Choosing a venue for your Kentish Partnership

Venues providing an attractive setting for ceremonies can now be found all over Kent.  Here’s how to find them, what to consider and what to look for.

Kent County Council is responsible for providing civil partnership registrations and ceremonies in the County of Kent and also for licensing venues where these celebrations may take place.  These licensed venues are known as Approved Premises.

There are now over 180 Approved Premises in Kent including hotels, castles, restaurants, theatres and wildlife animal parks. Ceremonies can also be held in venues that offer garden summerhouses, pergolas and gazebos.  For the more adventerous there’s even a treehouse, a windmill and a lighthouse!

Couples are now discovering that holding A Kentish Partnership in these venues can offer any number of options and ideas including:-

• Elegance of surroundings and picturesque gardens.
• Convenience of the registration, ceremony, reception and entertainment all in one location.
• Accommodation and parking for the couple and their guests.
• The traditions and dignity of a ceremony blended with the informality of perhaps a country house party or a guided tour of a wild animal park.

Looking for a venue

When choosing a venue couples need to carefully consider what type of ceremony and celebration they are looking for.  Is it to be a private family occasion when privacy is important?  Alternatively is it to be a day of entertainment for friends and therefore a venue with other activities may need to be considered.  A "theme" ceremony may require a castle, country house or golf club, or perhaps something different and exciting – a murder mystery weekend or climbing 162 steps to the top of a lighthouse!

Celebrating a partnership at an Approved Premises will mean that the ceremony, reception, entertainment and family events can normally all take place together. With no travelling from one place to another, couples can relax with their friends and family and enjoy themselves.

Many of the venues can also provide exclusive use of their premises and facilities. If you would like exclusive use always ask whether any other ceremonies or functions are already booked for the same day, and what is the venue’s policy if someone comes to them after you have booked and would like the same day. 

A number of venues also provide accommodation for the couple, their family and friends and could suggest other services such as car hire, hair and beauty consultation and photographers.

These venues have been enjoyed by visitors for years and now they can be appreciated by couples, their families, friends and guests as part of A Kentish Partnership thus making the day a very special occasion.