INTRODUCTION
Marriage is a hugely rewarding act of worship and a great sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
However, nowadays the process of organising a wedding can be complex and daunting. Good planning and preparation are key to making things simpler and stress-free. So, to help you get started, we have set out these simple guidelines to help you secure a perfect venue for your Nikah Ceremony.
Our Spaces
Getting married at Cambridge Central Mosque is the experience of a lifetime. We are committed to providing unique & stunning, yet economical and eco-friendly space, where you will create unforgettable memories with your closest family and friends.
We have three spaces available for Nikah Ceremonies which you can use together if you prefer: The Conference Room, Atrium & the Café (which must be booked if you wish to bring food on site).
Above: Café Below: Conference Room
As an example, you may wish to use the intimate Conference Room for the formal part of your Ceremony followed by an optional reception in the Café. Alternatively, if you have more guests, use the stunning and more spacious Atrium for the formal ceremony instead.
Note: Our underground car park may be used for the Bride, Groom & Guests for the duration of the Nikah Ceremony. Spaces cannot be reserved, operates on a first come first serve basis.
TIMING
A Nikah booking is for 1 hour 15 minutes. The ceremony will be officiated by one of our Resident Imams, and will take approximately 30-40 minutes, with the remaining time for greetings, congratulations, and photos.
Below are the times that we can host Nikahs. These have been selected to avoid overlapping with prayer times and other events.
Conference Room
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr – Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 9:00 | 9:00 | 14:00 | 9:30 | 9:30 | 9:00 | 9:00 |
| 11:00 | 11:00 | 11:30 | 11:30 | 11:00 | 11:00 | |
| 13:30 | 13:30 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 13:15 | 13:15 | |
| 17:30 | 18:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 16:30 |
Note: There are no wedding receptions following the first slots (in itallics), and on Fridays the Conference Room is only available late afternoon.
Atrium
| Jan – Fab | March | April | May – Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov-Dec |
| 10:00 | 10:30 | 10:30 | 10:30 | 10:30 | 10:00 | |
| 15:00 | 16:00 | 15:00 | 17:00 |
Note: The Atrium is not available on Fridays.
CATERING
Our Cafe can be used to host buffet-style Wedding Receptions with seated arrangements. As well as the space, cleaning, and flower arrangements, the following items will also be provided by the mosque: crockery, cutlery, tables, table cloths, water, juices, coffee & tea. Please see below for the contact details of our approved caterers.
| Caterer | Location | Email/Website | Telephone |
| Cheese & Chai | Birmingham | cheeseandchai.co.uk | 07743 941648 |
| Hassan Catering | Luton | hasssan.catering@hotmail.com | 079853 98975 01582 706666 |
| Kan Zaman | Cambridge | kanzaman.co.uk | 01223 643255 |
| Mirage Caterers | Peterborough | mirageweddingsuk.com | 07860 125092 |
DONATIONS
Our state of the art facilities, award-winning interior design and architecture make for an unrivalled and breathtaking lasting impression for you and your guests.
We, therefore, hope and pray that you recognise these donation amounts are extremely generous relative to venues of similar stature and kindly request that you adhere to them in order to support your mosque. All our costs – from wages for imams & ground staff, cleaning & maintaining facilities, garden upkeep and supplemental electricity, just to name a few – are covered solely by your generous donations. These are not fixed amounts, and we encourage you to donate more in support of this Mosque and its various services.
These are not charges for services. They are donations for the House of Allah: What better way to begin your special union than giving in charity that keeps growing! Please do not think of these as fixed amounts; we encourage you to donate more, to whatever extent is appropriate for you, in support of this Mosque and its various services.
| Service | Off-Peak | Peak Weekends, Bank Holidays & School Holidays |
| Nikah in the Conference Room Max 70 guests |
£500 | £700 |
| Nikah in the Atrium Max 120 guests |
£1250 | £1750 |
| Large Nikah in the Atrium Max 200 guests |
£1500 | £2000 |
| Wedding Reception in the Cafe Max 70 guests |
£1400 for 2 hours (+£400 per additional hour) |
£1600 for 2 hours (+£500 per additional hour) |
| Large Wedding Reception in the Cafe with Outside Seating Max 120 guests |
£2200 for 3 hours (+£400 per additional hour) |
£2500 for 3 hours (+£500 per additional hour) |
⚠️ Please note: Donations of all kinds are strictly non-refundable.
Bank Holidays 2025: 1st January, 18th April, 21st April, 5th May, 26th May, 25th August, 25th December, 26th December
School Holidays 2025:
Monday 17 February to Friday 21 February
Monday 7 April to Monday 21 April
Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May
Thursday 24 July to Monday 1st September
Monday 27 October to Friday 31 October
Monday 22 December to Friday 2 January
Steps To Secure
Once you have thought about how you would like your Nikah Ceremony to take place, you can go through the following steps to secure your chosen Spaces. Note that the booking system is usually easier to use on a laptop/computer rather than a mobile device.
1. Click “Book via Skedda” below to go to the calendar booking system.
2. Find and select your Nikah slot. Any slot that is (dark) grey or blocked-off is not available. It will then open up the booking form.
3. If you would like a wedding reception, add the cafe to the list of spaces on the booking form. This will result in a wedding reception immediately after your Nikah.
4. Fill out the booking form together with your partner.
5. Read and agree to the Terms & Conditions and submit the form. Completing this form does not guarantee a booking, but it does reserve the slot.
6. The information provided will then be passed onto our Imams for approval.
7. Once your application has been approved, you can provide any required documentation (usually IDs for the bride, groom, and witnesses), and make your donation, and then everything will be ready for your Nikah.
Should you have specific enquiries, kindly email weddings@cambridgecentralmosque.org
Frequently Asked Questions
Please scroll to the top of this page and proceed as directed.
After you have made your Nikah application, the designated Main Contact Point will receive an email on how to proceed with finalising the booking unless further clarification is needed, in which case, we will get in touch.
All attendees are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes before the Nikah ceremony begins. The Nikah ceremony itself will take between 30-40 minutes and the rest of the allocated booking time can be spent for celebration and photography. After the 1-hour 15 minute booking has elapsed, the wedding party should leave the premises (except to engage in private worship in the prayer hall). Wedding photography or videography is not permitted in the Prayer Hall.
Our donation was arrived at after careful thought and consideration considering the high running costs of the mosque coupled with the prestigious venue that we are able to offer for wedding ceremonies. Further details on why we need your donation can be found here. When making the booking, we ask that you agree to being “able to make a donation according to our Donations List“. Please note you are welcome to donate more as 100% of your donation will go towards covering the running costs of our mosque.
We are able to provide a partition between males and females if requested.
Decorations, frames, or partitions are not permitted to be brought in for Nikah ceremonies.
The Mahr, a prophetic tradition, is a gift that is given by the husband to the bride which becomes her sole property and cannot be taken back.
The average UK mahr amount is between £3-4K. Please note the mahr can be deferred and the entire amount does not need to be paid upfront.
Proof of ID (Passport or Driving Licence) of the Bride, Groom as well as witnesses must be submitted prior to the Nikah ceremony. Other documentation may also be required subject to the information provided on the Nikah application.
According to Islamic law, a minimum of 2 male witnesses are necessary for a valid Nikah, or alternatively, 2 female and 1 male witness.
The Wali is a male guardian, usually a father or otherwise a brother or paternal uncle, whose role it is to ensure that the marriage the bride is entering upon is in her best interests and that the marriage contract ensures that she be treated fairly.
In the event that the bride does not have a Wali, a Wakil can be appointed as a representative or a Trustee to receive her consent of marriage. As an example, if someone is a convert, they can choose for the Imam to be the Wakil.
Though highly recommended as a protective measure for the bride, it is not an absolute necessity for the bride to have a Wali or Wakil in order to have an Nikah.
The majority of the ceremony will be spoken in English. The formal parts of the ceremony that need to be said in Arabic will also be translated into English by the Imam to ensure the bride, groom as well as guests have a full understanding of the proceedings.
The Nikah certificate is purely an Islamic document and has no legal standing in UK Law. The Nikah certificate symbolises that a marriage has taken place between the bride and groom according to Islamic law and may be used in Islamic countries if necessary e.g. the couple attending Hajj together.
The Civil Ceremony does not need to take place prior to the Nikah though the Imam would like to know when a date has been arranged for the Ceremony to take place.
Cambridge Central Mosque is not currently authorised by the local council to conduct civil ceremonies. To conduct a civil ceremony, this will have to be arranged with your local registrar. You can find further guidance on the process of arranging your civil marriage via this link below.
For the marriage to be legally registered, you must ‘give notice’ at your local register office and arrange for the civil ceremony within 12 months of giving notice.
Free parking for up to 75 cars including 5 disabled parking bays are available in the Mosque underground car park on a first come, first served basis.
The Mosque has a cafeteria which can be hired out/used for a Donation. Please see our Walima page for further information on what we offer and how to book.
Our capacity for wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions is as follows:
o Conference Room: 60 people
o Atrium: 200 people (Maximum of 60 people if booked together with the Café)
o Wedding Receptions in the Cafe: 60 people
The Nikah ceremony will begin with a Qur’an recitation and if you have any particular ayahs you would like recited, you are more than welcome to make a request.
• The ceremony will then continue with a short talk by the Imam on the significance of marriage in Islam with citations made from the Qur’an and Hadith.
• The Imam will then proceed to give a Khutbah as given by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) when he conducted Nikah ceremonies.[1]
• The Ijab (proposal of marriage) and qabul (acceptance of marriage) will then be made between the groom and the Wali or Bride.
• The couple may then exchange vows in English – The Imam will ask the groom to repeat the vow after him, and thereafter, the bride will also be asked to do the same.
• The couple have officially entered upon wedlock according to Islamic Law and the Imam will then make a dua to conclude the ceremony.
• Once the ceremony has concluded, the Nikah certificate will be signed by the Bride, Groom, Imam & witnesses.