Published: Friday 12 February 2021
Kensington and Chelsea Register Office announce the top findings in a survey of 275 recently wed or soon-to-be couples on what they expect for their special day and why they chose the borough.
Nearly half (44 per cent) of couples who responded stated that they would be keen to incorporate live streaming of their ceremony, brought about by Covid-19 restrictions, allowing guests to tune in wherever they are. One-third (32 per cent) of couples also said they’d prefer a personalised ceremony over the standard format, making the day more individual to them.
Location is key for many couples and when asked why they chose Kensington and Chelsea, over half (55 per cent) said they wanted to have Chelsea Old Town Hall as their venue and 32 per cent wanted to marry in the borough, with 53 per cent calling it an iconic location. Staying local seemed to be an emerging trend with 21 per cent interested in a package to have the reception with a local business.
Cllr Emma Will, Lead member for Culture, Leisure and Community Safety at the Council, said:
“This survey gave us a great insight to see where our ceremonies service can adapt to meet and exceed couples’ expectations, which is what we’re hoping to do with exciting new additions to the service this year. Our Registrars have been fantastic in helping people who have unfortunately had their special days disrupted and we hope to be able to conduct beautiful weddings again very soon.”
Cost and convenience are shown as a top priority with 60 per cent saying being able to book online and almost half (45 per cent) saying cost are what they valued most with Kensington and Chelsea Registrars. However, quality remains high on the agenda, with a whopping 63 per cent ranking the customer service that they received the most valued aspect.
Steven Lord, Head of Registration Services at Kensington and Chelsea said:
“We’ve worked hard to support our couples through this difficult year, keeping them updated with all the changing restrictions and rescheduling the ceremonies they have sadly had to postpone. We also created extra availability when weddings were permitted to go ahead and, in the two days before the November lockdown, held 50 ceremonies in just two days, working into the evening to make them happen. It’s lovely to hear that couples are happy with the quality and convenient service we pride ourselves on, plus the continuing desirability of Chelsea as a top location.”
Our Register Office currently offers a range of services within the ceremony offer, including beautiful rooms in the historic Chelsea Old Town Hall, tailored ceremonies with chosen scripts, vows and music, readings, walk-ins, lists of suggested suppliers and more. Following on from the survey, new ceremony add-on options will be introduced for an even higher quality experience in the coming months.
Find out more about getting married in the borough on our website.