A civil marriage or civil partnership in Warwickshire has four legal steps: choose where the ceremony will happen, book the registrars for that date, give notice at your local register office, and hold the ceremony with two witnesses. The order matters, because notice is only valid for twelve months and must be given at least 29 days before the ceremony.
This guide covers the rules for England and Wales as they apply in Warwickshire in September 2026. Fees change each April, so check the council’s fees page and GOV.UK before you rely on a figure.
Choose where the ceremony will happen
A civil ceremony can take place at a register office, in one of the council’s own ceremony rooms, or at any venue the council has approved. Warwickshire’s directory of licensed venues lists more than ninety of them, from barns to hotels. Our venue guides note where a venue is licensed and which rooms hold a ceremony.
Civil ceremonies can include readings, songs and music, but nothing religious. If you want a religious ceremony, the process for giving notice may differ, and Church of England weddings usually follow their own route. Ask the officiant early.
Book the registrars before anything else
For a ceremony in a licensed venue, the venue provides the room and the council provides the registrars, so you need both bookings for the same date and time. Popular Saturdays go quickly. Confirm the venue can hold your date, then book the registrars through Ceremonies in Warwickshire before paying a venue deposit.
The council’s own rooms are an alternative to a licensed venue. For the year from 1 April 2026, fees for a ceremony there are:
- St John’s House and the Judges’ House in Warwick, and the Henley Room in Stratford-upon-Avon: £420 Monday to Saturday, or £470 on a Sunday or bank holiday.
- The Bloxam Room in Rugby and the Heritage Room in Nuneaton: £620 Monday to Saturday, or £670 on a Sunday or bank holiday.
- A non-refundable booking fee of £150 applies to each.
The simplest option is a statutory ceremony with two witnesses only, held at Shire Hall in Warwick, for the national fee of £62. It is a short ceremony without guests, and a good fit if you plan to celebrate separately.
The council’s fees page does not list a single figure for registrars attending a licensed venue, so ask the registration service for the current fee when you book that date.
Give notice at your local register office
Each of you must give notice in person at the register office for the district where you live, and you must have lived there for a qualifying period first. GOV.UK gives this as seven days, while Warwickshire’s own guidance asks for nine days before the appointment, so allow the longer period. If you live in different districts, you give notice separately, and not necessarily on the same day.
Notice must be given at least 29 days before the ceremony and no more than twelve months before it. Give notice on 1 May and the earliest ceremony date is 30 May. The notice is displayed publicly for 28 days before the schedule can be issued.
Warwickshire’s fee for giving notice is £46.50 per person. Appointments are made through the council’s notice booking service, and the list of required documents tells you what to bring. Expect to prove your identity, address and nationality, and to show evidence of any previous marriage ending.
If one of you is from outside the UK
If either of you is not a British or Irish citizen, or does not hold settled or pre-settled status, you must give notice together at a register office in a district where at least one of you lives. In Warwickshire, one of you needs to have lived in the county for the nine days before the appointment. The notice can be referred to the Home Office, which raises the fee to £63 per person and can extend the waiting period from 28 days to 70. Build that into your timeline before you fix a date.
The ceremony and the paperwork afterwards
You need at least two witnesses. After the ceremony, marriage or civil partnership certificates cost £12.50 each; order two or three at the time, because banks, passport applications and name changes often want an original. The council explains changing a passport after a wedding, which matters if you are travelling soon afterwards.
A working timeline
- Twelve to eighteen months ahead: shortlist venues, check they are licensed and confirm the registrars are free on your date.
- Within twelve months: book the notice appointments once you have lived at your address for the qualifying period.
- At least 29 days before: both notices given, or 70 days where a Home Office referral applies.
- The week before: confirm the ceremony time with the venue and the registration service, and remind your witnesses.
If you are still choosing a venue, our country venue comparison and the country house venues near Rugby both note which rooms are licensed and how many guests they hold.