpipes cannot be played anywhere inside the building as they can be heard in other ceremony rooms. We do not have any instruments, amplifiers, or music stands at the Town Hall, other than Bluetooth speakers. All equipment your musicians need must be brought with them and be taken into the room just before your ceremony and taken out of the room at the end of the ceremony.
Can we decorate/rearrange the room?
Sadly no.
Our rooms are used for more than one ceremony a day, so we are unable to allow you to decorate or rearrange the room before your ceremony.
In addition to this, Islington Town Hall is a listed building so we can’t allow anything to be attached to the walls or chairs.
You are welcome to bring your own personal flowers with you, but you won’t be able to take them into the room beforehand. They will need to be taken into the room just before your ceremony and taken out of the room at the end of the ceremony.
Do you have air conditioning?
The Council Chamber and Room 99 have built in air conditioning, and can remain cool in the summer months.
Our other rooms cannot be fitted with air conditioning while maintaining their listed status, so they may be quite warm in the summer months. We do our best to keep the rooms cool by ventilating as much as possible between ceremonies.
Do you have a room we can book to relax before our ceremony?
Yes! We have anterooms that are available to book by couples who want a space to arrive a little bit early and relax in 45 minutes before the ceremony, either together as a couple, or with your best people.
You can find out more by visiting the anterooms page.
What if our guest numbers increase beyond the capacity of our room? Can we ‘squeeze in’ extra guests? Can guests stand at the back of the room?
Each room has a strict maximum number of people that can be safely accommodated, decided by fire regulations. If your guests exceed the number allowed in the room, then some of them will be asked to remain outside the building.
If you find out after you book a room that it will be too small for your expected guest numbers, and you wish to move the ceremony to a larger room, contact us and we will check the availability of other rooms on your chosen date. Extra costs will apply if there is a difference in fees between the rooms.
What time can we have access to the room on the ceremony day?
We aim to be able to give you access 15 minutes before your scheduled ceremony start time.
Our staff will show your guests into the ceremony room when it is ready.
Can we use our own celebrant/ family member/ friend to conduct our ceremony?
The whole ceremony will need to be legally conducted by one of our registrars, though your friends and family can read poems etc. (subject to the room you have booked).
Can we video call/stream our ceremony to our friends and family?
You can livestream your ceremony in Room 99 to your friends and family through our partners at E-There. If you would like to add streaming to your ceremony booking, or to find out more, please visit the E-There website.
At this time we are only offering streaming in Room 99, our most popular ceremony room, but we may add extra rooms in the future. In the meantime, you are welcome to use your own phones or devices to stream the ceremony in other rooms, but please be aware we don’t have reliable Wi-Fi in the Town Hall, so you will need to use your own data.
Can we take photographs inside and outside the Town Hall?
Yes, you will be able to take photographs during the ceremony, as well as inside the Town Hall building after the ceremony.
We don’t limit the amount of time you are able to have pictures, but we do ask that all couples are considerate of other couples who also want to take pictures.
You can also have some photographs on the steps outside.
Can we have sparklers/ confetti/ confetti cannons/ rose petals/ glitter/ candles/ doves/ something else messy or hazardous inside the Town Hall? We will tidy up afterwards.
We do not permit anything messy, potentially damaging, or on fire! You are welcome to have these things outside of the building, as long as it doesn’t cause damage, and it is legal to do so. If you have something in mind that is unusual but not messy/hazardous/on fire, please ask us beforehand if it will be possible.
We also only permit the use of eco-friendly options like biodegradable confetti outside the Town Hall. Rice is not permitted as it poses health and safety risks with the stairs in inclement weather and attracts pigeons.
Can we have a glass of champagne in the room to celebrate afterwards?
There is no alcohol permitted at any time, in any of the rooms in the Town Hall, as we don’t have an alcohol licence. You are welcome to have that celebratory glass of champagne outside the building instead, just as long as you aren’t impeding the access of other ceremony parties.
Is there somewhere in the Town Hall where we can celebrate after?
Although there is no facility for holding any kind of reception within the Town Hall, the Islington Assembly Hall next door to the Town Hall can be hired for ceremonies and receptions. For availability and costs, please email contact them directly at assemblyhall@islington.gov.uk
Can we book transport to pick us up at the front of the Town Hall?
While there is no parking on Upper Street outside the Town Hall, your booked transport will be allowed to stop there long enough for you and your guests to get on.