On behalf of the United Synagogue we wish you a Mazel Tov on your forthcoming marriage, such an exciting time for you all!
Getting married with The US
Welcome to the Marriage Section of the United Synagogue, if you are visiting this page you may be recently engaged, looking for information on next steps for your marriage authorisation through the Office of the Chief Rabbi, or maybe you know someone marrying who needs assistance. We hope, once you have read the information below that everything becomes clear, however should you have further queries, we are here to help. Please feel free to contact us using the emails and contact numbers below.
There are three steps needed for the marriage authorisation process
1. Marriage and Membership: Secure the marrying Rabbi, date of the wedding and location AND notify the chosen United Synagogue with these details
You will need to secure the participation of an orthodox Rabbi who is authorised to solemnise weddings. Your chosen United Synagogue administrator will be able to help with your wedding booking, arranging the registrar and paperwork required by the synagogue together with various membership forms to be completed (this will vary depending on whether one of you is currently a member of the US). It is a requirement of English and Welsh law that either the bride or the groom needs to be a member of the officiating synagogue responsible for the marriage (regardless of whether the chuppah is in a synagogue or a venue). Your chosen synagogue is the synagogue providing the registrar for the day of the wedding. After the marriage, membership can be transferred to a United Synagogue community of your choice. Visit our Communities page for more information.
Please note:
When choosing a venue for the chuppah and function the wedding reception must be catered under the supervision of a recognised kashrut authority. Since some venues will not permit an outside caterer to work on their premises, it is important to bear this in mind before the venue is booked. The Kashrut Division may be able to suggest suitable venues where our caterers are permitted to work, so call 020 8343 5664 for advice.
2. Contact the Office of the Chief Rabbi: Register your forthcoming marriage
For every marriage, through the United Synagogue, a marriage authorisation application needs to be submitted, followed by a personal marriage authorisation meeting.
Before the wedding can take place under orthodox auspices, you will both need to provide documentary evidence that you are Jewish and eligible to marry. To register your marriage and find out more call 020 8343 6314.
Once your application has been submitted and reviewed, you will be contacted by a Rabbi to arrange a meeting with you both. This meeting forms part of the process and you will be asked to bring all original copies, from the scanned application documents to the meeting for the Rabbi to verify.
The marriage authorisation meeting also gives an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have and to hear about the United Synagogue, a very special organisation we hope you will be part of for many years to come.
Please be aware there is a fee of £150 for the marriage authorisation process, payable online.
3. Arrange your marriage schedule
Although you are marrying through the Office of the Chief Rabbi, you both still need to register your marriage with the local authorities to obtain your marriage schedule for your wedding. This can be arranged up to twelve months before your wedding, providing both the date and venue are confirmed.
The registrar will issue you with a marriage schedule certificate at the conclusion of the notice period (29 days). (Note: if either one or both of the parties are NOT an EEA national, the 29 clear days may increase to 70 clear days). For further information please check with your local Registrar Authority for guidance. Please ask at your local authority meeting the process for collecting the original certificates.
Please ensure you send a scanned copy of your marriage schedule to Rabbi Birnbaum at rabbi.birnbaum@chiefrabbi.org providing the original certificate to your marrying registrar for the day of the wedding.
https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council
Note: if you are holding your wedding at a venue i.e. hotel or non-synagogue venue please make it known to the Registrar that you are marrying under the auspices of The Office of the Chief Rabbi and United Synagogue.
Useful Contacts
Director of Marriage Authorisation
Rabbi Birnbaum
Rabbi.birnbaum@chiefrabbi.org
020 8343 6313
Marriage Liaison – Registration
Dinah Herman
020 8343 6314
dinah@chiefrabbi.org
Membership Department
United Synagogue Membership
020 8343 5687