Registry office weddings — a guide to costs, how to book and more

Registry office weddings are perfect for couples who are not wild about the idea of a big, fat, white wedding. Or for those with a tight wedding budget not looking forward to blowing ALL their savings on ONE day. Or for those just taking care of the legal bits before a dream destination wedding. Whatever your reasons, a registry office wedding makes for a relaxed, budget-friendly alternative to the more traditional venue options. 

In this article, we are spilling all the tea and giving you the insider info you need to know about registry office weddings. But first, let’s get one thing straight… getting married in a registry office, does NOT mean you have to miss out on all the fun bits of wedding planning! You can make your day as unique, personal and creative as you like. Add all the bells and whistles, from your own wedding music, to a personalised wedding registry and the wedding food of your dreams. But enough chit-chat, let’s get down to it… here’s our round-up of absolutely everything you need to know about registry office weddings.

In England and Wales, you can get married in a registry office if you are:

• both 18 or over
• not already married or in a civil partnership
• not closely related. Yikes – hopefully, that one goes without saying!

If you're a same-sex couple, you can convert a civil partnership into a marriage at a registry office in England or Wales. There are different rules for Scotland and you cannot convert any civil partnership into a marriage in Northern Ireland.

Things might get slightly more complicated if one or both of you are from outside the UK. Anyone with indefinite leave to remain can get married in a UK registry office, along with EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status, or people who are in the UK on a visa that lasts longer than 6 months. For anyone else, you may have to apply for a special visa. The UK Government website is the best place to check for all the most up-to-date information.

Many couples wonder if you can get married in any registry office, or if it has to be your local one. You may be relieved to know that, YES, you absolutely can get married in ANY UK registry office! If you’re happy to stick with your local one, that’s great. But the options are out there if you’d rather shop around. For example, you could opt for one with a special meaning… maybe it’s the town where you met or the reg office where your grandparents had their civil ceremony.

And don’t forget – not all registry offices are created equal. You could even start your search by googling the most beautiful registry offices in London, whatever floats your boat!

Whether you want to stay local or travel further afield, start your search by browsing all UK registry offices on the government finder site.

Generally, the cost of marrying in a registry office can be much lower than in other types of venues, though costs vary depending on your chosen registry office and what kind of room you are hiring.

The first thing you’ll pay is the giving notice fee. This fee differs throughout the UK, so it's best to check with your chosen office. The standard giving notice fee is £42 per person in England and Wales (unless one of you is from outside of the EU, in which case it goes up to £57 per person). In Northern Ireland, the fee is £22 per person. And, in Scotland, costs vary even by city — Edinburgh Council charges £100, while a notice fee for a Glasgow registry office wedding starts at £90 for a couple and can go up to £155 for Glasgow City Chambers weddings.

Next, comes the cost of the ceremony itself, which currently starts at £56 for a statutory registry office wedding ceremony in England and Wales. This means the most basic wedding ceremony: just the two of you and your witnesses in an office room – no added extras. However, if one or both of you are from outside the EU/EEA and without settled status, the fee is higher. However, the cost of a statutory registry office wedding ceremony in the UK is subject to variation based on location, the specific day and time of the ceremony, and different statutory fee structures that apply in Scotland and Wales.

The registry office wedding costs go up if you choose to marry in a special ceremony room which can accommodate more guests. To give you an example, this particular Prezola writer paid around £250 for a beautiful registry office ceremony room, which could accommodate up to 60 guests.

Then the last thing you’ll need to pay for is your marriage certificate, which currently costs between £8-£12.50 for each certificate depending on your location, with the Northern Ireland registry weddings being the cheapest – bargain!

To book a wedding registry office, get the ball rolling by contacting your chosen registry office and confirming a time and date for your ceremony. For most registry offices you can do this online or over the phone. Once that’s done, you’ll need to give notice.

How to give notice to marry

Wherever you’re planning to get married, you have to give notice of marriage at your LOCAL registry office before your ceremony. Giving notice essentially means that you are letting the world know that you intend to form a civil partnership. You know, just in case anyone wants to have their big dramatic “I OBJECT” moment… awkward.

If you live separately, you’ll each need to book your own appointment for this at your own local registry office. Unless, one of you is from outside the UK — in such instance, you and your partner must give notice together, unless both of you are British or Irish citizens, EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status, or have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme before 30 June 2021 and are awaiting a decision.

When creating your wedding planning checklist, make sure that you give notice at least 29 days before your intended marriage date… though we’d suggest giving yourself more time to be on the safe side. Don't do it too early either though, as once that’s done, you must have your legal marriage ceremony within 12 months.

What are wedding banns and do you need them?

Wedding banns are a public announcement of an intended marriage in Church of England ceremonies. Wedding banns are read aloud in the couple's parish church on three consecutive Sundays leading up to the wedding. It's essentially a formal opportunity for anyone to raise legal objections to the marriage. Think of it as a traditional "speak now or forever hold your peace" declaration. They should not be confused with giving notice to marry, which is the registry office's legal demand for paperwork before registry office weddings. If you're having a registry office wedding you don't need a reading of banns.

Which documents will I need to give notice?

When you give notice, you’ll need to bring along details of where and when you plan to marry, as well as your passport, proof of address and proof of any name changes.

If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before, you’ll also need to bring proof of divorce or a late partner’s death certificate to prove that you are eligible to marry again.

If you or your partner are from outside the UK, you will need to bring some additional documents. You can find out all the details on the UK Government website.

Once that’s all taken care of, if you aren’t getting married in the same registry office where you gave notice, you’ll need to arrange a quick 15-minute meeting at your chosen registry office, where you’ll complete some forms and confirm your identities. Then all that’s left is to pay up, create a wedding website and start sending out the invites!

Good news! While there are legal bits that have to be said, you're not totally stuck with the cookie-cutter ceremony and can usually sprinkle in your own magic by adding a personal touch to your wedding vows. Ask your registry office about including personalised readings or promises — maybe even a snippet from a heartfelt bride speech, if that's your style — just remember, nothing religious! Religious content and traditional phrases like "for better, for worse" are not allowed. That means it's all about finding that sweet spot between the legal requirements and letting your unique love story shine through. So, go on, add a dash of 'you' to those vows, and make your registry office wedding truly unforgettable!

Again, this can vary. Your basic, no-frills, bish-bash-bosh kind of registry office wedding can take as little as 10 minutes. Some quick “I dos”, sign the paperwork, and you're off down the pub to toast your new nuptials!

But most registry offices will allow you to personalise your ceremony with your own readings and music, so it can run anywhere up to half an hour. Just remember, registry offices often have multiple weddings taking place in a day. So, be good humans – don’t be late and don’t run over your allotted time slot.

So, do you need witnesses to get married? Short answer: YES. Absolutely. This is non-negotiable. You need witnesses to sign the register with you.

How many witnesses do you need to get married? At least 2 to make your marriage legal, though you can have up to 4.

Who can be a witness at a wedding? Pretty much anyone. The only requirement is that they understand what they’re witnessing, so they must speak English and be old enough to follow what’s going on.

As for who to choose, that is up to you! It could be a couple of trusted friends. Though family members can also act as wedding witnesses, if you’re wondering, can parents be witnesses at weddings. Good news if you’re planning to limit your registry office wedding guest list to immediate family only.

If you’re eloping or planning an ultra-romantic micro-wedding with just the two of you, you can hire professional witnesses. And if all else fails, you can even grab a pair of strangers off of the street… buy them a round in the pub afterwards and you might just get a new pair of best mates out of the deal!

So, the very basic version of a registry office wedding goes a little something like this:

• Pre-ceremony interview: You’ll arrive and be taken into a room for a quick interview to confirm your identity and spelling of your names, etc. This can be done together or separately, and your witnesses will also be asked to confirm their details.

• Ceremony: Then the ceremony will begin. The registrar will start by welcoming everyone and explaining what happens at a registry office wedding.

• Vows: Next comes the exciting bit – the vows! This is the legally binding part that makes you officially married. You can also exchange rings here if you like. But you don’t have to — putting a ring on it is NOT a legal requirement.

• Paperwork: Finally you all sign the paper and that’s it! Job done. Signed, sealed, delivered – CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE MARRIED!

If you thought a registry office marriage might be a bit dull or impersonal… think again. You can make your ceremony feel more personal by adding your own vows, readings, music and decorations.

For music and readings, pretty much anything goes, but like the vows they can not be religious. Get creative with your readings — they don't have to be traditional poems. If you have a favourite TV, movie or book, pick a scene or extract from it. And when it comes to music, swap those dusty old hymns for alternative wedding entrance songs and uplifting tunes for when you are signing the register. Consider bands you both love, movie scores, chart toppers, oldies, Auntie Liz on the ukulele, whatever makes you happy!

You can even bring your own décor to spruce up the ceremony room, within reason of course – if you have the room for just 20 minutes a full-blown flower arch might take too long to construct, but a few perfectly placed bouquets can work wonders!

Now, this is a great question, with an even better answer… It’s your wedding - you can wear whatever you damn well please! If the idea of a big white wedding dress or fancy morning suit doesn’t do it for you, then your registry office wedding is a great opportunity to get imaginative! We love a bit of chic tailoring, a jumpsuit, a wedding dress with a micro-miniskirt, a bit of colour, sparkles, feathers, flower crowns… you name it!

Equally, if you want to stick with a more traditional attire for your registry office wedding, we will certainly not be the ones to talk you out of it. In the end, it’s your day, your way. Wear what makes you happy! If that's jeans and a jumper, go for it! (Just give your guests a little heads up on your wedding stationary and invitations if you're going super casual so they don't feel awkwardly overdressed).

GET INSPIRED

• Check out our real wedding inspiration from Prezola couples.
• Read our guide to Petite wedding dresses by Influencer Petite Elliee.

• Registry office weddings are speedy affairs — they typically take between 10 to 30 minutes. Usually you can hang around the grounds afterwards for photo opps though.
• Your marriage must be carried out by a person (or at least in the presence of a person) who is an authorised registrar in your chosen area.
• A friend or family member may only conduct your ceremony if they are legally authorised by a recognised registrar.
• You'll need at least two witnesses to make your wedding legal.
• If you choose to decorate your registry office wedding, make sure to select items that are easy to move before the next couple arrives for their ceremony.
• Keep the food and drink celebration for after the wedding ceremony — these aren't permitted in registry office ceremony rooms.

And that’s it for our registry office weddings roundup. The big takeaways: it’s a relaxed, budget-friendly option that’s easy, laid-back, and can be as creative and personal as you like. In fact, we could say the same thing about setting up your wedding gift list with Prezola!

Unsure if a wedding gift list is right for you? Read our guide that comprehensively explains what a wedding registry is, and addresses common questions (such as, are wedding registries are tacky? Spoiler alert: no!). We can also provide guidance on how to ask for money for a wedding gift. There are a lot of benefits to having a gift list for couples, but truthfully, we've found that guests love them just as much — it makes their lives so much easier. They don't have to guess what you want or need, and at Prezola we handle delivery so they don't even have to stress about transporting your present on the big day.

Get started by adding anything you want to your gift registry — from traditional gifts to experiences, cash funds, or contributions to your dream honeymoon fund. What are you waiting for?!

Images courtesy of Prezola couples, Chelsea Town Hall, Waltham Forest Registry Office, Glasgow City Chambers