How we build the directory

Every listing starts from the GOV.UK approved premises list for civil marriages and civil partnerships. We keep venues whose approval expiry date is still in the future, label pages whose listed date has passed, and never estimate capacity or prices. Venue styles are our own classification from venue names, and errors can be reported.

Steps

1. Source. Data source: the GOV.UK "Civil marriages and partnerships: approved premises list" , Open Government Licence v3.0, file dated 17 Oct 2025. Each venue page shows name, address, phone, premises number and approval expiry date as published. Capacity, prices and photos appear only when a venue confirms them.
2. Licence status. Each venue page shows the approval expiry date as published. When that date passes, we keep the page but label it “Licence date passed”, because the venue may have renewed since the file was published.
3. Location. Postcodes are matched to areas and coordinates using postcodes.io (ONS data, Open Government Licence).
4. Style. Styles such as barn, castle or country house are our classification from the venue name, and are labelled as such.
5. Extra details. Some websites and photos come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons and are credited on each page. Capacity, prices and photos from a venue appear only when the venue confirms them, and are marked as supplied by the venue.
6. Registrar fees. Council fee figures are read from each council's own website, with a source link for every council in the fees data story.
7. Corrections. Venues and readers can report errors or ask for removal on the corrections & removal page.

More detail: about our data and about Approved Venues.

Frequently asked questions

How often is the venue data updated?

Licence status is recalculated every time the site is built, using the expiry dates in the GOV.UK file. The GOV.UK file itself is updated by the government from time to time.

Why does a venue show "Licence date passed"?

Its listed approval expiry date has passed. The venue may have renewed since the file was published, so check with the venue and the register office.

Do you estimate capacity or prices?

No. Capacity and prices are shown as unknown until the venue confirms them.

How do I report an error?

Use the corrections and removal page at approvedvenues.co.uk/removal.