Registar Fees

Snuggles

Does anyone know what the reasoning is behind the fees which are charged if the registrar has to go out to a venue (rather than just getting married in the registry office)?

I don't like the idea of a registry office wedding, all of the local ones are so drab. But then I found an alternative - an oak panelled period room which is really lovely, and is housed in an old hall used by the council. The normal basic registry office is in the same building, just up the stairs (and looks like a waiting room :rolleyes:).

It costs £180 to hire the oak panelled room for the ceremony, and I thought great, that's not too expensive and there won't be additional registrar fees as the registry office is just upstairs. Wrong! It turns out the registrar still charges as though they were going out to another venue. So we will have to pay a few hundred quid for the registrar to walk down the stairs. I just can't believe it and don't see how they can justify it :mad: :mad: :mad:

Tigerlilley1980

I'm guessing it is because it isn't the designated registry office room! I am paying £295 for my venue and the £60 fees aswell. Does the oak pannelled room belong to the registry office or are they just in the same buildeing but owned by different people? Very frustrating though that you have to apy all that extra! Tiger xx

thebaroness

It's silly isn't it? My venue is just across the street from the registrar but they'll charge £350. Still, I'd rather pay it than have the ceremony in the registry office.

kr15snw

Its very silly, were paying the extra for the registrar to walk 10 metres to the other side of the road for ours

emlou2009

ours is about 20 min drive from the registry office, so we begrudge paying the fees slightly less cos the money we're spending on getting the registrar out to us is less than the money we'd spend on cars IYSWIM. our do is in a hotel and i'll probably stay in the hotel the night before, or just get one of my BM's to give me a lift up there in true MSE fashion :rotfl: roll up in a KA in trackie bottoms and get changed in my room!! but i agree, it is EXTORTIONATE! its £100ish to get married in there on a weekday, and £500 to get them out somewhere else on a saturday

shellsuit

Think ours is £280, must check that!

Also have to pay the £60 fees when we book too.

Snuggles

Tigerlilley1980 wrote: »

I'm guessing it is because it isn't the designated registry office room! I am paying £295 for my venue and the £60 fees aswell. Does the oak pannelled room belong to the registry office or are they just in the same buildeing but owned by different people? Very frustrating though that you have to apy all that extra! Tiger xx

It is frustrating! The building (and oak room) is owned by the district council, and I presume they own the registry office too Was just really shocked, as I had always thought the extra fee was to cover travelling and extra time etc.

Thanks for all the replies, it's good to know this isn't a unique situation, and as another poster said, it's probably worth it in the end, as I plan to only get married once! Just trying to be MSE with everything, but it's amazing how costs can just start to spiral :eek: