Getting married or forming a civil partnership

The Priory Suite, Priory Hall, Dudley is a high quality approved premise that can accommodate up to 68 guests.  It retains the original, hand carved, full oak panelling, windows and stone fireplaces.  It is furnished to a very high standard of décor. The premise is a popular and highly sort after venue that ensures that extra special wedding experience.

We offer a classic ceremony with choices of ceremony options in this room to include ushering, music, vow choice etc.  For couples wanting even more choice, for £85 you can upgrade a classic ceremony to a tailor-made ceremony.

There is some car parking available for guests and wedding cars are able to stop outside the entrance. (Disabled parking is also available).

The Priory Suite is a hugely popular venue, summer Saturday prime time slots often get booked up to two years in advance!  Due to this high demand we are giving couples the opportunity to upgrade Saturday Castle Suite ceremonies into a 'Priory Suite' style ceremony.  Couples can have the same ceremony options normally only available in the Priory Suite, but will be limited to 24 guests. Upgraded ceremonies are charged at the usual Priory Suite rate.

The Priory Suite – seats a maximum 68 guests

Tailor-made ceremonies held in the Priory Suite can be enhanced to meet your own personal requirements: You may add one or two readings to your ceremony, you may select your own choice of music, a bride can choose to be ‘given away’ and brides can make a traditional entrance.

Fees from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

• Monday to Thursday - £390

• Friday & Saturday - £490

• Sunday - £795

• Bank Holiday - £960

Fees for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

• Monday to Thursday - £420

• Friday & Saturday - £520

• Sunday  - £840

• Bank Holiday - £995

Fees for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027

• Monday to Thursday - £450

• Friday & Saturday - £550

• Sunday  - £890

• Bank Holiday - £1035

The Castle Suite can accommodate up to 28 guests. This room is half oak panelled, with original windows and has quality furnishings in tones of silver and blue.  Gentle background music is played before and after an informal ceremony.

The Castle Suite, Priory Hall, Dudley – seats a maximum 28 guests

• This is a delightful ceremony room offering a less formal ceremony for £56 for Dudley borough residents on Tuesday mornings. Ceremonies on Mondays, Tuesday afternoons and Thursdays cost £210 (£230 from 1 April 2025).

• If neither the bride or groom reside in the Dudley Borough at the time notice is given, the ceremony fee for the Castle Suite is £210 Monday to Thursday (£230 from 1 April 2025).

• A Friday or Saturday ceremony in the Castle Suite is £285 (£305 from 1 April 2025).

The Wollescote Suite in Thomas Robinson Building is a stunning venue where couples can celebrate their marriage. The former chapels venue offers a civil marriage in a traditional type setting. There are also ample photograph settings around the building as well as nearby Wollescote Park.

The Wollescote Suite, Thomas Robinson Building, Cemetery Road, Lye, Stourbridge – seats a maximum 58 guests

We offer a classic ceremony with choices of ceremony options in this room to include ushering, music, vow choice etc. For couples wanting even more choice, for £85 you can upgrade a classic ceremony to a tailor-made ceremony.

Tailor-made ceremonies held in the Wollescote Suite can be enhanced to meet your own personal requirements: You may add one or two readings to your ceremony, you may select your own choice of music, a bride can choose to be ‘given away’ and brides can make a traditional entrance. Please note that ceremonies are only available at this venue Friday - Sunday and Bank Holidays.

Fees for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

• Friday and Saturday - £490

• Sunday - £710

• Bank Holiday - £880

Fees from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

• Friday and Saturday - £520

• Sunday - £740

• Bank Holiday - £910

Fees for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027

• Friday & Saturday - £550

• Sunday  - £890

• Bank Holiday - £1035

Dudley Register Office (The Superintendent's office) – seats a maximum 4; the couple and 2 witnesses

This is the statutory room offering a basic statutory ceremony for £56 on Tuesday mornings only.

The ceremony takes place in a working office where there are no music or photographic opportunities.

Across the borough of Dudley there are also several other venues approved to hold marriages and civil partnerships:

Venues currently approved are The Village Hotel Dudley, The Copthorne Hotel, Benjamins Banqueting Suites, Old Swinford Hospital, Dudley Canal Trust Portal (The Gongoozler) and Newfields Banqueting Suite.

Approved premises in the Dudley Borough - Registrars can officiate at any of these venues for all ceremony types

Arrangements for these ceremonies must be made with the venue and with the register office. Ceremonies held at approved premises can be enhanced to meet your own personal requirements: you may add one or two readings to your ceremony, you may select your own choice of music, a bride can choose to be 'given away' and brides can make a traditional entrance.

Fees for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

• Monday to Thursday - £470

• Friday and Saturday - £550

• Sunday - £710

• Bank Holiday - £880

Fees for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

• Monday to Thursday - £495

• Friday and Saturday - £580

• Sunday - £740

• Bank Holiday - £925

Fees for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027

• Monday to Thursday - £520

• Friday & Saturday - £610

• Sunday  - £770

• Bank Holiday - £970

Please note the fees are for the registrars attending an approved premise to officiate at your ceremony. Additional fees will be payable to the venue.

Please add £11 to the above fees for each marriage or civil partnership certificate issued at the time of your ceremony.

The statutory fee to give notice is £35 each. This fee will be taken at the time the appointment is booked.

Get married in either the Priory Suite, Priory Hall or the Wollescote Suite, Thomas Robinson Building and celebrate afterwards at Himley Hall. 

A fixed price package to help you manage your budget without compromising on style. Book our inclusive ceremony package and take the stress out of your wedding planning. Prices start at £3,700 for 2024 packages.

Start with a classic or tailor-made ceremony, wow your guests with two beautiful venues and finish with a disco at Himley Hall.

Wanting more? You have the option to add on any of our ceremony extras available on Dudley online wedding planner; from cars, photography and flowers to stationery, sparkle lanterns and dressed chairs.

Outdoor ceremonies are available for couples who are planning to marry or form a civil partnership in the Priory Suite at Priory Hall or the Wollescote Suite at the Thomas Robinson Building. If you would like your ceremony outdoors this is now an option. For couples holding their ceremony in the Priory Suite this would enable them to invite up to 68 guests and for the Wollescote Suite 58 guests. 

Couples holding their ceremony at another approved premise within the Dudley Borough will need to discuss the option with their venue in the first instance and then agree the arrangements with us.

There is an additional fee of £50 for Priory Suite and Wollescote Suite outdoor ceremonies, the usual ceremony fee will also apply. The outdoor fee will not be refunded if the ceremony subsequently takes place indoors.

There is no additional fee for our attendance at an outdoor ceremony at other approved premises, the cost will be the usual approved premises attendance fee though the venue may charge a fee.

No. You cannot hold a legal outdoor ceremony in your garden. An outdoor ceremony can only take place within the grounds of approved premises for marriages and civil partnerships. There are several approved premises within the Dudley Borough as well as Priory Hall and Thomas Robinson Building.

Outdoor ceremonies are not available for register office and Castle Suite ceremonies, although anyone with a Castle Suite booking can choose to upgrade to a Priory Suite ceremony and add on the outdoor option subject to availability and the payment of the appropriate fee.

Existing notices of marriage will be valid for the outdoor setting provided it is held in the grounds of the venue specified on the notice.

Notice of marriage or civil partnership will be required to be given or new bookings.

There are a few things to consider before you decide on an outdoor ceremony

• We cannot control the weather; it could rain, be too windy, too hot or too cold. The decision of whether the ceremony can proceed outdoors will be made by the superintendent registrar and may be a last minute decision on the day
• Due to the risk of inclement weather all outdoor ceremonies must have a ceremony room booked as well
• If the ceremony reverts to the indoor ceremony room no refund will be given
• The sound projection will be weaker outside so some guests may struggle to hear the registrar
• You may wish to consider live music, but we can supply our usual music options if desired but the sound will be weaker
• The ceremony must take place within the grounds of the approved premises, at Priory Hall this will on the grass alongside the ceremony rooms and at Thomas Robinson this will be at the front of the building
• Guests may wish to wear suitable shoes and clothing for the weather
• For Priory Hall and Thomas Robinson Building no seating will be provided
• The ceremony will be in an outside space where we cannot control passers-by, other wedding parties, noise and other distractions that may not be in-keeping with a ceremony
• It may not be a suitable type of ceremony for elderly guests and young children may be difficult to control
• Your dress may get wet, muddy and possibly even damaged

Our classic ceremony is included in Priory Suite and Wollescote Suite ceremony bookings. Dad can walk the bride down the aisle, there is a choice of vows and 10 music playlists to choose from along with a stunning photographic opportunity in the bay window at Priory Hall or framed in the doorway at the Thomas Robinson Building. Couples wanting something extra special can upgrade their classic ceremony to a tailor-made ceremony and get an occasion truly personal to them.

For couples looking for something extra special that is totally personalised to them, there is the tailor-made ceremony. Included in your tailor-made ceremony are the dedicated services of our ceremony team, 20 personalised invitations, your personalised playlist and a ceremony planning meeting. The additional cost of a tailor-made ceremony is £85 and is available in the Wollescote and Priory Suites only.

If you have already booked a classic ceremony there is an opportunity to upgrade online from our classic ceremony to a tailor-made ceremony. 

A standard ceremony is provided in the Castle Suite.

The Castle Suite can accommodate up to 28 guests. This room is half oak panelled, with original windows and has quality furnishings and décor.

Classical background music is played before and after the ceremony. This ceremony room provides pleasant surroundings for a standard ceremony. Other ceremony enhancements are not available in this suite. The couple will enter the room together, there is no option for a separate entrance in this room.

A basic statutory ceremony is offered in Dudley Register Office. This is the superintendent's working office; there are no music or photograph opportunities in this room.

Get married in either the Priory Suite, Priory Hall or the Wollescote Suite, Thomas Robinson Building and celebrate afterwards at Himley Hall. 

A fixed price package to help you manage your budget without compromising on style. Book our new inclusive ceremony package and take the stress out of your wedding planning. Prices start at £3,700 for 2024 packages.

Start with a classic or tailor-made ceremony, impress your guests with two beautiful venues and finish with a disco at Himley Hall.

Wanting more? You have the option to add on any of our ceremony extras available on Dudley online wedding planner; from cars, photography and flowers to stationery, sparkle lanterns and dressed chairs.

If you book us to attend a ceremony on approved premises, we offer a wide choice of ceremony options to enable you to personalise your ceremony including your own music choices. Our ceremonies are personal to each couple and incorporate your own choices of music and readings.

If you are planning a marriage or civil partnership abroad, you will need to check for the legal requirements with the Embassy for that country. We cannot register a marriage or civil partnership that takes place overseas, it will be registered in the country in which it takes place. All certificates will be obtained from the country where the ceremony takes place.

Provisional bookings for ceremonies are taken by telephone or in person up to 12 months in advance of your wedding. A credit or debit card payment is required to book a ceremony, you are required to pay the booking fee of £55 at the time the ceremony is booked. This fee is non refundable. If your ceremony is to be held within the next three months the full ceremony fee payment will be required at the time your ceremony is booked. Where the total ceremony fee is below £100 you will be required to pay for the ceremony in full at the time the provisional arrangement is made.

Please note: If you wish to change the date, time or venue of a ceremony you have already booked within the Dudley Borough there will be an administration fee payable.

A ceremony co-ordinator will call you within two working days to make a ceremony booking if you supply your day time contact number and your ceremony requirements.

It is important that you read our terms and conditions below before making a booking.

After you have both given notice we will send you a ceremony confirmation letter and choices pack. The ceremony options offered are dependent on your venue and ceremony package.

For Register Office ceremonies we offer a basic statutory ceremony without any music or photographic opportunities in the presence of two witnesses.

The Castle Suite provides for a low key ceremony that takes place in a beautifully appointed room. This offers a more relaxed choice where the couple arrive together and we provide classical background music before and after the ceremony. There is the chance to take a beautiful photograph in the room before making your way into the park where there are ample photographic opportunities.

Priory Suite and Wollescote Suite ceremonies offer the widest choice; they can be low key or include all the bells and whistles! Our classic ceremony includes dad walking the bride down the aisle, choices of music and vows along with a stunning photographic opportunity in the bay window at Priory Hall or framed in the doorway at the Thomas Robinson Building. Couples wanting something extra special can upgrade their classic ceremony to a tailor-made ceremony and get an occasion truly personal to them.

An inclusive ceremony package is available to book for the Priory Suite and Wollescote Suite. This includes an evening reception at Himley Hall for one fixed price. The perfect way to manage your budget and still celebrate in style at two iconic local buildings. 

If you have booked us to attend a ceremony on approved premises, we offer a wide choice of ceremony options to enable you to personalise your ceremony including your own music choices.

Notice of marriage or civil partnership - £42 per person

Ceremony booking fee - £65

Administration fee - £40

Save the Date fee - £85

Tailor-Made ceremony fee - £85

Marriage and Civil Partnership Certificates - £12.50 each

We sometimes have cancellation slots that become available for couples wanting to get married quickly. The full ceremony payment is required at the time of booking, plus the booking fee and an additional £50 Priority ceremony fee for any ceremony booked within the next 8 weeks. 

• Put Priority Ceremony Booking in the subject title box and email your enquiry to marriage.enquiry@dudley.gov.uk

On a first come, first served basis, we have very limited availability in:

• Priory Suite, Priory Hall for up to 68 guests
  
  
• Wollescote Suite, Thomas Robinson Building for up to 58 guests

3.30pm and 4pm slots may also be booked as an inclusive ceremony package with a celebration at Himley Hall after the ceremony included, subject to availability.

• Castle Suite, Priory Hall for up to 28 guests occasionally has a cancellation slot available 

Please note that you must have all the required documents and give notice of marriage no later than one month before your ceremony date. If you are not able to do this, your ceremony date will need to be changed and there will an admin fee payable to do this.

A Civil Partnership allows couples to have their relationships legally recognised. It confers similar rights and responsibilities as civil marriage across a wide range of legal matters.

A civil partnership is formed when a couple sign a document (the schedule) in the presence of a civil partnership registrar and two witnesses. Couples may choose to hold a ceremony alongside the legal signing. A civil partnership formation held in the statutory Register Office is an administrative process that forms a civil partnership. If you wish to follow the formation with a celebratory ceremony you would need to hold your formation in the Priory Suite or the Wollescote Suite or at an approved premises.

Civil partners will enjoy most of the same pension rights as married couples. Entitlement will further extend to schemes that currently pay survivor benefits to widows and widowers. Equal rights for civil partners will also extend into areas such as childcare and maintenance, property inheritance and life assurance. For full details of the legal differences between a marriage and a civil partnership please seek advice from a solicitor or visit the gov.uk website.

In the event of the breakdown of a relationship, the dissolution of a civil partnership can be sought through due legal process. In such circumstances, the court will have the power to deal with any resulting matters of property division or maintenance.

If you are already civil partners and would like to convert your existing partnership into a marriage you can do this at any register office or approved premise in England or Wales. The statutory fee for a civil partnership to be converted into a marriage is £45. If you wish to follow the administrative conversion process with a marriage celebration ceremony the normal ceremony fees will apply. Please note that this facility is currently only available to same-sex couples.

• Further information on civil partnership into marriage

This ceremony is for any married couple that wish to celebrate their marriage and renew their vows in a unique and personal ceremony.

Often these ceremonies are associated with a special wedding anniversary such as the tenth, twenty-fifth etc. but the ceremony is just as appropriate for couples at any stage of marriage.

Many couples who get married abroad choose to renew their Marriage Vows in a special event held for family and friends on their return.

The Renewal of Marriage Vows Ceremony is as individual as the couple arranging the celebration. The ceremony is created by the couple with the help of the Celebrant, and just as no two marriage unions are the same, no two Renewal of Marriage Vows Ceremonies will be the same.

Take the time to consider which options are appropriate and have special meaning. As you consider the choices and make your selections you will be creating a unique ceremony reflecting your commitment to one another which will be fondly remembered by you and your guests.

Special people in your lives can take part in your ceremony; your children, guests who were at the wedding and any friends and relatives. You will also need to ask two people to witness the signing of the Certificate commemorating the event.

Any married couple, of any age and married for any length of time, can arrange a Renewal of Marriage Vows Ceremony. It does not matter if you do not live in the area where you want your ceremony.

A 'celebrant' will conduct your ceremony but will not be acting in any official capacity, even if they also work as a registrar. Celebrants are trained and experienced in conducting many different ceremonies so do ask their advice on anything you are unsure about.

Got married during the pandemic? Say 'I do' again in a renewal of vows ceremony and celebrate with family and friends as you had intended but were unable to do.

Couples who married during the pandemic at one of our Dudley venues can take advantage of our offer. Book a renewal of vows ceremony, to take place at one of our venues, and we will take £50 off the price. 

When both of you have given notice, if you are marrying or forming a civil partnership in a Dudley venue, we will confirm your booking by letter and give you an information pack so that you can decide on your 'choices' for your ceremony. Visit our Dudley wedding planner page for more information on how we can help you plan your ceremony. You can arrange a ceremony planning meeting with one of our ceremony co-ordinators to help you with your ceremony choices and see our range of stationery or simply return the 'choices' form to us on-line or by post. You can also pay for your ceremony on-line as well as any ceremony extras

A selection of personalised wedding stationery is available exclusively from Dudley Register Office.

Information on how to apply for a building to be registered as a place of worship and marriage.

The Marriage Act 1949 makes provision for marriages to be solemnized in a building which has been registered for that purpose without the need for a registrar to be present. An Authorised Person can attend marriages and sign the marriage schedule instead.

Important  Please read our terms and conditions carefully before booking your ceremony.  These terms tell you how Dudley Council will provide Dudley Registration & Celebratory Services to you, how you and Dudley Council may change or end the booking and what to do if there is a problem and other important information.

By booking with Dudley Registration & Celebratory Services you are deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions.

Currently there are no Covid-19 restrictions to ceremonies. If this changes we will contact any affected couples.

When in place, restrictions may include the following:

Reduce the numbers permitted to attend and the ceremony content, we will advise you if this is the case. We may be required to minimise the time spent within the building. Your guests may not not be invited into the building until shortly before your ceremony is due to begin.

We have a duty of care to our staff and visitors, therefore we may ask that all attendees take a lateral flow test before entering our premises and that, unless exempt, everyone wears a face covering whilst on the premises. We will invite the couple to remove their face covering during the ceremony. Guests my be required to socially distance from each other, we ask that everyone remains at least 1 metre away from our staff. 

Please refer to gov.uk for the latest restrictions.