Giving Notice of Marriage in Leicester & Leicestershire

In England, a celebrant-led ceremony isn’t the legal part of your marriage (yet). So most couples in Leicestershire give notice at their local registration office, have a short legal ceremony with two witnesses, and then celebrate properly with their celebrant. This guide covers the Leicester and Leicestershire specifics. For the bigger picture, see how the legal bit of a celebrant wedding works.

City or county: which service do you use?

There are two separate registration services, and which one you use depends on where you live, not where your ceremony will be:

• Leicester City Council if you live inside the city boundary. Appointments are at Leicester Town Hall.
• Leicestershire County Council if you live anywhere else in the county — including places right on the city’s edge like Oadby, Wigston, Glenfield, Birstall and Braunstone Town.

If you and your partner live in different districts, you each give notice in your own area. Rutland has its own separate service run by Rutland County Council.

The rules everyone must follow

• You must have lived in the registration district for at least 7 days before giving notice.
• Notice must be given at least 28 clear days before your legal ceremony — Leicestershire describes this as 29 calendar days.
• Your notice is valid for 12 months.
• If either of you is subject to immigration control, the notice period can be longer (Leicestershire says up to 71 days) and you’ll usually need to give notice together.

Both councils warn that appointments can take weeks to get, so book as early as you can.

Giving notice in Leicester (city)

• How to book: online, using the council’s notice and ceremony application form. The city says you can’t book a notice appointment by phone.
• Fee: £46.50 per person (£63 per person if your notice is referred to the Home Office).
• Contact: Leicester Registration Service, 0116 454 1000, [email protected]

Giving notice in Leicestershire (county)

• How to book: by phone on 0116 305 6565. Notice is given in person, by appointment.
• Where: the county has seven registration offices — Coalville, Glenfield (Anstey Frith House), Hinckley, Loughborough (Beaumanor Hall), Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray and South Wigston.
• Fee: £46.50 per person (£63 if referred to immigration control), paid by card at the appointment.
• Arrive early: the county asks you to arrive 10 minutes before your appointment; if you’re more than 10 minutes late you may have to rebook.

What to bring

Both councils want original documents, not photocopies. Typically:

• Proof of identity and nationality — usually a valid passport. A UK birth certificate can be used in some cases (the rules differ depending on whether you were born before or after 1983).
• Proof of address — for example a recent utility bill, bank statement, council tax bill or driving licence showing your current address.
• If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before — your decree absolute / final order, or the death certificate of your former partner.
• Details of your ceremony — date, time and venue of the legal ceremony.
• If you’re not a UK national — extra documents may be needed; check with your council before your appointment.

The cheapest legal ceremony options locally

Once notice is given, you need a legal ceremony with two witnesses. For a couple planning a big celebrant-led wedding, the simplest register office options are usually best:

• Leicester city — the Cherry Room at Leicester Town Hall: for the couple plus two witnesses (four people), Wednesday afternoons only, £62 (from April 2026).
• Leicestershire — the Simple ceremony at Anstey Frith House, Glenfield: Tuesday mornings, £74.50.

Both councils also offer larger rooms and longer ceremonies if you’d like close family there, at higher prices. Fees change each April, so check the councils’ current fees before booking.

Suggested timeline

1. As soon as you have a date: book your celebrant and venue.
2. Around 3–6 months before: book your notice appointment and your legal ceremony slot.
3. At least 29 days before the legal ceremony: give notice.
4. A few days or weeks before your celebration: the short legal ceremony, then lunch with your witnesses.
5. The big day: your celebrant-led ceremony — the one everyone will remember.

How your celebrant fits in

Your celebrant ceremony can happen before or after the legal bit, anywhere you like, with no set wording. Many couples don’t mention the register office at all on the day; others add a light-hearted line about “making it official last week”. Either way, the ceremony your guests see is entirely yours.