Published: Tuesday 1 February 2022
Kensington and Chelsea Register Office saw an almost 40 per cent increase in wedding and civil partnership ceremonies in 2021, compared with pre-pandemic numbers.
In 2021, registrars in the borough were only able to officiate ceremonies for the last nine months of the year, as the first three months were in lockdown but hard-working staff at Chelsea Old Town Hall (COTH) managed to complete 2058 ceremonies in that time.
Comparing this like-for-like against the same period pre-pandemic in 2019, which saw 1473 ceremonies, this marks a huge increase in ceremony numbers, at a time when registrars still had to implement measures like social distancing, mask-wearing and limits on numbers of guests.
Steven Lord, Head of Registration Service and Superintendent Registrar at Chelsea Old Town Hall said:
“Despite all the change and uncertainty that the pandemic presented to our service, our registrars went out of their way this year to ensure that we accommodated over 2000 couples in just 9 months for their special day. We’ve been busier than ever, our bookings continue to go up, but we continue to perform every single ceremony with the care, professionalism and that personal touch that everyone expects for their wedding.
“With such attention to detail and care from our registrars, and the beauty and elegance of the rooms at the historic Chelsea Old Town Hall, it’s little surprise that more couples than ever are choosing to say ‘Marry Me in Chelsea’”.
Vicky and Chris, who were married on New Year’s Eve 2021 at Chelsea Old Town Hall said:
“We just wanted to send a big thank you to the team for making our day so special. Camilia was fantastic and Elizabeth was so helpful. All our guests commented how magical the ceremony was and they all agreed it was one of the best weddings they’ve attended. It was perfect and an unforgettable experience.”
Chelsea Old Town Hall, the second busiest register office in London, is a favourite among celebrity couples including Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor and recent newlyweds Jamie Redknapp and Frida Andersson.
Registrars at Chelsea Old Town Hall have continued to provide other services including registering deaths, births and citizenships too, while introducing additional services to improve and adapt to new types of ceremonies. This includes offering set-up for live-streaming to guests who might not be able to attend.
Going above and beyond, staff at COTH also implemented late opening hours, until 10pm, in November and December 2020 to allow couples to bring forward their ceremony so that they wouldn’t be affected by the lockdown.
For more information and to book your special day Kensington and Chelsea visit https://webtest.rbkc.gov.uk/marry-me-in-kensington-and-chelsea/ or check out our Instagram at @MarryMeInChelsea