To hold your Anand Karaj at a gurdwara in London or Kent, you book directly with the gurdwara, usually months ahead, and follow its own process. Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall books dates in person and asks couples to take a free Anand Karaj course; Guru Nanak Darbar in Gravesend holds a planning meeting with both families about six months before. Every gurdwara sets its own rules on who may marry there, the paperwork and photography.
This guide covers how booking works at the gurdwaras that publish their process, the legal side, the questions to ask any gurdwara, and how the day fits around langar, travel and the reception. It is part of our guide to weddings in London, Kent and Surrey.
A note before we start: decisions about the ceremony, and about who may marry, belong to the gurdwara committee and your family. We describe what each gurdwara publishes. When in doubt, ask them.
How do you book a gurdwara wedding in London?
Ealing (home to Southall) and Hounslow have the two lowest shares of civil weddings in London, 70% and 74% (ONS 2022 data, reported by Bridebook), so a larger share of weddings there are religious than anywhere else in the capital.
Here is what two west London gurdwaras publish, checked in October 2026.
Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall
The gurdwara hosts Anand Karaj at both of its sites: Guru Nanak Road (UB2 4NP) and Park Avenue (UB1 3AG). Its published guidelines (version 1.2, January 2024) set out the process:
- Booking: the date is booked in person.
- Preparation: couples sign a guidelines declaration and take a free Anand Karaj course.
- Who may marry: both partners must be Sikh, which the guidelines base on the Sikh Rehat Maryada and a 2007 Akal Takht edict. Couples who can’t meet that are offered an Ardas or Path after a register office wedding.
- Legal registration: a registrar is present on the day. You give notice at your council, hand your documents to the gurdwara office at least four weeks before, and meet the registrar before the ceremony with one witness each.
- Photography: a couple’s photoshoot after the ceremony is allowed. The guidelines ask that you avoid photos with your back to Guru Granth Sahib. There are no published rules on flash, drones or where photographers stand, so ask.
- Alcohol: the gurdwara’s lettings policy bans alcohol on the premises.
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Hounslow
The gurdwara on Khalsa Way (TW3 3UD) says its halls can be hired for Anand Karaj and functions, and asks couples to contact the office. It doesn’t publish registration or photography rules, so take the questions below to that conversation.
How do you book a wedding at Gravesend gurdwara?
Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend (DA12 1AG) hosts Anand Karaj in its prayer hall and sets out its steps online:
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Book your date with the gurdwara | First, before other bookings |
| Book a council appointment to register the marriage | Once your date is confirmed |
| Meet the Anand Karaj team: the couple and both families | About six months before |
| Finalise the details | At least four weeks before |
The gurdwara also has a pricing schedule (from 1 April 2024) and a Photography Code of Conduct, both published as images on its website. Photo and video conditions are discussed at the planning meeting, so ask for the code of conduct and send it to your photographer and filmmaker before the day.
You give notice where you live: a Kent County Council register office, Medway Register Office for Medway residents, or your own London borough. Kent County Council’s 2026/27 fee for a registrar to attend a religious building is £114.50, so ask the gurdwara whether a registrar attends your ceremony or whether you register separately.
Do you need a civil ceremony as well as the Anand Karaj?
It depends on the gurdwara. In England and Wales, a religious wedding is a legal marriage only if it takes place in a building registered for marriages, with a registrar or an authorised person present, after you have both given notice. Some gurdwaras are registered and many are not, so many couples hold a civil ceremony as well.
Whichever route you take, you both give notice at your local register office at least 29 days before the wedding, and the wedding must take place within 12 months. You must have lived in that district for the past seven days. The notice fee is £46.50 each from April 2026 (£63 if your notice is referred to the Home Office). Our guide to getting married legally in England and Wales covers the detail, and your register office has the final word.
What should you ask a gurdwara before you book?
Bring this list to your first meeting.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who may marry here, and is there a course or declaration? | Policies differ between gurdwaras |
| Is the gurdwara registered for marriages, and will a registrar attend? | Decides whether you need a separate civil ceremony |
| What time are Anand Karaj slots, and is there another wedding after ours? | Sets the baraat arrival and how long you have on site |
| When is langar served, and where? | Guests, photos and the doli all fit around it |
| Where can the baraat arrive, and is there parking and coach drop-off? | Coaches and a large baraat need a plan |
| What decor is allowed, and who arranges it? | Agree it before you book a florist or decorator |
| Can we bring outside suppliers? | Caterers, decorators and florists may need approval |
| What are the photography and video rules? Is there a written code? | Your crew needs it before the day |
What happens inside the darbar hall (head coverings, shoes, no flash, where the crew can kneel, guests’ phones) is covered in our guide to photographing and filming in a gurdwara, so we won’t repeat it here.
Planning the day around the gurdwara
The morning
The gurdwara’s slot sets everything else: when the baraat leaves, when the milni happens, and when the bride needs to be ready. Our Sikh wedding day timeline has clock times from the chooda at home to the reception, and our guide to planning the baraat and dhol covers the groom’s arrival.
Langar and family photographs
In our experience, the time while guests go to langar is when family photographs and a few portraits fit best, if the gurdwara allows them. Have your family photo list ready and a relative to gather people.
Travel to the reception
The reception is usually at a separate hall or hotel; our older guide to Asian wedding venues lists options. Before you book, check:
- ULEZ: it covers every London borough. Non-compliant cars, vans and minibuses up to 5 tonnes pay £12.50 a day (TfL, checked October 2026). Check any hired family cars and minibuses.
- Dartford Crossing: guests coming to Gravesend from Essex pay the Dart Charge, £3.50 a crossing for a car, between 6am and 10pm. It must be paid by midnight the day after.
Our guide to wedding day travel in London and the South East has more.
Other gurdwaras in London and Kent
When we checked in October 2026, several gurdwaras in east and south east London published no official wedding information online. That doesn’t mean they don’t host weddings: call the office or speak to the committee. If you are planning across both counties, our guides to getting married in London and planning a wedding in Kent cover notice and register offices.
From behind the camera
The weddings that run most smoothly for us are the ones where the family shared the gurdwara’s guidance with us weeks before. If your gurdwara holds a planning meeting, pass on the photography rules, or let us speak to the office ourselves.
On the morning, we arrive before the baraat and introduce ourselves to the granthi or a committee member, so we know where we can kneel before the laavan begin. That short conversation lets us stay close to the palla and the laavan without being in anyone’s way. See our Sikh wedding films and how we cover multi-day Asian weddings. The meaning of the ceremony itself is in our older post on Sikh wedding ceremony traditions.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a civil ceremony for a gurdwara wedding in the UK?
It depends on the gurdwara. In England and Wales, an Anand Karaj is a legal marriage only if the gurdwara is registered for marriages and a registrar or authorised person is present, after you have both given notice. Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall has a registrar present on the day. Where that isn’t the case, couples hold a civil ceremony as well.
How far in advance should you book a gurdwara wedding?
Book the date before anything else, because the gurdwara slot shapes the whole day. Guru Nanak Darbar in Gravesend asks couples and both families to meet its Anand Karaj team about six months before, and to finalise details at least four weeks before. Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall books dates in person and needs documents at least four weeks before.
Can you have an Anand Karaj if one partner isn’t Sikh?
That is for each gurdwara to decide, and you should ask its committee directly. Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall’s guidelines say both partners must be Sikh, and offer couples who can’t meet that an Ardas or Path after a register office wedding. Sikh Council UK guidance also encourages gurdwaras to make sure both partners are Sikh.
Where can we have a Sikh wedding in Kent?
Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend (DA12 1AG) hosts Anand Karaj in its prayer hall and publishes its booking steps online. Other gurdwaras in Kent may hold weddings without publishing details, so contact them directly. Sikh Council UK guidance says the Anand Karaj should take place in a gurdwara, so the reception is usually at a separate venue.
Keep reading
- Photographing and filming in a gurdwara: head coverings, no flash and where the crew can stand.
- Sikh wedding day timeline in the UK: clock times from the milni to the reception.
- Baraat and dhol: planning the groom’s arrival at the gurdwara.
Booked your gurdwara? Tell us where and when, and we will plan the morning with you.
