nice registry office

[juli]

my fiance and i are planning to get married in august however the local registry offices are not very nice, can anyone recommend a pretty, or unusual registry office anywhere in the UK. thanks

[hobsonbear]

Helensburgh registry office is very nice, more like a church inside. it was on eastenders when mark married the scottish girl. my sister got married there but i ran away to vegas.....

[andy-hughes]

Loads of htels and similar have licenses for marriages, have a word with your local Council for a list, and check out a few you like the sound of.

Every happiness for August!

[sammd]

Have you considered somewhere outdoors...on a beach, on a mountain, a special/favourite place...?

[Pippa68]

Hotels can be VERY expensive venues for wedding ceremonies, & they tend to rely on you hosting the reception there as well to bump the money up even further.

I got married last July, our local register office is ok ~ newly built & quite plush with a lovely garden so we got married there. Really, the ceremony is so short that we were more interested in where the reception was going to be held. Try & find a wedding fair near you in the not too distant future (there should be some on round about now) as you will find booklets there informing you of anywhere in your county where you can tie the knot.

Of course, if money is no object (we were on a tight budget) then choose an hotel package & have it all in the same place..an excellent idea :o)

[lady_p_gold]

Oldway Mansion in Paignton is very nice and has beautiful gardens for the photographs.

www.torbay.gov.uk/print/index/living/lifeevents/register-office/your_ceremony_at_oldway_mansion.htm

[bricro]

I believe you can get married in Bolton Castle,The Yorkshire Dales .Mary Queen of Scots was kept prisoner there, escaped and fled along a ridge to Leyburn and on the way dropped her shawl and which event gives its name to a most poular walk from the centre of Leyburn called "The Shawl"

[joko]

as it is not the place, but the registrar that is important, for perhaps an extra payment you may be able to get the registrar to come to you rather than you go to them.

you could even get a pal to get ordained over the net (if its legal in this country, it is in america) and have it anywhere you like

[wee_angel]

Why not run away to Gretna Green lol.xx

[kick3m0n]

I'd definitely consider ditching the registry office idea altogether, and get married somewhere really unusual and/or picturesque. Maybe somewhere more personal to you two? In Scotland, you can get married anywhere you want to, as long as you can find a willing registrar. Two friends of mine got married in the field that they first met in (while out hiking). Very romantic, shame everyone had to wear wellies, but it was brilliant, and the registrar totally got into the spirit of the event.

[clairelb]

I agree that most registry offices aren't very attractive. There are hundreds of other places such as nice hotels where you can tie the knot that are far prettier.. . however, as Pippa68 has already said, they can be very expensive. With a lot of these places you also need to consider many other issues. Will you intend to eat there? Many hotels will expect you to do so - and therefore bump up the cost a lot more. How many guests are you planning to have? Many places expect a minimum headcount or will add on more costs for smaller numbers. Are you willing to 'share' the day with another wedding party? Some places we went to see had more than one party at a time - or again, charged you more for sole use. Another hotel even told us we wouldn't be allowed to go outside for the whole of the day, not even for a photo as a (bigger) party had priority and they didn't want to upset them!! Are you planning to get married on a Saturday? If so, you may find it difficult to get somewhere worth their money at such short notice. And don't forget, before you book, check that the registrar is available.

If money is an option, find a registry office with nice grounds. For the amount of time you'll spend inside them (about 30mins), they really aren't that bad. Your memories will come from the photos and the day itself. If you've somewhere nice to take photos and hopefully, being August, nice weather, you'll spend far more time outside doing that than the ceremony itself. Then find yourself a nice restaurant who will go out of its way to cater for your big day. We did this and had a wonderful day. One other tip is to try and get the appointment slot before lunch. You won't feel like you're in a conveyorbelt of wedding parties then as there won't be people milling around outside waiting for you to finish.

Good luck

[sbg]

Maidstone in Kent. The registry office is in Archbishops Palace an old building (maybe tudor, but history aint my thing?!)