It’s one of those classic wedding shots: bride and groom signing the register of marriages, once the deed is done.
Yet a growing number of wedding photographers now don’t include it in their portfolio of shots.
I suppose it is strange to want pictures signing a bit of paper – but for many this is the real emotion of a wedding, the actual signing a legal document, committing to the marriage.
Except you can’t photograph that in the UK. Or can you?
The Law about Wedding Registers and Data Protection
The Register is a public document which anyone can view just by asking. The Commissioner (the UK office which enforces the act) says that “appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data”. This clearly does not include photographing it, since everything in this register is already in the Birtish and Deaths Register. So therefore: the Data Protection Act is not a valid reason to stop anyone photographing the register.
But it’s the Registrar’s gig. And you wouldn’t want to upset them!