Registrars - how can they charge so much? 17 March 2016 at 2:36PM in Weddings & anniversaries 13 replies 2.4K views

Apli81

Just been informed that the registrar is charging over £500 for our ceremony and a furhter £70 to interview myself and my fiancee beforehand.

Does anyone know how they justify the cost?

HappyMJ

Apli81 wrote: »

Just been informed that the registrar is charging over £500 for our ceremony and a furhter £70 to interview myself and my fiancee beforehand.

Does anyone know how they justify the cost?

Go somewhere else if you aren't happy with the quoted price.

They can justify the price as that is demand. If you don't pay there will be someone else who will. If they price the work too low they'll be overwhelmed with requests and if they overprice the work they won't get any work. £500 is the right balance to get enough people interested but not too many.

You have plenty of alternative options. There's no need to pick that one.

TonyMMM

Registrars have to be employed, trained and paid.

Before the wedding they should be available to talk to to discuss your ceremony details. They have to write the words, incorporating your wishes and check readings and other ceremony options are OK.

On the day, they ( there has to be two for a wedding) have to travel to the venue, be there an hour before to interview you and your partner, check the paperwork, complete the register and prepare the certificates you want.

Before all that, at the notice appointment they have to interview both of you, together and separately, complete all the paperwork, decide that the wedding is legal, arrange for the notices to be posted for the required period and after that make sure the necessary authorisation for the wedding to go ahead is issued.

There's lots more - but that should be enough.

The other blunt fact is that in a lot of areas, the councils who pay for the service are completely strapped for cash and the fees charged for weddings at venues subsidise the rest of the services the registrars have to provide.

bertpalmer

Am I wrong in thinking that if you aren't religious, then you can't go elsewhere. Legally you have to use a registrar unlike other countries. I hope it changes soon so that humanist ceremonies become legal.

Anatidaephobia

bertpalmer wrote: »

Am I wrong in thinking that if you aren't religious, then you can't go elsewhere. Legally you have to use a registrar unlike other countries. I hope it changes soon so that humanist ceremonies become legal.

Humanist ceremonies are legal in Scotland.

firebird082

In all fairness, that is almost exactly the same as the cost of a church wedding...

A friend of mine got married in a town hall last year (same building as where the registrar was based), and yet because the registrar has to walk down a corridor to a different room, they were charged as if the registrar had driven half an hour to a completely separate venue!

Alter_ego

Don't worry about the cost of registrars too much, things will get much more expensive after the wedding.

daivid

bertpalmer wrote: »

Am I wrong in thinking that if you aren't religious, then you can't go elsewhere. Legally you have to use a registrar unlike other countries. I hope it changes soon so that humanist ceremonies become legal.

Indeed (except for Scotland as above), although it's the local authority that sets the charge so some are cheaper than others.

cashewnut

Ours cost about this when we got married last Saturday.

We got them out to an (approved) place of our choosing. I think it would have been cheaper if we'd married in the registry office.

cashewnut

The £70 is to give notice to marry.

rosie-lee

bertpalmer wrote: »

Am I wrong in thinking that if you aren't religious, then you can't go elsewhere. Legally you have to use a registrar unlike other countries. I hope it changes soon so that humanist ceremonies become legal.

when you shop around you will likely find the humanists will charge more than the local council registrars.