Getting married in Surrey means booking through Surrey County Council, which holds ceremonies at three register offices (Guildford, Leatherhead and Weybridge) and has licensed over 100 venues. It also says plainly that your photographer and videographer may record the ceremony. This guide covers the register offices, 2026/27 fees, notice, outdoor rules, venues by style and the photo spots that need a permit.
It is part of our local guide to weddings in London, Kent and Surrey, written from our studio in Beckenham. Every fee and rule was checked on Surrey County Council’s pages in October 2026.
The short answer: Surrey’s ceremony register offices are at Guildford, Leatherhead and Weybridge; Guildford’s Artington House closes on 1 November 2026. Register office ceremonies cost £365 to £890 in 2026/27, and registrars at a licensed venue £720 to £950. Outdoor ceremonies are allowed only at licensed venues, in British Summer Time.
Where are the register offices in Surrey?
All three hold ceremonies indoors only.
| Register office | Ceremony rooms | Photos afterwards |
|---|---|---|
| Leatherhead: The Mansion, 70 Church Street, KT22 8DP | Tylney Room, 2 to 18 guests; State Room, up to 58 with the conservatory | The council says the terrace and lawns suit photographs |
| Weybridge: Rylston, 81 Oatlands Drive, KT13 9LN | Oatlands, up to 20; Buckingham, up to 48 | The rear garden is promoted for photographs |
| Guildford: Artington House, 42 Portsmouth Road, GU2 4DZ | Closes 1 November 2026. From 6 September 2026 to 29 March 2027, ceremonies for 2 to 18 guests move to Suite 3, Guildford Harbour Hotel, GU1 3DA, Sundays and Mondays only | Not stated |
Existing Artington House bookings go ahead. The council hasn’t said where Guildford ceremonies will be held after March 2027, so check before booking a later date.
How much is a registry office wedding in Surrey?
Surrey names its ceremony options rather than its rooms. These are the 2026/27 fees, which the council says will stay the same through 2028/29:
| Ceremony | Where, and how many guests | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor | Guildford or Leatherhead, up to 18 | £365 Monday to Wednesday, £550 Thursday, £715 Friday to Sunday (Guildford Harbour Hotel: £365 Monday, £540 Sunday) |
| Oatlands | Weybridge, up to 20 | £465 Monday to Wednesday, £890 Thursday to Saturday |
| Buckingham | Up to 48 at Guildford or Weybridge, 58 at Leatherhead | £550 Monday to Thursday, £715 Friday to Sunday (Weybridge also lists an £890 rate) |
| Sandringham | Registrars at any licensed venue | £720 Monday to Thursday, £950 Friday to Sunday and bank holidays |
Every fee includes a £100 non-refundable admin fee, and certificates are £12.50 each. How far ahead can you book? Register office ceremonies can be booked online, room and registrar together, up to two years ahead. For a licensed venue, confirm your date with the venue first, then book the registrars online; the booking stays provisional until approved.
How do you give notice to marry in Surrey?
You give notice where you live, not where you marry. Surrey residents book an appointment online at Guildford, Leatherhead or Weybridge, having lived in the district for at least eight days. Notice must be given at least 29 days before the wedding (up to 70 if referred to the Home Office) and costs £46.50 per person, or £63 if referred.
If you live in London, you give notice at your own borough’s register office, naming the Surrey venue. Our guide to getting married legally in England and Wales covers documents and timings.
Can you get married outdoors in Surrey?
Yes, at a licensed venue, under Surrey’s conditions:
- When: British Summer Time only, from the last Sunday in March to the last Saturday in October, as the council puts it.
- Where: an outdoor area named on the venue’s licence and attached to a building. Register offices are indoors only.
- Weather: the venue decides at least an hour before, an indoor licensed room must be ready 30 minutes before, and the registrars can overrule.
- Numbers and signing: outdoor numbers are capped at the indoor room’s capacity, everyone signing must be all inside or all outside, and there’s no food or drink during the ceremony.
That signing rule decides where the table goes, so we agree it with the venue in advance, and we check the light and microphone positions in both spaces.
Can you take photos and film during a Surrey ceremony?
Yes. Surrey County Council publishes that a photographer or videographer may photograph or record the ceremony, at its register offices and at licensed venues, with more photographs in the garden afterwards. Guests may film or live-stream from their seats. Confetti must be biodegradable and thrown outside, with no confetti cannons.
That is unusually clear. If you would rather guests’ phones stayed down, see unplugged ceremonies; for a short ceremony, register office wedding photography plans the first 30 minutes. See how we cover civil ceremonies.
Surrey wedding venues by style
Capacities are as each venue states on its own website (checked October 2026).
| Style | Venue | What the venue offers |
|---|---|---|
| Country house | Loseley Park, Guildford | Exclusive use; licensed Great Hall (102) and Tithe Barn (140, or 280 with a marquee) |
| Country house | Great Fosters, Egham | Tudor estate, up to 160 (250 in the evening) |
| Country house | Gorse Hill, Woking | Edwardian mansion; ceremonies for 90 on weekdays, 150 at weekends |
| Country house | Botleys Mansion, Chertsey | Exclusive use or dry hire; up to 360, 500 in the evening |
| Castle | Farnham Castle | Four licensed rooms, two Church of England chapels, 60 to 265 guests |
| Landscape garden | Painshill, Cobham | May to September: Gothic Temple (120), Crystal Grotto (16), Walled Garden (150) |
| Barn | Gate Street Barn, Bramley, near Guildford | Weddings with published pricing |
| Vineyard | Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking | Eight spaces, including a marquee, cellars and a conservatory |
Is it really in Surrey? Border venues and permit traps
Some places with a Surrey feel are run by someone else, which changes who registers you and who issues a permit.
- Pembroke Lodge sits in Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond. It has two licensed rooms (the Russell Suite, 70 seated, and the Belvedere, 140 seated) and a licensed outdoor Oak Gazebo.
- Hampton Court Palace is also in the London Borough of Richmond.
- Nonsuch Mansion gives a “Cheam, Surrey” address but is in the London Borough of Sutton.
- Northbrook Park gives a Farnham address, but the estate is in East Hampshire.
- Richmond Park and Bushy Park are Royal Parks. A professional wedding shoot needs a permit: £100 plus VAT per photographer, one hour, up to 10 people, at least 10 days’ notice and £5 million public liability insurance, with no confetti. In Richmond Park, keep at least 50 metres from the deer.
- Box Hill is National Trust land in the Surrey Hills National Landscape (the new name for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty since November 2023). The Trust arranges wedding shoots property by property, so contact Box Hill in advance.
There is no single Surrey Hills permit: the Surrey Film Office covers the public highway and council property, and private land needs the owner’s consent. Our guide to London wedding photo locations and permits explains the Royal Parks permit in full.
Surrey Hills weddings: light, seasons and weather
Surrey’s sunsets are within a few minutes of London’s: around 20:45 in mid-May, 21:20 in late June, 19:15 in mid-September and 15:50 in mid-December. In 2027, British Summer Time, and so the outdoor ceremony season, runs from 28 March to 31 October. See golden hour wedding photos in the UK for every month.
Met Office averages for London Heathrow, just north of the Surrey border, show around eight rain days a month in May, July and September and eleven in October and November: see our rainy wedding day plan.
How far is Surrey from London?
From our studio in Beckenham, Richmond Park is around 45 to 50 minutes, Box Hill around 46 minutes and Guildford around an hour. These are traffic-free times; Saturdays take longer. Travel is included within 50 miles of Beckenham, which covers Guildford. Guests driving from London cross the ULEZ: see wedding day travel in London and the South East.
From behind the camera
Surrey’s published rule lets us plan the ceremony properly before the day: where the filmmaker stands, where the small microphones go and which angle shows the signing table. I still ask the registrar on the morning, because the person conducting the ceremony has the final word on the room.
Hilltop portraits look simple but are exposed: wind catches veils and microphones, so I plan a sheltered second spot below the brow, and I check who owns a view before suggesting it.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the register offices in Surrey?
Surrey holds ceremonies at three register offices: The Mansion in Leatherhead, Rylston in Weybridge and Artington House in Guildford, which closes on 1 November 2026. Until 29 March 2027, Guildford ceremonies for up to 18 guests are held in Suite 3 at the Guildford Harbour Hotel, on Sundays and Mondays only.
How much is a registry office wedding in Surrey?
For 2026/27, register office ceremonies cost from £365 (up to 18 guests, Monday to Wednesday, at Guildford or Leatherhead) to £890 at Weybridge. Registrars at a licensed venue cost £720 Monday to Thursday and £950 Friday to Sunday. Each fee includes a £100 non-refundable admin fee.
Can you get married outdoors in Surrey?
Yes, at a licensed venue with an approved outdoor area, during British Summer Time only. Register offices are indoors only. The venue makes the weather call at least an hour before, an indoor licensed room must be ready, and outdoor numbers can’t exceed that room’s capacity.
Can you take wedding photos at Box Hill?
Box Hill is National Trust land, and the Trust handles wedding and engagement shoots property by property: contact Box Hill in advance, agree access and pay any fee. Commercial photography needs a signed contract, and personal drone flying isn’t allowed. Other Surrey Hills land has different owners, so there’s no single permit.
Keep reading
- London wedding photo locations and permits: the Royal Parks permit, and the other places that need one.
- Register office wedding photography: a calm plan for a short ceremony and the signing.
- Golden hour wedding photos in the UK: when the best light falls, month by month.
Getting married in Surrey? See our wedding photography and wedding films, then book a call to check your date.
