Civil Ceremonies
Guidance for those who wish to marry on Approved Premises
If you do not wish to have a church wedding, The Glen-Yr-Afon House Hotel is ideal for your ceremony. We offer a choice of two licensed rooms, each full of character and warmth, allowing us to cater for weddings from the small and intimate to much larger groups.
A popular alternative to registry office ceremonies – particularly for secular marriages, civil partnerships, second marriages and renewal of vows, we are able to host civil ceremonies on any day of the week except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The Ballroom
Comfortably seating up to 150 guests, the Ballroom has air-conditioning, natural lighting and patio doors that open onto the hotel’s well-maintained private rear gardens.
The Library
An intimate room with its unusual conical shaped ceiling and beautiful mahogany table that can be oval or circular, this room is ideal for the smaller wedding. 
It is licensed for up to 30 guests attending a ceremony and comfortably seats up to 20 guests at a reception.
Please note that it is your responsibility to make a booking with the Superintendent Registrar. The office for Monmouthshire is located at Coed-Glas, Firs Road, Abergavenny Telephone: (01873 735435).
For the convenience of all, ceremonies on a Sunday are held from 2.00 p.m onwards.
Arranging your civil ceremony
As soon as you have made provisional arrangements for your marriage at the Glen-Yr-Afon House Hotel, you should contact the Superintendent Registrar for Monmouthshire. Without the presence of the Superintendent Registrar and a Registrar, there can be no marriage and any arrangements for the use of the premises depend entirely on their availability.
It is therefore essential that you make an advance booking with the Superintendent Registrar for her/his attendance at their proposed marriage as soon as a booking can be accepted. A fee for this attendance will be payable directly to the Registrar before the ceremony.
You will also have to give notice of your intention to marry to the Superintendent Registrar(s) of the district(s) in which you live. Notice must be given in person by both parties to the marriage and will be valid for 12 months.
Any arrangements made for a marriage to take place at the Glen-Yr-Afon House Hotel are dependent on:
(a) The attendance of the Superintendent Registrar and a registrar for the district in which the premises are situated; and
(b) The issue of the Authorities for marriage by the Superintendent Registrar(s) to who notice of the marriage was given.
When notice is given in a different registration district from the one where the marriage is taking place, you will have to collect the authorisations before the ceremony and ensure that they are delivered to the registrar who is to attend the ceremony. Your ceremony cannot take place without these documents.
You are advised that the only ceremony permitted by the Superintendent Registrar would be a civil, not religious one. Any music, reading words or performance that form a part of the ceremony must be secular. The content of the ceremony must be agreed in advance with the Superintendent Registrar who will be attending the ceremony.
Any rights of copyright for music, reading etc permitted at the ceremony are a matter for you and the holder of the approval.
Costs for holding your civil ceremony at the Glen-Yr-Afon House Hotel
The Glen-Yr-Afon House Hotel will charge the following to hold your ceremony on their premises:
Ceremony in the Victorian Ballroom £500.00
Ceremony in the Library (Up to 30 guests ) £ 150.00
NO FOOD OR DRINK MAY BE SERVED IN THESE ROOMS FOR ONE HOUR PRIOR TO THE CEREMONY