What is an approved venue for a civil wedding?

An approved venue is a building, other than a register office, that its local authority has licensed to host legally binding civil marriage ceremonies — typically hotels, historic houses, stately homes and some public buildings. Booking the venue is separate from booking the registrars, who are provided by the registration service for the district the venue sits in.

How approval works

Local authorities inspect and license venues that apply for civil ceremony approval, checking the space is suitable, permanent and separate enough from anything unsuitable, such as licensed religious use in the same room at the same time. Approval is specific to that venue and does not transfer automatically if it changes ownership or use.

Booking registrars separately

A venue booking secures the space; it does not secure registrars. You need to contact the registration service covering the venue's district to check availability and book them, sometimes before you can even confirm the ceremony time with the venue.

What to check before booking

Confirm the venue's approval is current, ask what ceremony times the registration service can offer on your date, and check whether the venue charges a room hire fee separately from any registrar fees, since these bills often arrive from two different places.

Current approval status with the local authority
Registrar availability for your date and time
Whether room hire and registrar fees are billed separately
Any restrictions on ceremony content or timing

What this means for you

A beautiful venue is not usable for a legal ceremony unless its approval is current and registrars are actually available.
Expect two separate bookings and, usually, two separate invoices.

Official sources

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.