Add lunch for 20 and the whole day usually comes to £4,500 to £8,300, a fifth to two fifths of the £20,604 average UK wedding. This guide sets out the statutory fees, compares what three councils charge for rooms and venues, covers Scotland and Northern Ireland, and works the totals with a small reception.
What a registry office wedding costs in 2026
The official name is a register office, and councils use it on every price list. Everyone else says registry office, and the two mean the same building. What you pay depends on which of three ceremonies you book.
| Ceremony | Who can come | Council fees for two | Room hire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory ceremony in the registrar's office | The two of you and two witnesses | £170 to £270 | None |
| Ceremony room at the register office | Up to 40 to 90 guests | £460 to £690 | None, the room is in the fee |
| Registrars at an approved venue | Whatever the venue holds | £740 to £1,070 | The venue's own charge for its ceremony room |
The statutory fees in England and Wales
Parliament sets three of the fees, and every council charges the same for them. They went up on 6 April 2026 under the 2026 fees regulations; if you gave notice before that date, you pay the old rate for it.
| Fee | 2026 amount | Before 6 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Giving notice, per person | £46.50 | £42 |
| Giving notice if either of you is subject to immigration control, per person | £63 | £57 |
| Statutory ceremony at the register office | £62 | £56 |
| Registrar attending a religious building with no authorised person | £114.50 | £104 |
| Marriage certificate at the time of registration | £12.50 | £12.50 |
You both give notice at your local register office at least 29 days before the wedding, and the notice names the venue. The step by step guide to giving notice covers the documents and timings. If either of you is changing your name, order two or three certificates on the day, because banks and the passport office ask to see an original and a copy ordered later costs the same.
The statutory ceremony is deliberately plain: the two of you, two witnesses, the legal vows and room for rings. Durham holds it on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Leeds on the last Monday of the month, and Birmingham on Wednesdays in a working office, with no music and no photography in the room. Slots are scarce, so book it as soon as you have a date.
Register office ceremony rooms: three councils compared
Everything beyond the statutory ceremony is priced by the council, and the spread is wide. Three published 2026 price lists, from inner London, a northern city and a county:
| Council | Statutory ceremony | Ceremony room | Booking fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hackney | £62 | Town Hall suites: £325 Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, £405 Saturday | £100 |
| Leeds | Basic ceremony £118.50, last Monday of the month, 2 guests | Civic Hall West Room, up to 40 guests: £370 Tuesday or Thursday, £475 Friday, £530 Saturday. Banquet Hall, up to 90: £595 Saturday | Included |
| Durham | £74.50, Tuesday or Wednesday mornings | £360 Monday to Thursday, £410 Friday, £450 Saturday, £500 Sunday, for rooms of 16 to 80 guests | £50 |
Two patterns hold across most councils. Saturday costs £80 to £160 more than a weekday for the same room, and the non-refundable booking fee is separate, so read the small print before comparing. Fees also rise every April, and some councils charge the rate for the year of the ceremony rather than the year you booked.
Registrar fees at an approved venue
Marry at a licensed hotel, barn or country house and the council sends two registrars to you. Their fee is set by the council for the district the venue is in, and the venue's charge for the ceremony room comes on top.
So a Saturday ceremony at a licensed venue costs £200 to £340 more in council fees than a Saturday in a register office room, before the venue has charged for its own room. That gap is small next to what the venue costs, which is why couples choose a register office for the price of the whole day, not the ceremony.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
In Scotland you each lodge a marriage notice with the registrar for the district where the wedding happens, not where you live, at least 29 days ahead. The M10 guidance notes advise 10 to 12 weeks. The statutory fees are £45 per notice, £55 for a civil ceremony and £10 for the certificate, which Scotland calls an extract. A civil ceremony in the registrar's office for up to four people therefore costs £155 in total on the Scottish Borders price list, while a larger room there is £377 on a weekday and £516 on a Saturday, the same as a registrar at a venue. NRS consulted on new fees; that consultation closed on 4 October 2026, so check the registrar before you pay.
In Northern Ireland the notice fee is £22 per person, given to the registrar for the council district of the ceremony at least 28 days ahead, and eight weeks is safer. The registrar's own fee is £36 on a weekday between 9am and 5pm, £162 on a weekday evening or a Saturday daytime, and £216 on a Saturday evening, Sunday or bank holiday. The council adds a charge for its marriage room or for attending an approved venue, so ask the district for its price list.
What a registry office wedding and a small reception cost
The ceremony is rarely the expensive part. The meal afterwards, the photographer and what you wear decide the total, and the ranges below assume a restaurant, pub or private dining room rather than a hired venue.
| What | Just you and two witnesses | 20 guests | 40 guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice, ceremony and certificate | £170 to £270 | £460 to £690 | £460 to £690 |
| Meal and drinks | £200 to £500 | £1,500 to £2,400 | £3,000 to £4,800 |
| Photography | £0 to £800 | £800 to £1,500 | £1,000 to £1,800 |
| Outfits and rings | £1,200 to £2,500 | £1,200 to £2,500 | £1,200 to £2,500 |
| Flowers, cake and extras | £100 to £300 | £500 to £1,200 | £800 to £1,800 |
| Total | £1,700 to £4,400 | £4,500 to £8,300 | £6,500 to £11,600 |
At 40 guests the register office room saves the £800 to £2,500 a small venue would charge for hire, and not much else, because everything else still scales with the guest list. The small wedding cost guide shows the same maths with a hired venue for 20, 40 and 60 guests.
How it compares to the average UK wedding
The average UK wedding costs £20,604 by Bridebook's count and £21,990 by Hitched's. A register office wedding with lunch for 20 costs a fifth to two fifths of that, and puts you comfortably among the quarter of UK couples who marry for £10,000 or less. The saving comes from three places: no venue hire, a much shorter guest list, and a day that ends when lunch does.
If you have a total in mind, the wedding budget breakdown splits it by percentage; at this size the venue line becomes the meal. And the restaurant enquiry is the same job as any venue enquiry: ask for the all-in price in writing, with the service charge and any minimum spend spelled out. Aisley does that round of enquiries for the couples she works with, writing to each place, reading the replies and chasing the ones that go quiet, while you decide where to eat.
Quick answers
In England and Wales in 2026, the statutory ceremony costs £62, notice is £46.50 each and the certificate £12.50, so about £170 before any council booking fee. A ceremony room with space for guests costs £325 to £600 at the councils we compared. With a meal for 20, the whole day usually costs £4,500 to £8,300.
A statutory ceremony at the register office with two witnesses. In England and Wales that is about £170 to £270 in council fees for both of you, in Scotland £155 in statutory fees, and in Northern Ireland £80 in statutory fees plus the council's room charge.
Usually only your two witnesses. Birmingham, Durham and Leeds all cap the statutory ceremony at the couple and two witnesses, so for family and friends you book a ceremony room instead, which costs a few hundred pounds more.
Register office is the legal name, and councils use it on their price lists. Registry office is the everyday name for the same place, and both searches lead to the same fees.
Yes. Every civil wedding in England and Wales needs notice from both of you at least 29 days before, at £46.50 each, even when the wedding is at the office where you gave it. Giving notice explains the documents and the timing.