The Cheapest Option For Getting Married
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What is the cheapest option for getting married? Well, if you remove all the bells and whistles, guests, food, dresses, suits decorations and so on, the basic act of getting legally married is actually pretty cheap.
While I’m not saying that you should ditch all of the above from your wedding, looking at the basic cost of actually getting married can really put everything else into perspective.
So what is the absolute cheapest way to get married in England and Wales?
Cheapest Option For Getting Married: Basic Registry Office Wedding With Two Witnesses
The cheapest way to get married in England and Wales is to get married at your local registry office.
First of all, you’ll need to pay around £35 each (or £75 if either of you are subject to immigration control) at least 30 days before you plan to get married.
This is called giving notice. You’ll be interviewed by a registrar both separately and together and they’ll ask questions to ensure you’re not being forced into marriage.
Once this is done, your intention to marry is posted by the registrar and anyone can object to it should they have legal cause to do so.
You then have one year in which to book a date to officially get married.
The cheapest option is a very basic registry office ceremony. These are usually held during the week and while most registry offices offer this basic package, not all of them do – look around for another in your county if your nearest doesn’t.
You need a legal minimum of two witnesses and for the ceremony, you won’t be able to have any other guests.
The registrar for this basic ceremony costs around £50 and you’ll say your vows, and sign the paperwork. There are no songs or poems, just the legalities.
The absolute cheapest way to get married costs approximately £120. This is perfect if you just want to do legalities and keep costs to an absolute minimum. You can still dress up if you would like to and celebrate afterwards.
Fees can be slightly more if you need any legal documents checked by the registrar – such as divorce papers that were originally registered in a different country.
I advise getting extra marriage certificates at this stage – they cost £6 but are totally worth it when you’ll need to send them off if you plan to change your name.
Registry Office Ceremony With Guests
Many registry offices offer packages where you can have more guests and these are often cheaper than getting married at a dedicated wedding venue. The cost of these offerings will vary depending on where you live in the country and the number of people the registry office can accommodate.
There are also charges when you ask a register to perform your ceremony at a different venue. This venue will need to be licensed for weddings.
If you’ve found a venue you love that isn’t licensed you could opt for the basic legal ceremony in the registry office and then have a wedding celebrant at the venue on the day.
This is what I chose to do for my own wedding, as while the venue did hold a marriage licence, we really wanted someone we knew personally to do our ceremony
When you look at the costs like this, it makes you wonder how weddings can cost tens of thousands of pounds.
While having all of the bells and whistles is amazing, if you just want to be married to your other half, this is the perfect way to go.
The Cheapest Way To Get Married – Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Get Married Online In The UK?
No, you cannot get married online in the UK. You have to get married either in a church, a registry office or at a licensed wedding venue with a registrar present.
However, streaming wedding ceremonies did become more popular post-Covid so family and friends could watch you get married online if they wanted to.
What Is Common-Law Marriage?
It’s worth noting that ‘common law marriage’ does not exist even when two people have been cohabiting for an extended period. Unfortunately, common law marriage is a myth –you can read more about it in the post ‘do I really need to get married?.
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Very interesting, I have been quoted a figure of several hundred pounds by more than one registry office. We plan to get married at the end of August 2023 in the county of Surrey (England). We are British subjects, domiciled in Portsmouth, Hants and. Do you know of a registry office anywhere in Surrey, that would perform the basic ceremony for the figure that you mention in your article?
Any help that you could give me in this respect would be much appreciated.