The cost of getting married in Cheshire East is going up – although the increase in the ceremony fee won’t affect most couples until 2025, writes Belinda Ryan.
Couples who get married or enter into civil partnerships in premises such as Tatton Park, hotels, stately homes or other approved premises in the borough on a Monday to Friday pay registration ceremony fees of £600.
It had already been agreed those fees would rise to £625 in the 2023/24 financial year and to £650 in 2024/5.
But on Thursday, the council’s corporate policy committee agreed it should go up again to £680 for the financial year 2025/26 for weekdays.
They also agreed the weekend fee – currently £735 and due to go up to £765 in 2023/4 and £795 in 2024/25 – will increase to £835 in 2025/26.
The council also offers services in the mayor’s reception rooms in Crewe and Macclesfield and other venues at lower prices.
Martin Smith, registration and civic services manager, told councillors: “In the course of a typical year, the service will conduct over 2,000 ceremonies.
“This current year we’ll probably do about 2,100 and bookings for future years are very buoyant.”
He said because couples book up to three years in advance, that is why some fee increases for the next couple of years had already been agreed.
He added: “As a borough, we have a very wide range of venues, over 80, including the Municipal Buildings in Crewe and Macclesfield Town Hall.
“We also have an attractive ceremony room at the Register Office in Crewe where couples can marry or enter into a civil partnership on payment of a national fee, which is currently £57.
“I have to say we don’t recover our costs on that fee but that is the fee that is set by the Registrar General.”
Councillors were told the recommended fee increases are proportional and will recover the full cost to the authority of delivering the services.
Mr Smith said: “Over 50 per cent of ceremonies are for couples who don’t reside in Cheshire East and I think that’s a reflection of the wonderful range of venues that we have in the borough.”
Other increases agreed by the committee for approved premises include Christmas Day and Boxing Day fees, up from the current £995 to £1,130 in 2025/6.
Knutsford councillor Stewart Gardiner (Con) questioned whether the fees for Christmas Day and Boxing Day were high enough.
“If any of us want to go out to dine on one of those days, we could expect to pay significantly higher more for our food… and the reason is that the cost of staff is so high on those days,” he said.
“I’m just hoping that our staff that operate on those days are not being unfairly treated and they are getting a similar uplift for having to work on a day when the majority of us would not be working.”
Mr Smith said the council didn’t provide many ceremonies on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, although bank holidays and New Year’s Day tended to be busy.
For a full list of registration service ceremony fees in Cheshire East click here.
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