The two main options for marrying in the UK are having a religious ceremony or a civil ceremony. A civil ceremony is a secular marriage ceremony which is performed and recognised by a government official called a registrar. A civil ceremony can either be held in a register office (often attached to your local town hall) or at a licensed venue.
If you want to find your perfect civil ceremony licensed wedding venue, take a look at our list. Most hotels, barns and hospitality venues who frequently perform weddings will be licensed and they’ll have links to the local register office so they can help arrange a registrar to be there on the day.
Do Venues Need a Wedding License?
Yes. To host a legal civil ceremony, a venue must be licensed and this license will apply only to certain rooms within the venue. It’s so important to check that the venue where you want to marry and the space you want to host your ceremony are approved, otherwise you could get caught out! Don’t assume that this is the case, as many outdoor venues do not have a license and only offer celebrant-led ceremonies.
If you do want to marry outdoors, you can host the whole ceremony outside, and then repeat the legal parts inside in front of the registrar and two witnesses when you go to sign the register.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Registrar?
The legal vows you make and the signing of the marriage licence need to be done in the presence of a registrar. If you marry at the register office, you will automatically be doing this in front of the registrar; however, if you marry at a licensed venue, you will need to pay for a registrar to attend and authorise your wedding.
The cost of this varies per council, but it usually starts at £400 to have the registrar attend your civil ceremony. If you don’t want to pay this, you could do a quick ceremony at the register office before your wedding day begins. This takes about 15 minutes and costs around £46.
Factor these costs into your budget as you may wish to hire a celebrant as well as a registrar to make your ceremony more personal. This is because you probably won’t meet your registrar until 15 minutes before your ceremony and you may want a closer bond to the person officiating the most important vows of your life.
Is a Civil Ceremony the Same as a Civil Partnership?
No, a civil ceremony and civil partnership are different. When you have a religious ceremony or a civil ceremony, you get married. This comes with some traditional, religious or patriarchal connotations that couples don’t necessarily agree with. In this case, they may choose to form a civil partnership instead, which is a legal relationship that affords the same rights as marriage.
Same-sex and opposite-sex couples can both enter into civil partnerships as of December 2019. In a civil partnership, the legal relationship is formed by the signing of the civil partnership document; in a marriage, the recitation of vows is the legally-binding part. In a civil partnership, the union is ended by dissolution, whereas in marriage, it is ended by divorce.
Almost all rights are the same for married or civil partnership couples; it comes down to what you feel most comfortable with.
