There’s no single best register office in London. The right one depends on your guest numbers, day, budget, and whether your photographer can work during the ceremony. Below we compare 16 London town halls and register offices, from Old Marylebone and Chelsea to Bromley, Lewisham, Greenwich, Croydon and Bexley’s Danson House, using each council’s own pages, checked in October 2026.
The short answer: For big numbers and grand rooms, look at Old Marylebone, Islington, Camden and Wandsworth. For value, midweek rooms in Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham and Hackney cost about £190 to £330. For a small wedding, compare statutory rooms, but check residency and photography rules first, because some allow no photographer.
This guide is part of our local series: see weddings in London, Kent and Surrey for the wider picture, and getting married in London for notice, costs and travel.
Can you get married at any register office in London?
Yes. You give notice in the borough where you live, then name any borough’s ceremony room on your notice. The exception is some statutory rooms, the cheapest option for the two of you and two witnesses, which Islington and Greenwich keep for residents. Our guide to getting married legally in England and Wales explains notice in full.
London register offices compared
Fees are as each council publishes them, and they change every April. Most councils charge more on Saturdays, in summer and after 5pm. “Not counted” means your photographer doesn’t take up one of the room’s guest places.
| Borough: building | Rooms (guests) | Example fees | Photographer and photos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster: Old Marylebone Town Hall, Marylebone Road | 7 rooms, 8 to 100 | Westminster Room 2026/27: £1,023 Mon–Thu, £1,588 peak Sat | Not counted; marble staircase, then a timed confetti photo on the front steps |
| Kensington and Chelsea: Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road | Brydon 38, Rossetti 12, Harrington 8 | Summer 2026: Rossetti £450–£470 Mon–Thu; Brydon £780–£820 Sat | No published rule; confetti on the main steps |
| Islington: Islington Town Hall, Upper Street | 2 to 85 | Council Chamber, winter 2026/27: £501 Tue–Thu, £722 Sat | Photos allowed during the ceremony; one photographer not counted, videographers are |
| Hackney: Hackney Town Hall | Lanchester and Lodge Suites, up to 30 | 2026/27: £325 Tue, Thu, Fri; £405 Sat | Photos allowed once your photographer has spoken to the registrars; counted; quick photos on the steps |
| Camden: Camden Town Hall, Judd Street | 4 to 160 | 2026/27: Primrose and Regent’s £305 Mon–Thu; Council Chamber £795 Sat | Photos, video and audio allowed throughout; not counted; Marble Staircase afterwards |
| Haringey: George Meehan House, Wood Green | 22, 52 and 79, including the couple | From April 2026: Earlham Room £312 Mon–Thu, £450 Sat | No published rule; private garden promoted for photos |
| Tower Hamlets: St George’s Town Hall, 236 Cable Street | 10 to 180 | From April 2026: small rooms from £190, large rooms £285–£520, Mon–Thu | Grand staircase, a flower frame for the signing photo, confetti in St George’s Gardens |
| Richmond: York House, Twickenham | Loggia Room about 75, plus three hired rooms | Registrars from January 2026: £306.60 Mon–Thu, £581.60 Sat; room hire extra outside the Loggia | Your nominated photographer may work discreetly throughout; no photos of the register being signed |
| Wandsworth: Wandsworth Town Hall | 10 to 100 | Grand Chamber, 2026: £474 weekdays, £625 Sat | Counted |
| Lambeth: Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton | 10 to 135 | Olive Morris Suite (40): £483 Mon–Tue, £717 Fri–Sat; no fee year stated | Not counted; optional 30-minute photo session in the room, £45; no confetti anywhere |
| Southwark: Camberwell House, Peckham Road | Garden Room, couple plus 35 | £217 Wed, £441 Thu–Sat; no fee year stated | Not counted; confetti outside at the front |
| Lewisham: 368 Lewisham High Street | Evelyn Suite, 40 in total | 2026/27: £304 Mon–Thu, £372 Fri, £440 Sat; no Sundays | Patio garden for photographs |
| Greenwich: Woolwich Town Hall | Edwardian Room 36, Victoria Hall 120 | 2026/27: Edwardian £340 Wed–Thu, £453.50 Fri–Sat | Counted |
| Croydon: Croydon Town Hall, Fell Road | Clocktower 65, Arnhem 35 | Two council pages disagree (see below) | No rule on current pages |
| Bromley: Civic Centre, Churchill Court | The Ceremony Room, 50 | 2026/27: £400 Mon–Fri, £525 weekends | No outdoor space; photos in the ceremony room |
| Bexley: Danson House, Danson Park | 12, 25, 45 and 65 | From 12 October 2026: £330–£790 Mon–Fri, £490–£950 weekends, plus £85 booking fee | No published rule |
Notes on the table:
- Croydon: the room pages list the Clocktower Room at £340 Monday to Thursday and £448 on Saturdays; the booking page says £355 and £465. Neither gives a year, and ceremonies after 5pm cost 25% more. An older Croydon ceremonies site said photography wasn’t allowed during the ceremony, and the current pages don’t say. Ask for the fee and the photo rule in writing.
- Westminster: current pages don’t say what the fee includes. The full fee is due at booking or three months before, and each slot is 60 minutes from arrival to departure.
- Islington has limited availability from January to March 2027 because of building works, and its winter rates started on 19 October 2026.
- Bexley’s register office is run by Kent County Council, not a London borough, so its fees follow Kent’s schedule.
Which London register office is best for a small wedding?
For the two of you and two witnesses, statutory and two-witness rooms are the cheapest route, but photography rules vary most here:
- Westminster: “you plus two” ceremonies at the Harrow Road register office, £84.50 on selected Wednesdays, allow no photographers.
- Islington: £62, residents only. In its two-witness rooms (from £198 Tuesday to Thursday this winter), your photographer must be one of your witnesses.
- Greenwich: £62, residents only, with a wait of six months or more. A photographer can attend only as one of your two witnesses, photographing before and after.
- Richmond: the Simple Ceremony Room on Wednesdays, £84.60; no photos or video.
- Lewisham (up to 4 people) and Croydon: £62, Wednesdays only.
- Camden: £74.50 on Tuesday mornings.
- Haringey: a basic ceremony with five others, £168.50.
For 10 to 40 guests, look at rooms such as Chelsea’s Rossetti Room, Hackney’s Lanchester Suite and Lewisham’s Evelyn Suite. Our guide on how to elope in the UK covers two-witness weddings, and we photograph intimate weddings and elopements from two hours.
Can you take photos in a London registry office?
Usually, yes, but rules range from Camden’s “photos, video and audio throughout” to statutory rooms with no photographer at all. In Richmond, the nominated photographer works discreetly, other guests wait until the end, and a staged signing with a blank page is offered. Where a council counts your photographer and filmmaker as guests (Hackney, Wandsworth, Greenwich), leave two places for them.
What’s outside matters too. Bromley has no outdoor space, so couples there usually plan a short trip for portraits: our guide to Bromley, Beckenham and south east London weddings suggests where. For how to make a 30-minute ceremony count, see register office wedding photography, and for portrait walks in town, London city weddings.
How to choose your register office
- Count everyone, including your photographer and filmmaker where the council counts them.
- Pick the day. Saturdays and peak months cost most, and Lewisham has no Sunday ceremonies.
- Check residency before planning around a statutory room.
- Ask about deposits and booking fees: Bromley takes £200, Hackney and Camden £100, Kent £85 for Danson House.
- Ask about confetti. Where councils publish a rule, it’s usually biodegradable confetti outside only; Lambeth allows none.
- Ask the photography question in writing, including the signing.
From behind the camera
In a register office, the room decides more than the building. A tall council chamber with side windows gives soft, even light; a modern room with low ceilings and overhead lights means we stand with the window behind us, never behind you. So when couples book, I ask which room.
Registrars speak quietly and vows are short, so our filmmaker agrees microphone placement with the registrar before you arrive. Where the photographer counts as a guest, we keep the team to one photographer and one filmmaker, never more.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular registry offices in London?
The best known are central town halls such as Old Marylebone Town Hall, Chelsea Old Town Hall, Islington Town Hall, Camden Town Hall and Hackney Town Hall, which appear in most published lists. Town halls further out, from Richmond’s York House to Lewisham, Greenwich, Croydon, Bromley and Bexley’s Danson House, are written about far less, so compare them too.
How much is a registry office wedding in London?
On top of notice (£46.50 each from April 2026), a statutory ceremony costs £62 in most London boroughs, with Camden at £74.50 and Westminster at £84.50. Ceremony rooms for guests start at about £190 midweek in Tower Hamlets and reach £1,588 for a peak Saturday at Old Marylebone Town Hall (2026/27 fees). Saturdays and summer dates cost more almost everywhere.
Can you get married at Chelsea Old Town Hall?
Yes. You don’t need to live in Kensington and Chelsea: you give notice in your own borough and name Chelsea Old Town Hall as the venue. It has three ceremony rooms on the King’s Road: the Brydon Room for 38 guests, the Rossetti Room for 12 and the Harrington Room for 8. Summer 2026 prices for the Rossetti Room start at £450 Monday to Thursday.
Can you take photos in a London registry office?
Usually, but each council sets its own rules. Camden allows photos, video and audio throughout, Richmond lets your nominated photographer work discreetly but bans photos of the actual signing, and some statutory rooms allow no photographers at all. Some councils count your photographer as a guest, others don’t. Ask your register office in writing when you book.
Keep reading
- Register office weddings: great photos in 30 minutes: arrival times, the signing and a two-hour plan.
- Weddings in Bromley, Beckenham and south east London: venues and parks on our home turf.
- How to elope in the UK: two witnesses and photos that still feel like a wedding.
Booked your town hall? Tell us the room and the time, and see how we cover civil ceremonies and city weddings. Then check your date.
