A registry office wedding is two payments to the council, then a separate booking with a photographer. The first payment is for giving notice. The second is for the ceremony room. Councils publish both, and the ceremony line moves with the room and the day of the week.
The notice fee
In England and Wales, giving notice means signing a legal statement at the register office for a district you have lived in for the past seven days. GOV.UK says that appointment is at least 29 days before the ceremony, and that the ceremony has to fall within 12 months of the notice. Partners in different districts each sign, on the same day or on different days. When one partner is from outside the UK, GOV.UK sets who attends together.
The notice fee is the charge for that appointment, per person. Shropshire Council prints £46.50 per person for notice of marriage from 6 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, and says these fees are set by central government and can change. The same page lists a Home Office referral at £63 per person. Birmingham prints the same two notice figures for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Leeds prints £46.50 per person for the notice appointment. York prints weekday notice from £46.50 per person and Saturday notice at £64.50 per person, so the day of the appointment can change the notice bill as well.
The ceremony fee
The ceremony fee is a local price for a room and a day. It sits on a different row from the notice.
- Birmingham Register Office, Holliday Street, B1 1TJ, for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027: a statutory ceremony is £62, and the council says the certificate and postage are not included. A ceremony in the ceremony suite runs from £150 to £487.50. A certificate is £12.50.
- Leeds Civic Hall, West Room, in the 2026 column that includes the booking fee: a basic ceremony on the last Monday of the month, with two guests only, is £118.50. The same room on a Saturday is £530. Leeds includes one certificate in every ceremony fee.
- York Register Office: a ceremony with two witnesses only, and limited availability, is £62. The Bootham Suite, up to 50 guests, is £345 from Monday to Wednesday. A £50 deposit holds the slot and is deducted from the balance. York says the fee you pay is the one in force on the day you pay, and the table is usually revised on 1 April.
Glasgow publishes three fee lists from 1 April 2026, for 23 Montrose Street, the City Chambers, and ceremonies elsewhere in the city. At Montrose Street the Kelvin Room takes up to 33 guests, 35 including the couple, and the Clyde Room takes up to 15, 17 including the couple. In Scotland the notice itself is lodged with the district where the ceremony will be held, and National Records of Scotland leaves the amount to that registrar. The steps are in how to elope in Scotland.
Open the town page for the council you are booking: Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, Coventry, Nottingham, Newcastle, Brighton, Derby, Southampton and York.
Photography for a short ceremony
A statutory room is a short ceremony, so the photography brief is often 1 to 2 hours: the arrival, the signing, and a few pictures outside. Packages in the October 2026 survey that were described as an elopement or a register office and stated 1 to 2 hours had a median of £450 (n=511; middle half £350 to £597). Surveyed 4 October 2026. How many hours of wedding photography do you need? shows how that row was counted, and how it differs from a half day. Tell the photographer the room name and the start time the council has given you, then compare the quotes.
Questions
How much for a registry office wedding?
Add the notice to the ceremony, then add photography if you want it. For 2026, Shropshire, Birmingham, Leeds and York each publish a notice of £46.50 per person, and Shropshire says that notice fee is set by central government. Birmingham's statutory ceremony is £62 from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. York's two-witness ceremony is £62. Leeds prices a two-guest Monday at the Civic Hall at £118.50 in 2026, and that column includes the booking fee. A larger room or a Saturday is another line on the same council table.
What is included in a registry office wedding cost?
Read the row, because councils itemise differently. Birmingham's statutory fee leaves out the certificate and postage, and a certificate there is £12.50. Leeds includes one certificate in the ceremony fee. York takes a £50 deposit to hold the date and deducts it from the balance. The photographer's quote is a third bill.
Why do Saturday ceremonies cost more than Monday ones?
The council writes a price for each day. In Leeds the West Room basic slot, last Monday of the month with two guests, is £118.50 in 2026, and the same room on a Saturday is £530. York's Bootham Suite is £345 from Monday to Wednesday. York also charges £64.50 per person for a Saturday notice appointment, against a weekday notice from £46.50.
How long should the photographer stay?
For the ceremony and a few portraits, ask for 1 to 2 hours. That band in the October 2026 survey has a median of £450 (n=511). If you are adding a meal, look at the 4 to 5 hour band on the hours guide before you request quotes.