Nottinghamshire residents planning weddings, civil partnerships, naming ceremonies or other non-statutory registration services in the coming years will see modest increases in fees after the County Council approved a new structure covering 2027–28 and 2028–29.
The decision, taken under delegated authority by the Executive Director for Place, sets the prices that will apply to all new bookings and continues the council’s practice of fixing ceremony fees up to three years in advance so that couples can plan with certainty.
The report explains that the council reviews its discretionary fees annually, with ceremony charges set several years ahead because so many couples book long in advance of their planned date. Once a ceremony fee is secured at the point of booking, it is fixed and protected for that customer irrespective of future changes. According to the council, this stability is an essential part of its terms and conditions and is important for fairness to residents making major life-event arrangements far ahead of time.
The fees themselves cover a wide range of non-statutory services – everything from registrar attendance at approved premises for weddings and civil partnerships, to venues’ licensing fees, naming ceremonies, commitment and renewal of vows ceremonies, civil funerals and individual citizenship ceremonies.
The new charges outline incremental increases across all categories. For example, registrar attendance at approved premises on a Monday to Thursday rises from £515 in 2026–27 to £540 in 2027–28 and £565 in 2028–29, while Friday and Saturday ceremonies increase from £575 to £605 and £630 over the same period.
Sunday and bank holiday ceremonies will reach £745 by 2028–29. Fees for standard weekday ceremonies at West Bridgford, Newark, Mansfield, Worksop and Arnot Hill move from £175 to £180 in 2027–28, rising to £185 the following year.
Enhanced ceremonies across the county follow a similar trajectory, with weekday prices rising to between £275 and £335 depending on location by 2028–29, and weekend and bank holiday fees increasing accordingly.
Alongside the headline ceremony fees, the council also maintains a list of other non-statutory charges which remain important for many residents. These include a £15 Saturday appointment supplement for taking notices of marriage or civil partnership, a £50 fee for change of name deeds, £40 for rehearsals or additional administrative amendments, £30 for assisting with passport (PD2) documentation and £120 for individual citizenship ceremonies. Civil funerals and memorial services are priced at £225, while commemorative items such as certificate boxes, confetti and guest books are also offered at small set fees. The charges for licensing secular premises as approved wedding venues are also reviewed, with introductory and renewal rates set separately.
The increases proposed for 2027–28 and 2028–29, according to the report, follow a benchmarking exercise comparing Nottinghamshire’s fees with those of neighbouring authorities.
The council argues that the revised charges remain competitive while ensuring the service can continue operating on a cost-recovery basis. This is important because statutory registration services – including births, deaths, the legal notice process and the issuing of certificates – are set nationally by the General Register Office. Those nationally-set fees do not cover their full cost, placing ongoing financial pressure on the county’s registration service.
The ability to set local discretionary fees therefore helps subsidise the wider service so that essential statutory work can continue without additional burden on the council’s core budget.
The council stresses that the income from discretionary fees must not exceed the cost of providing the service. Any surplus is placed in a reserve and used to offset future deficits or fund service improvements. This approach is increasingly important as the service experiences rising demand for ceremonies and fluctuating demand for statutory registrations.
The report also highlights the need to consider the potential impact on residents with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. An Equality Impact Assessment included in the documentation found no negative impacts arising from the revised fees and emphasised that a broad range of ceremony types and price points gives residents choice according to their circumstances and budget. The council states it remains committed to ensuring equitable access to registration services, particularly as life-event ceremonies can be significant both culturally and personally across different communities.
For residents already booked in for a ceremony, the council confirms that existing arrangements will remain unchanged. However, those making new bookings for dates in 2027–28 or 2028–29 will pay the updated rates immediately once the decision comes into force. The registration service will publicise the changes so that residents planning ahead are fully informed.
The financial advice section of the report notes that discretionary fees help the council offset the cost of operating the registration service as a whole. The service must assume a normal level of public demand for statutory services and base its recovery model on expected take-up of ceremonies and other chargeable activity. The report also acknowledges ongoing uncertainties linked to the wider Local Government Review in Nottinghamshire but stresses that fees must be set now because of the long lead-in time required for public bookings.
Not increasing fees, the council concludes, would leave the service unable to remain cost-neutral and could ultimately jeopardise its ability to provide a full range of services across the county’s registration offices in future years. The approved increases therefore represent what the authority describes as modest, incremental changes aligned with financial advice and market comparisons.
The decision covers every district in Nottinghamshire, with the council confirming that the changes apply countywide. It is expected that the registration service will continue monitoring both demand and affordability across the life of the fee cycle, with annual reviews and any national changes to statutory fees triggering further updates where required.
