How much should you budget for a legal-only wedding?
A legal-only wedding — a short ceremony with two witnesses and no reception — mainly costs the two notice fees, a single weekday ceremony fee, and one certified certificate copy afterwards. Because ceremony fees are set locally, get the exact figure from your own register office rather than working from a national average.
The three lines to budget for
Two notice fees (one per person, paid at your own local register office), one ceremony fee (cheapest as a weekday register office slot), and one certificate copy afterwards. These are the only costs a legal-only wedding strictly requires.
Optional extras that still keep it simple
Some couples add small, low-cost touches — a bouquet, a nice outfit, a lunch afterwards — without turning it into a full wedding. None of these are required for the marriage to be legally valid, so they're entirely optional spending on top of the core three fees.
Getting an accurate total
Call or check the website of your own register office (for notice) and the register office where you'll marry (for the ceremony), since these can be different districts. GOV.UK explains which fees are set nationally versus locally, but only your local office can give you the actual number to budget with.
- Notice fee × 2 (paid at your own register office)
- Ceremony fee × 1 (cheapest on a weekday, at a register office rather than an approved venue)
- One certificate copy afterwards
What this means for you
- A legal-only wedding has a small, predictable set of costs compared with a full wedding.
- Confirm the ceremony fee with the specific register office you'll use, since it varies by council.
- You can still hold a bigger celebration later — marrying simply now doesn't rule that out.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Fees for marriages and civil partnerships
- GOV.UK — Marriages and civil partnerships in the UK
Last reviewed: 17 August 2026 · Next review due 17 November 2026
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Simply Married is an independent planning service, not a register office or government department. Confirm current requirements and fees with your own register office and on GOV.UK.