Your Complete Guide To Church Wedding Costs in the UK
Here's all you need to know about costs for getting married in a church in the UK.
Do you have to pay for a church ceremony in a Church of England church or a Catholic Church in the UK?
Church of England Church Wedding Ceremony Costs
Yes, it is a legal requirement that you pay around £600 for a church ceremony in a Church of England church in the UK. If it’s not your local church it will probably cost an extra £100 for additional admin.
Church wedding costs cover: use of the facilities, staff costs and admin. Many churches also offer pre-marriage counselling as you prepare to wed. If you want special services like specific musicians, you'll need to pay for them as they're artists in their own right so their time needs to be paid for. More about church ceremony fees in the UK
Catholic Church Wedding Ceremony Costs
Church ceremony costs for a Catholic wedding ceremony can be a bit more or less, depending on the Catholic church you choose because Catholic church fees are not set. You may pay between £350 and £1000.
How to calculate how much your church wedding ceremony costs will be at your chosen church in the UK
Specific church wedding ceremony costs for each UK church depends on a number of factors. Here’s all you need to know about how to calculate church wedding ceremony costs in the UK.
Why do you have to pay for a church wedding ceremony in the UK?
Churches in the UK are classed as charities, they rely on the congregation for upkeep so it makes sense that you have to pay to use the venue. Therefore you can also expect to pay for church ceremonies at churches of other denominations in the UK, including St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey because there are working local city of London churches as well as national venues.
Set Statutory Flat Fee For Church Weddings in the UK
All church wedding ceremonies in the UK are charged a flat rate set by the church council annually if it’s a Church of England church or the church themselves if it’s a Catholic church. The statutory ceremony fee is a legal requirement set in UK law every year, with one rate for couples who live in the parish and a higher rate for couples coming into the parish to get married.
The higher fee for couples who don’t reside in the parish makes sense because all UK citizens pay taxes to their local council for local services and taxes to the government for national services. Additionally, if a couple attend the church they’ll have paid regular contributions to the maintenance of the church through the church offering.
The set, statutory fee for church wedding ceremonies in the UK covers: the time required to enable you to use the main church space - so the minister’s time, related admin, light bills, publication of the banns (when they announce you are to be married in the church so anyone can legally make an objection), certificate of the banns etc.
For 2026 the flat statutory fee is £605 for a local church in your parish. If one of you lives in a different parish you’ll have to pay a little bit extra because the church has to announce the banns in two locations, you’ll pay £664. If you both live outside the parish, it will be an extra £118, so £723. Check the current annual fee on the Church of England website
Paying the Statutory Fee
Payment Plans
The statutory fee must be paid in full before the wedding goes ahead but some churches do have an optional payment plan to so you can pay in instalments in the run up to the wedding rather than in one go.
Deposits
The church you choose may ask you to pay a deposit of some of this statutory fee to book the church. The deposit depends on the church and how in demand they are for weddings, local and church events etc. If it’s a busy church, the church is more likely to ask for a deposit than a small, quiet church.
Refunds
The statutory fee is refundable so if the wedding does not go ahead, the church has to refund you but only for the statutory fee. Refunds for optional extras are at the church’s discretion.
Extra Optional Fees For Church Wedding Ceremonies in the UK
The church are not allowed to change the annual fee but they can add their own additional fees for the extra services they specifically supply for weddings at their church. The church must give you an itemised breakdown of fees so you know what you’re paying for.
This means, if you get married at a bigger, more exciting church with extra rooms to heat, more staff to manage the building whilst you’re there or help with the wedding, a sophisticated band, worship team, individual artists or a choir you want to hire, church bells to ring etc., you’ll pay more than for a smaller church with only for example, a piano or organ.
Of course, you don’t have to use all the services and you might already have external suppliers in mind for things like music which is why it’s important the bill is itemised so you know what you’re paying for and have the option of saying what you don’t need. The church cannot, by law, make these extras a compulsory part of the fee, you always have the option of not using them.
Some couples choose to make a donation to the church out of personal goodwill – that is a personal choice and not something any church can ask for by UK law.
Other Church Wedding Ceremony Costs
Marriage Certificate
Separate from your church wedding ceremony, you’ll also have to pay £12.50 plus postage, for your marriage certificate which is separate and comes from the registry office. The marriage certificate is issued after the ceremony by the registry office, using the information from the document you sign during the church wedding ceremony called the marriage schedule or marriage document which is sent to registry office by the church. This is all done electronically.
Your marriage certificate should be ready a week after your wedding ceremony, if the church sent off the information straight away, then you can order a copy of the marriage certificate to be sent to you by post. The church has a maximum of 21 days to get the information sent to the registry office, via entry into their online database, or they’re breaking the law.
Giving Notice
How To Give Notice of Your Wedding
You need to have given notice of your intention to marry at your registry office by signing a legal statement that you intend to do so at least one month before your wedding (officially 29 days before to cover February’s shorter days). It will cost you £42 to give notice of your marriage or £57 if you or your partner are from overseas.
Your notice will remain valid for one year and be on display in the registry office (so like the banns anyone can legally object). Within that 1 year period you’ll need to get married for the wedding to remain legal.
You must have lived in the area for at least one week to be able to give notice and you and your partner need to do it in your own local registry office. Bring a bill and your passport or driving licence as ID.
If Your Church Does Not Read The Banns in Church
Depending on the church and denomination if the church read the wedding banns in church you don’t have to give notice, but you need to check with your church and registry office because this varies from church to church. If you are from overseas you will still have to give notice of your intention to marry. It’s really important you do this because it’s the legal part of the wedding.
Exceptional Circumstances
In really exceptional circumstances, particularly if you’re a member of the church and the minister knows the severity of the situation, it is possible for the statutory fee to be waived but it has to be a truly exceptional situation and it’s up to the minister to make that rare decision.
Wondering how much a civil wedding ceremony costs in the UK? Read our complete guide to civil wedding ceremony costs
For all your wedding stationery to announce this beautiful celebration, check out our brilliant collection of beautiful luxury wedding invitations, on the day stationery, save the dates and more – all fully customisable and available as matching sets. Go
0 comments