Adelaide Registry Office

South Australia's registry office weddings take place at Chesser House, on Chesser Street in the middle of Adelaide, run by Consumer and Business Services. It is a simple way to marry: a weekday ceremony of 10 to 15 minutes with a registry celebrant, in a small timber-panelled room for up to 30 people, and the whole city on the doorstep for photographs and drinks afterwards. Some older listings still give a Grenfell Street address, which is out of date.

This guide follows the day in order, the way we photographed Terrie and Jon's wedding here in August 2026: where to get ready, how booking and the ceremony work, the portrait spots a short walk away, where to celebrate, their afternoon hour by hour and the practical rules.

Getting ready nearby

There is no room to get ready at the registry. There is a lobby and waiting area, but food and drink aren't allowed in it, so get ready at home or somewhere nearby and arrive dressed.

Terrie and Jon met us at Treasury 1860 at two o'clock, ready to go, and walked to the registry from there with their guests, about ten minutes on foot. Starting somewhere you will come back to later gives the afternoon a natural loop.

Ceremony in the marriage room

Booking. Lodge a notice of intended marriage online at least one calendar month before the wedding. You enter both people's details and upload scans of your original documents: a birth certificate or a passport that shows your place of birth for each of you, photo ID if you use a birth certificate, and a divorce or death certificate if either of you was married before, with authorised translations for anything not in English. The registry then emails the notice back for both of you to sign in front of an authorised witness (a celebrant, a JP, a lawyer, a doctor or a police officer in Australia) and upload. Only then is it lodged, and then you book a date and time. The notice stays valid for 18 months.

The ceremony. Ceremonies run Monday to Friday, starting at 10.15am, 11am, 11.45am, 1.15pm, 2pm, 2.45pm, 3.30pm and 4.15pm. The registry's own celebrants perform them; for your own celebrant you need a private ceremony elsewhere. Up to 30 people can attend, counting the two of you, your witnesses, every guest including children and your photographer. You need two witnesses aged 18 or over who speak English and know one of you, and the registry doesn't supply them. The registry supplies music, or you can play your own by Bluetooth, USB, AUX or CD. The ceremony takes 10 to 15 minutes, with time afterwards for photographs, and you leave with a ceremonial certificate, which may not be enough for a name change, so order the official marriage certificate too.

The room. Guests wait in a foyer with fluted white walls and stone panels, then go through to the marriage room: timber-panelled walls, a coffered white ceiling, rows of timber chairs with an aisle down the middle, and a curtained alcove at the front with a long timber table, pendant lights and a brass-framed panel. The light is warm and even, and there is room for a photographer to move along the side wall without getting in anyone's way.

Terrie and Jon walked in arm in arm for their 2.45pm ceremony, with their guests on either side of the aisle and a tall vase of pink tropical flowers on the table. They faced each other at the front for the vows, Terrie shed a tear and laughed, the rings went on at the long table, and they signed with their two witnesses before walking back out to applause. From the walk in to the walk out took under twenty minutes.

Portraits around Chesser Street and the city

The registry leaves time after the ceremony for photographs, and the city does the rest. The spots we used with Terrie and Jon, and a few more:

• The green sofa in the foyer. Where we did the family photographs, straight after the walk out.
• The red brick laneway outside. Red brick walls under a glass canopy, right at the door. Big enough for a group cheer, and the canopy gives some shelter from light rain.
• The red brick wall beside the laneway. For friends, hugs and a group kick-up.
• A laneway pergola hung with greenery. A few minutes' walk away, soft and green in the middle of the city.
• A sandstone church with Gothic arches. An arcade of carved columns and pointed arches, a few minutes from the registry. We stopped there on the way in and again on the way back.
• The city streets. Red brick, white stone, a bright red heritage building and plenty of crossings. On a walk, the frames come between stops.
• Adelaide Arcade. Photographers' blogs place it across Grenfell Street. It is covered, which helps on a wet day.
• North Terrace. Photographers' blogs suggest the Art Gallery steps, Bonython Hall, the university grounds and the Torrens footbridge. The university asks for shoots on campus to be approved, so check before you plan around it.
• Adelaide Botanic Garden. A paid photographer needs a permit from the garden's wedding team, applied for at least five business days ahead; no drones, and no wedding cars inside.

Allow about an hour after the ceremony if you want family photographs, the laneway with friends and a walk to one or two more spots. With Terrie and Jon we were back at the bar about half an hour after the walk out.

Celebrating afterwards

Nothing can be served at the registry, so plan where everyone goes next. The East End, around Rundle Street and Ebenezer Place, has restaurants, bars and cafés within the city, and Treasury 1860 was about ten minutes on foot for Terrie and Jon.

They started in Treasury 1860's front bar, which Jon had especially asked for, with espresso martinis in a booth by the window. Then everyone moved into the courtyard, with its fountain, koi pond, hedges and birch trees, where a clear marquee held high tables, platters of cheese and charcuterie and a stand of cupcakes. For a registry wedding that suits the small numbers, a bar, a restaurant or a courtyard like that is the reception.

A day at the Adelaide Registry Office, hour by hour

One of our two cameras ran 26 minutes fast that day, so these times come from the other one, which matches the booked 2.45pm ceremony:

• 2pm: meeting at Treasury 1860, and setting off on foot a few minutes later.
• 2.03pm: portraits under the arches of a sandstone church on the way.
• 2.08pm: through the city streets, then the laneways and the pergola.
• 2.21pm: into the registry foyer, about 25 minutes early.
• 2.25pm: guests take their seats in the marriage room.
• 2.41pm: Terrie and Jon walk in together; vows, rings and the kiss by 2.46pm.
• 2.49pm: signing, with the two witnesses.
• 2.58pm: the walk out, then family photographs on the green sofa.
• 3.01pm: portraits and groups in the red brick laneway.
• 3.13pm: the walk back, with more portraits at the church on the way.
• 3.29pm: the front bar at Treasury 1860.
• 3.55pm: couple portraits in the courtyard.
• 4.08pm: drinks, platters and cupcakes under the marquee.

If it rains

The ceremony itself is indoors, so the weather can't touch it. Rain only matters if you plan to walk, so bring clear umbrellas for the bridal party and allow a few extra minutes. The laneway outside is covered by a glass canopy, and photographers' blogs point to Adelaide Arcade, across Grenfell Street, as a covered place for portraits. Terrie and Jon's afternoon was dry and overcast, which gave soft, even light in the streets.

Practical notes

• Address. Chesser House, 6 Chesser Street, Adelaide, entered from Chesser Street. The CBS Customer Service Centre is at 4 to 6 Chesser Street, with ground-level entry. Listings that give Level 2, 91 Grenfell Street are out of date.
• Arriving. The couple and every guest should be there 20 minutes early. More than 15 minutes late and the ceremony is cancelled and has to be rebooked.
• Parking and transport. The registry has no parking of its own. There are UPark car parks on Pirie Street, and Grenfell Street is a main bus route.
• Accessibility. The customer service centre has ground-level entry, and the registry's own photograph shows the marriage room door at street level, but step-free access isn't stated, so ask if anyone in your party uses a wheelchair.
• Rules. No confetti, rice or rose petals in the room, the waiting area or on the footpath outside. No food or drink in the lobby.