The legal rules on where you can get married

Getting married: appproved venues

For a marriage to be legally valid in England and Wales, it must take place in a registered building or approved premises. This includes the following locations:

• A Register Office
• A church of the Church of England or Church in Wales
• A synagogue, or any private place if both parties are Jewish
• A Meeting House if either party is a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker) or are associated with the Society by attending its meetings
• Any registered religious building (only in England and Wales)
• A building approved by the local authority, such as a stately home or hotel
• The home of either party, if the party is housebound or otherwise detained
• A building where either party is seriously ill and not expected to recover, such as a hospital
• A licensed naval, military or air force chapel

Choosing your wedding venue is a deeply personal choice. You may wish to choose somewhere with sentimental significance, a no-frills Register Office, or a grand stately home.

However, when making this decision, it is important to consider the legal implications of your dream venue. For example, whether you want a civil ceremony or religious ceremony will likely affect the legal requirements of your venue - civil ceremonies are typically held in a Register Office or an approved premise, whilst the location of a religious ceremony will vary from religion to religion, with different legal rules applying to different faiths. 

It is also important to note that you will need to specify where you are getting married when you give notice. If the venue changes after you have done this, you will need to give new notice.

If you are considering or going through a divorce and are concerned that you did not marry in a registered building, contact Vardags today for a free initial consultation with one of our expert divorce solicitors.

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