How to Plan a Birmingham Wedding


Before you can get married in Birmingham you must apply for a Notice of Marriage, which is a legal document showing the 2 people who are getting married along with the venue where your ceremony will take place.

Birmingham Register Office

If you live in Birmingham you’ll need to book an appointment to give notice at Birmingham Register Office. If you don’t live in Birmingham but wish to get married in Birmingham you must give notice to the local authority for the area you live in instead.

Legally you must give notice between 29 days and one year before your wedding ceremony. Once you’ve given notice it will be displayed in the Register Office for 298 days. After that time if there are no objections, you’ll be given a document called a ‘marriage authority/schedule’

Check for any updates or changes to the above on the Birmingham Register Office official website

Address: Holliday Street, Birmingham B1 1TJ

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm (excluding public holiday)

There’s plenty of near-by street parking and you can pay either by coins or using the your phone with the appropriate parking app.

You can of course get married at The Register Office, but space is limited and suitable for the smaller guest list. They have a small area at the back too where photos can be taken, but because wedding ceremony are constantly coming through, you may not have much time to stop in the grounds, as they’ll want the space cleared for the next wedding.

Before you get married, it may be a good idea to propose first! So where are some good locations in Birmingham to propose? Also, apart from the obvious, how do you propose? Here are some ideas to consider:

Where to Propose in Birmingham

Winterbourne House and Gardens in Birmingham

This is a beautiful parklike garden area in the middle of Birmingham and was the perfect location for Danny to propose to garden-loving Isobel

Birmingham City Centre

Jason chose the Birmingham City Centre to propose to Lisa

New Hall Hotel

Rick proposed to Rebecca at New Hall Hotel, just on the outskirts of Birmingham City Centre

Ardencote Manor

Forget tradition girls!! Step up and propose to your man like Natalie did to Richard at Ardencote Manor


Other Places to Propose in Birmingham

Birmingham Library Secret Garden – This is a roof garden with spectacular views over looking the city.

St. Paul’s Square near the famous Jewellery Quarter. There are several good restaurants for a meal afterwards. It’s only a 15 min walk or short taxi ride from the city centre.

Brindley Place/Gas Street Canal Basin which is a short walk from several restaurants.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens where the resident peacock may put on a display for you.

How to Propose

Find out more details about the proposals mentioned above.

Jason chose to propose to Lisa in the middle of Birmingham City Centre on a busy Saturday afternoon.

Rick planned his proposal with me from abroad and proposed on the bridge over the moat at New Hall Hotel.

Danny chose to propose to Isobel at Winterbourne House in Birmingham

Ladies, why wait to be asked? Do what Natalie did when she proposed to Richard at Ardencote Manor. This was another proposal that required careful planning as Natalie lives in America but wanted to plan a surprise proposal on her trip to the UK.

When Prab wanted to propose to Nikki he chose Hoar Cross Hall for his simple idea, which can work anywhere.

Recommended Wedding Venues

For more variety and to find an exclusive venue for your Birmingham wedding, visit my page of Birmingham wedding venues to find venues that range from quirky, city centre venues complete with an onsite urban street scene, right through to a Medieval Hotel and Spa with it’s own moat.

Where Can I Get Ready?

Although many venues will have a bridal preparation room/area, many don’t and only cater for the ceremony and or reception. If that’s the case for your venue then there’s no need to worry as Birmingham has many, many hotel rooms available. In fact, as of 2021 the hotel sector has been increasing to welcome the boost in tourism numbers ahead of the region hosting Coventry of Culture 2021 and Commonwealth Games 2022.

One of the nearest hotels is AC Hotel by Marriott, in The Cube. It’s just a short 5 minute walk to the Register Office, so is ideal for your preparations before your ceremony.

Why not plan a first look on the way to the Register Office? The bridge over Brindley Place is an ideal spot, as you can see below.

Other nearby hotels include: Hyatt Regency, Hotel du Vin

How Much Should I Pay for Birmingham Wedding Photography?

I did some extensive research on this question and you can read my report on the average price for wedding photography in various regions of the UK. Find out what the average is for Birmingham, West Midlands. Plus, what you can expect according to your budget.

How to Get Around Birmingham

As the UK’s second city, Birmingham has a great network of transportation links to get you to and around the city with ease.

Car Hire

The usual car hire companies like Enterprise, Avis, Hertz etc are in plenty supply and can be easily found throughout the city.

Train

Birmingham is at the heart of the UK network and transport hub for anyone wishing to travel anywhere in the UK. Eight local rail line that cut across the city and the main station, Birmingham New Street Station can handle 52 million passengers a year. It has easy access to Birmingham International – Birmingham Airport’s own station stop for those looking to fly in or from Birmingham

Buses and Trams

Birmingham has a growing bus and tram network linking the city’s sites into a web of public transport.

Most bus operators accept a cashless way of travelling where you load credit to to your travel card and then buy your single, return or day ticket when boarding for travel.