1. Booking your registrar
Once your boking request form has been submitted, a member of the Registration Services team will contact you to confirm availability and arrange payment of the required deposit.
If your ceremony is due to take place at Wolverhampton Register Office, or if the ceremony date is less than six weeks away, full payment of the ceremony fee will be required at the time of booking.
All bookings are subject to availability.
2. Availability of ceremonies and fees
Details of available venues and the most up-to-date fees can be found on the Venues and Fees
Please note:
- Fees may vary depending on the venue, date, day of the week, and services selected.
- Availability may be limited, and all bookings are subject to confirmation.
- For approved premises that are not owned or operated by Wolverhampton City Council, you must make separate booking and payment arrangements directly with the venue.
3. Ceremony Bookings
3.1. Civil marriages and civil partnerships
Your booking will only be accepted subject to the following conditions:
- There is no legal impediment to the marriage or civil partnership.
- Notice of intention to marry or form a civil partnership is given at least 29 days before the ceremony, or at least 70 days before where either party is a non-EEA national.
- Any foreign divorce or dissolution documents are accepted by the Registrar General, where applicable.
- Home Office approval has been granted where required.
- All fees due have been paid in full by the required deadlines.
3.2. Other ceremonies (Baby naming and renewal of vows)
Your booking will only be accepted subject to the following conditions:
- All applicable fees are paid in full.
- You acknowledge that these ceremonies are purely celebratory and do not confer any legal status or rights.
4. Conversion of Civil Partnership to a Marriage
Under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, couples of the same sex may convert a civil partnership into a marriage where the civil partnership was formed in England, Wales, or overseas at British consulates or by British Armed Forces personnel overseas where the couple elected England and Wales as the relevant law.
The conversion is conducted in the presence of a Superintendent Registrar and requires:
- Proof of identity
- Proof of current address
- Evidence of the original civil partnership registration
- A signed declaration confirming the civil partnership has not been dissolved and that both parties wish to convert it to a marriage
- A celebratory ceremony may also be booked and will be subject to the same conditions as other non-legal ceremonies (see 3.2 “Other ceremonies” above).
Further information is available on our ceremonies webpage.
5. Booking fees
5.1.Booking fee
A non-refundable booking fee of £100.00 is payable at the time of reserving the date and time of your ceremony and is included in the total fee. Booking fee is not required for Oak room and Register Office reservation.
Booking fee is non-refundable in all circumstances.
Additionally, £114.50 Registrar attendance fee at a religious premises is payable in full at the time of booking.
5.2. Amendment fee
An amendment fee of £50.00 will be charged each time changes are made to an existing booking. This includes changes to the date, time, or venue of the ceremony.
- Multiple changes made at the same time will incur only one amendment fee.
- Additional or revised ceremony fees may be payable where applicable.
- You may be required to give fresh Notices, as Notices are venue-specific and valid for one year only.
6. Ceremony fees and payment deadlines
6.1. Wolverhampton Register Office
The full ceremony fee of £74.50 must be paid at the time of booking.
6.2. Other approved premises in Wolverhampton
The balance of the full ceremony fee must be paid:
- No later than six weeks before the ceremony, or
- At the time of booking if the ceremony is scheduled to take place within six weeks.
- Failure to pay the full fee by the required deadline will result in cancellation of the booking. Please ensure that we hold up-to-date contact telephone numbers and email addresses for you.
7. Cancellation of your booking
If you need to cancel your ceremony, you must notify Wolverhampton Registration Services in writing as soon as possible, or complete a cancellation form in person at the Register Office.
- The cost of cancellation is the fee paid at the time of booking.
- Where the full ceremony fee has been paid and the ceremony is cancelled within six weeks of the ceremony date, no refunds will be issued.
8. Cancellation by Wolverhampton Registration Services
Wolverhampton Registration Services reserves the right to cancel a ceremony where:
- The full fees have not been paid by the required deadline, or
- The legal preliminaries (Notices) for the ceremony have not been completed.
In these circumstances, the £100 booking fee will be retained by the Council.
9. Ceremony content and venue capacity
9.1. Wolverhampton Register Office
- Standard basic ceremony only
- Attendance limited to the couple and two witnesses
- No photography or music permitted
- Confetti is not permitted inside or immediately outside the Civic Centre
9.2. City Suite (Civic Centre)
- Standard ceremony
- Capacity of up to 62 people, including the couple
- Photography and music permitted
- Confetti is not permitted inside or immediately outside the Civic Centre
9.3. Oak Room (City Archives)
- Standard ceremony
- Capacity of up to 12 people, including the couple
- Photography and music permitted
- Confetti is not permitted inside or within the City Archives grounds
9.4. Rococo Room (City Archives)
- Standard ceremony
- Capacity of up to 47 people, including the couple
- Photography and music permitted
- Confetti is not permitted inside or within the City Archives grounds
9.5. Approved premises
- Standard ceremony
- Some personalisation options may be available depending on the venue and ceremony type
- Please check directly with your chosen venue
10. Confetti Policy
Confetti, flower petals and party poppers are not permitted inside the Civic Centre (including the Register Office and City Suite) and City Archives or in the surrounding areas of the buildings.
If confetti is dispersed, including through cannons, a £50 cleaning charge will apply.
11. Liability
Wolverhampton Registration Services accepts no liability for:
- Any delay or loss caused by the late or non-arrival of the couple or guests
- The Registrars attending your ceremony have ceremonies to administer throughout the day and as such cannot delay the start of pre-arranged time for our ceremony
- Any loss caused by you or your representatives request to delay the ceremony
- Any loss or compensation where a ceremony cannot proceed, or is stopped, because:
- It would be legally void
- An offence under marriage or civil partnership legislation has been committed
- Proceeding would be against the public interest
- Government or Parliamentary restrictions prohibit gatherings (e.g. during a pandemic)
- Any loss or delay caused by a Force Majeure event, including but not limited to war, terrorism, government action, fire, flood, severe weather, pandemics, or any circumstance beyond the reasonable control of Wolverhampton City Council
- Failure of any music system
- Failure, neglect, omissions, or non-compliance by venues not owned by Wolverhampton City Council
We strongly recommend that you obtain appropriate ceremony insurance to cover any potential losses or expenses.
12. Ceremony personalisation
Once you have made your decisions regarding the content of your ceremony, please complete the online enquiry form to enable the Registrars to tailor the ceremony to your requirements.
Important Notes:
- All bookings are subject to availability.
- All civil marriages and civil partnerships must be non-religious in nature, including music and content, as required by law.
- Guest numbers must not exceed the licensed capacity of the venue, in line with health, safety, and fire regulations.
- You must comply with the rules, regulations, instructions and guidelines provided by the Wolverhampton council and the registrars