To get married legally in England and Wales, you give notice at your local register office at least 29 days before, then marry at a register office, an approved venue, or a religious building registered for marriages, with two witnesses and a registrar or authorised person present. A religious ceremony held anywhere else, such as a nikah at home or a Hindu ceremony in a hotel, usually needs a separate civil ceremony.
This is a general guide, not legal advice, so always check with your register office and officiant. For the wider plan, see our month-by-month wedding planning checklist.
How do you give notice of marriage?
You must both be 18 or over (since 27 February 2023, per GOV.UK). Then, according to GOV.UK’s guide to giving notice:
- Timing. Notice must be given at least 29 days before the ceremony, which is 28 full days. Notice given on 1 May means the earliest wedding is 30 May.
- Validity. The wedding must take place within 12 months.
- Where. At your local register office, by appointment, after living in that district for the past 7 days. If you live in different districts, you each give notice in your own.
- Your venue. The venue is named on the notice, so book it first.
- If either of you is not British or Irish. You give notice together, in a district where one of you lives, unless you each have British or Irish citizenship or settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. If your case is referred to the Home Office, the notice period can be extended to 70 days.
The fee. From 6 April 2026, notice costs £46.50 per person, so £93 for a couple, or £63 per person if referred to the Home Office, according to council fee tables such as Swindon’s. Fees change each April.
Church of England and Church in Wales. Most Anglican weddings use banns or a common licence instead of civil notice, unless one of you is from outside the UK or Ireland.
Where can you legally get married?
| Type of wedding | Where | Who must be there | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register office | The register office | A registrar | Statutory room fee £62 from April 2026, plus £12.50 for the certificate; check locally |
| Civil ceremony at a venue | Approved premises, such as hotels | Registrars, booked through the register office | Each council sets its own, higher fee |
| Church of England or Church in Wales | The parish church | The vicar | Banns or a licence instead of civil notice, in most cases |
| Other religious ceremonies | A building registered for marriages | An authorised person or a registrar | Civil notice is still needed |
| Jewish and Quaker weddings | Anywhere, including outdoors | According to their own rules | Ask your synagogue or meeting |
| Humanist and non-religious belief | Wherever you choose | Not legally binding yet | You need a separate civil ceremony |
Every legal wedding needs two witnesses and an exchange of vows, as GOV.UK’s plan your ceremony page explains. Same-sex couples can marry in a civil ceremony or in a religious building registered for same-sex marriage, but not in an Anglican church.
What is the difference between a civil and a religious ceremony?
A civil ceremony is conducted by a registrar, at a register office or an approved venue. It can include readings, songs and music, but nothing religious: GOV.UK gives hymns and readings from the Bible or Torah as examples of what is not allowed. You can have a religious blessing afterwards. Our civil ceremony weddings page shows how we cover them.
A religious ceremony is a legal wedding when it takes place in a building registered for marriages, after civil notice, with an authorised person or a registrar present. Without those, it may mean everything to you and your family, but it will not make you legally married.
Is a religious wedding legally binding in the UK?
Is a nikah legally binding?
A nikah on its own, held outside a registered building and without civil formalities, is usually treated as a “non-qualifying ceremony”, meaning no legal marriage. The Court of Appeal confirmed this in HM Attorney General v Akhter and Khan [2020] EWCA Civ 122. To be legally married, couples either add a civil ceremony or hold the nikah at a mosque registered for marriages with an authorised person or registrar present. Ask your imam how your mosque is registered. Our Muslim and nikah weddings page and our guide to nikah photography etiquette cover planning the day.
Sikh weddings
Gurdwaras can be registered for marriages, and some are, such as a Leicester gurdwara registered in July 2023. Many are not, so many Sikh couples hold a separate civil ceremony. Ask your gurdwara whether it is registered. Our Sikh wedding day timeline shows how the day runs, and our older guide covers Sikh wedding ceremony traditions.
Hindu weddings
A Hindu wedding is legally binding only in a registered building, such as some mandirs, with an authorised person or registrar. A Hindu ceremony at a hotel or banqueting hall is not, so couples hold a civil ceremony as well, often days or weeks before.
Jewish and Quaker weddings
Under an exemption going back to the Marriage Act 1753, Jewish and Quaker weddings can legally take place anywhere, including outdoors. Speak to your rabbi or meeting early, and see our Jewish wedding timeline for how the day runs.
Two ceremonies, two traditions
If you are marrying across two faiths, our guide to fusion weddings with two ceremonies covers the order and the outfit change.
What changed in 2021? The marriage schedule
Since 4 May 2021, under the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021, couples sign a marriage schedule (or marriage document) instead of a paper register, and the details go onto an electronic register.
After a religious ceremony the schedule must be returned to the register office within 21 days, and certificates are issued only once the marriage is registered. Each of you can now list up to four parents, including mothers.
Some register offices do not allow photographs of the signing itself, and many registrars stage a posed signing afterwards. Our guide to register office wedding photography explains what to expect.
Can you get married outdoors in England?
Outdoor civil ceremonies were allowed temporarily from 1 July 2021 and made permanent from 6 April 2022. The rules:
- The ceremony must be within the grounds of approved premises.
- The spot must be seemly and dignified, and agreed with the superintendent registrar.
- Some councils limit them to British Summer Time, as local policy.
A beach or a field outside a licensed venue is not a legal wedding location, and most religious weddings, other than Jewish and Quaker ones, cannot be held outdoors. For a tiny wedding, our guide on how to elope in the UK covers two-witness weddings.
Is the law changing?
Not yet. The Law Commission recommended in July 2022 that weddings law should be based on the officiant, not the building. The government committed in October 2025 to reform “when parliamentary time allows”, and the Ministry of Justice ran the Tying the Knot consultation from 16 July to 24 September 2026. The proposals could open the way for humanist weddings. As of October 2026 no bill has been introduced and the law has not changed, so plan under the current rules.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland. Notice forms (M10) go to the registrar in the district where you will marry, no earlier than three months and no later than 29 days before. Religious and belief celebrants, including humanists, can marry couples almost anywhere, including outdoors. See Citizens Advice Scotland.
Northern Ireland. Notice is given no later than 28 days before the wedding, and around eight weeks is recommended, according to nidirect. Religious and belief ceremonies, including humanist ones, can take place anywhere with the officiant’s agreement.
From behind the camera
Many couples we work with have two weddings in practice: a short civil ceremony at a register office on a weekday, then a nikah, Anand Karaj or Hindu ceremony with hundreds of guests. Both deserve to be photographed, and the small one is often quiet enough for the moments between parents and children to show. If you are planning both, tell your photographer and filmmaker early, so one set of photographs and one film can tell the whole story.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance do you need to give notice of marriage?
In England and Wales you must give notice at least 29 days before the ceremony, which means 28 full days, and no more than 12 months before. Notice given on 1 May allows a wedding from 30 May. If your notice is referred to the Home Office, the period can be extended to 70 days, so allow extra time.
Is a nikah legally binding in the UK?
A nikah on its own, held outside a building registered for marriages and without civil formalities, is usually not a legal marriage in England and Wales. To be legally married, couples either hold a civil ceremony as well, or hold the nikah at a mosque registered for marriages with an authorised person or registrar present. Ask your imam and register office.
Do you need a civil ceremony for a Sikh or Hindu wedding in the UK?
Only if the ceremony is not held in a building registered for marriages, with an authorised person or registrar present. Some gurdwaras and mandirs are registered and many are not, and a Hindu ceremony at a hotel or banqueting hall is not legally binding. Ask your gurdwara or mandir, and book a civil ceremony if needed.
Can you get married outdoors in England?
Yes, for civil ceremonies, but only within the grounds of approved premises, and the spot must be agreed with the superintendent registrar. A beach or a field outside a licensed venue is not legal. Most religious weddings must still be held indoors in a registered building, but Jewish and Quaker weddings can take place anywhere, including outdoors.
Keep reading
- How to elope in the UK: the legal steps for a two-witness wedding.
- Nikah photography etiquette: privacy and planning a nikah alongside a civil ceremony.
- Fusion weddings: two ceremonies in one day: the order, the changeover and two sets of family photos.
We can cover your civil ceremony and your religious celebration together. Check your date and tell us about each event.
