To plan a wedding in Kent, choose your venue first, then book the ceremony: through the venue’s own events team at one of Kent’s 200-plus approved venues, or online with Kent County Council for one of its register offices. You give notice where you live at least 29 days before, and Medway runs a separate service. Below: fees, outdoor ceremonies, churches, travel, light and a timeline.
The short answer: Book the venue, then the registrars (in Kent the venue books them), then give notice in your home district. Check whether your venue is in Kent or Medway, ask about the back-up room for an outdoor ceremony, and plan portraits around your sunset.
We’re based in Beckenham, on the London side of the border. This is part of our local guide to weddings in London, Kent and Surrey.
Who runs weddings in Kent: kcc or Medway?
- Kent County Council (KCC) runs civil ceremonies across Kent and also the London Borough of Bexley, and licenses the venues. Its public name is “A Kentish Ceremony”.
- Medway Council runs its own register office at Northgate, Rochester ME1 1LS, with its own fees, notice appointments and venue list. Its 13 licensed venues include Eastgate House, Rochester Corn Exchange and Fort Amherst. Its Library Room holds up to 50 guests; Medway lists £200 on weekdays and £250 at weekends plus a £60 booking fee, but gives no year, so confirm.
Where are the register offices in Kent?
KCC lists seven. Capacities exclude the couple and the registration staff.
| Register office | Address | Ceremony rooms (guests) |
|---|---|---|
| Maidstone: Oakwood House (county register office) | Oakwood Park, ME16 8AE | Study 15, Garden Room 40, Kentish Suite 80 |
| Tunbridge Wells: The Mansion House | Grove Hill Road, TN1 1EP | Wells Room 16, Grove Room 30, Regency Suite 55 |
| Canterbury: Wellington House | St Stephens Road, CT2 7RD | Study 10, Drawing Room 25 |
| Dartford: The Manor Gatehouse | Priory Road, DA1 2BJ | Manor Room 35 |
| Ramsgate: Aberdeen House | 68 Ellington Road, CT11 9ST | Pugin Room 8, Augustine Suite 25 |
| Bexley: Danson House | Danson Park, DA6 8HL | Johnston Room 12, Sir John Boyd’s Room 25, Salon 45, Dining Room 65 |
| Sittingbourne Library | Sittingbourne | Basic registration only, up to 10 guests, Thursdays and Saturdays |
Older guides mention Sevenoaks, Gravesend, Margate, Folkestone and the Archbishop’s Palace, none of which is on KCC’s current list. Oakwood House replaced the Archbishop’s Palace, with bookings from April 2023.
How much is a registry office wedding in Kent?
These are KCC’s fees for 12 October 2026 to 31 March 2029, checked October 2026.
| Ceremony | Monday to Friday | Weekend or bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Small room (Study, Wells Room, Pugin Room, Johnston Room) | £330 | £490 |
| Mid room (Garden, Grove, Drawing, Manor, Augustine, Sir John Boyd’s) | £490 | £650 |
| Bexley Salon | £645 | £790 |
| Large room (Kentish Suite, Regency Suite, Bexley Dining Room) | £790 | £950 |
| Registrars at an approved venue | £640 | £840 |
Add an £85 booking fee to each; venue hire is on top at an approved venue. Canterbury’s Study is Monday to Thursday only. Register offices are booked through KCC’s online Ceremony Planner, and ceremonies run any day, 8am to 8pm.
There’s no published Kent average wedding cost; the Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the South East at £22,637.
Where do I give notice of marriage in Kent?
Notice is given where you live, not where you marry, at least 29 days before the ceremony, and it lasts 12 months. It costs £46.50 per person (£63 if referred to the Home Office, when it can take 70 days).
- Kent residents: a KCC register office, booked by phone or email; non-British or Irish nationals use one of six offices (see the FAQ below).
- Medway residents: Medway Register Office, through its online form.
- London couples marrying in Kent: your own borough. Living apart? You each give notice in your own district.
Your venue is named on the notice, so book it first. Our guide to getting married legally in England and Wales explains the rest.
How do you book a ceremony at a Kent wedding venue?
KCC says there are more than 200 approved venues across Kent and Bexley. The booking runs through the venue: its events team enters your ceremony on KCC’s system, and then your local ceremonies team contacts you.
For what different venue styles mean on camera, read castles and barns in Kent through a photographer’s eyes. Our older round-up of wedding venues across Kent has a wider list.
Can you get married outdoors in Kent?
Yes, at approved venues. KCC’s booking terms accept ceremonies in gazebos, freestanding structures or outside areas during British Summer Time, usually the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October (for 2027, 28 March to 31 October). Outside those dates you need the Kent Registration Service’s consent. The venue must keep a licensed back-up room, and registration staff make the final call on the weather.
Nationally, outdoor civil ceremonies are legal only within the grounds of approved premises. A beach or a field outside those grounds isn’t, and register office ceremonies stay indoors.
Church and cathedral weddings in Kent
For most Church of England weddings, banns or a common licence replace civil notice, so start with the parish. The vicar has the final say on photography and filming during the service, and some churches don’t allow filming at all. Cathedrals can have their own arrangements, so ask early, in writing. If a registrar needs to attend a religious building, KCC charges £114.50 (2026/27). Our church wedding photography and filming rules set out what to ask, and our church wedding coverage explains how we work.
Photography and drones: what Kent’s rules say
KCC publishes no rule on photography during ceremonies. That isn’t permission: ask your registrar what they allow for the vows and the signing. On National Trust land there are no unauthorised drone flights under the Trust’s byelaws, and professional shoots are arranged with each property. Our drone filming guide for London and Kent covers airfields and CAA rules.
How long does it take to get to Kent from London?
Drive times from Beckenham High Street, without traffic. They’re minimums: allow more on a Saturday.
| Destination | Miles | Drive, around |
|---|---|---|
| Sevenoaks | 16.5 | 35 min |
| Maidstone | 31 | 45 min |
| Hever Castle | 20.6 | 47 min |
| Tunbridge Wells | 31 | 50 min |
| Canterbury | 57 | 1 hr 15 min |
From central London, add around 35 minutes from Charing Cross to Beckenham (45 to 60 in traffic). Guests driving from Essex pay the Dart Charge, £3.50 a crossing by car between 6am and 10pm. Danson House is in Bexley, inside London’s ULEZ (£12.50 a day for non-compliant cars). For coaches and timings, see wedding day travel in London and the South East.
When is the best time of year to get married in Kent?
West Kent’s sunset times are within about a minute of London’s, and a few minutes earlier towards the coast.
| Date | Sunset, around | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May | 20:25 | Portraits after dinner |
| 21 June | 21:20 | Golden hour during the evening reception |
| 15 September | 19:15 | Portraits before or during dinner |
| 15 October | 18:10 | Portraits soon after drinks |
| 15 December | 15:50 | Portraits straight after a 1pm ceremony |
Met Office averages for London (1991–2020), which north-west Kent follows closely, give May, July and September the fewest rain days, about eight a month; October and November are the wettest. August is busiest, with 17% of weddings in Bridebook’s 2026 report. More in golden hour wedding photos, month by month and a photo and film plan for rain.
A Kent wedding planning timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 18 to 24 months | Budget, guest list, venue shortlist. Bridebook suggests booking a photographer this early for a summer Saturday. |
| 12 to 18 months | Book the venue (it books the registrars) or a register office. Ask about the back-up room. Book photography and film. |
| 9 to 12 months | Meet the vicar if marrying in church. Book guest coaches and rooms. |
| 3 to 12 months | Give notice in your home district (allow 70 days if a referral is possible). |
| 2 to 3 months | Build the day around your sunset with our sample wedding day timelines. |
| Final month | Family photo list and travel times; check the forecast and who decides on an outdoor ceremony. |
From behind the camera
The back-up room is the one I ask to see first. If the registrar moves an outdoor ceremony indoors that morning, that room becomes your ceremony, so I want to know where the windows are, where the aisle runs and where a filmmaker can stand without blocking a guest. Outside, wind spoils sound, so small microphones for the vows matter more in a Kent garden than in a town hall. And because those drive times are minimums, we leave Beckenham with a buffer on summer Saturdays. Travel is included within 50 miles of our studio.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I give notice of marriage in Kent?
You give notice where you live, not where you marry. Kent residents book at a Kent County Council register office, and non-British or Irish nationals must use Canterbury, Bexley, Dartford, Maidstone, Ramsgate or Tunbridge Wells. Medway residents go to Medway Register Office. A London couple marrying in Kent gives notice in their own borough.
How much is a registry office wedding in Kent?
On KCC’s fee schedule running from 12 October 2026 to 31 March 2029, a ceremony in a small register office room costs £330 Monday to Friday and £490 at weekends, rising to £790 and £950 for the largest rooms, plus an £85 booking fee. Notice costs £46.50 each. Medway sets its own, separate fees.
Is Medway part of Kent registration?
No. Medway Council runs its own register office in Rochester, with its own fees, notice appointments and 13 licensed venues, and Kent County Council sends Medway residents there to give notice. If your venue is in Medway, book the registrars with Medway, not with KCC.
Can you get married on the beach in Kent?
Not as a civil ceremony on an open beach. In England and Wales, civil ceremonies outdoors are legal only within the grounds of approved premises, so a beach outside a licensed venue’s grounds doesn’t qualify. In Kent, outdoor ceremonies at approved venues are accepted during British Summer Time, with a licensed indoor room kept ready.
Keep reading
- Castle or barn? Kent wedding venues through a photographer’s eyes: what stone, beams and big grounds mean for your photos and film.
- Wedding day travel in London and the South East: ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and how long to allow between places.
- Getting married legally in England and Wales: notice, witnesses and religious ceremonies in full.
Planning a Kent wedding from London? We’ll talk through your venue, your light and your travel, and how our wedding photography fits the day. Book a call.
