The Best Registry Offices in the Warwickshire
As a wedding photographer who regularly photographs smaller intimate weddings, I thought it might be a nice idea to provide more information about some of the registry offices available in Warwickshire.
The Henley Room Registry Office, Stratford upon Avon
One of the best and most popular registry offices is the Henley Room in Stratford upon Avon, it is popular because of its location and the room itself is an attractive wooden beamed room in a historic black and white Tudor style building.
Another great feature reason for choosing the Henley Room is it is located close to the River Avon with the Bancroft Gardens ideal for photos. There are also many picturesque streets ideal for photography and a host of excellent quality hotels and restaurants perfect for an intimate wedding reception.
My favourites are the White Swan Hotel located a few minutes’ walk from the Henley Room, this atmospheric pub is over 600 years old and features the lovely Capulet and Montague Rooms for hire. The Hotel Indigo on Chapel Street is another firm favourite that recently refurbished many meeting room options.
What are the downsides of the Henley Room Registry office, first, it does not have any car parking, there is an area at the back on Guild Street to be used as a drop-off point for wedding cars but other than this you and your guests will need to find somewhere to park. My favourite place is Windsor Street car Park which is a few minutes’ walk away from CV37 6NL.
The biggest headache for weddings at the Henley Room is the traffic, Stratford upon Avon is a very popular tourist attraction, on summer days the traffic can be very congested. I always allow at least an additional half an hour for travel when covering weddings at the Henley Room.
The room features seating for 31 guests, there is a small step to enter the room for disabled guests to negotiate. Wedding Blog Posts for the Henley Room
The Pageant House Registry Office, Warwick.
The Pageant House is another very popular registry office, however, at the time of writing Warwick has three registry offices on offer. These are the Pageant House, St Johns House, and The Judges House on Northgate Street, the two later are recent additions.
Located on Jury Street, in the heart of Warwick, however the best place to be dropped off for brides and grooms is on Castle Street, this street is a lot quieter than Jury Street and has the Thomas Oken Tea Rooms in the background that makes an ideal backdrop for photos before the ceremony begins.
The Pageant House is larger than the Henley Room in Stratford upon Avon, the room also features a large window that lets in lots of light ideal for natural light photography of the ceremony. The registry office also features its garden an ideal place for wedding photography after the ceremony. The garden is well cared for with an array of flower displays all year round and attractive white daffodils in spring.
Also, similar to the Henley Room, Warwick has many places to move onto for additional photography, a popular choice is the Mill Garden at the foot of the Castle next to the river Avon. The garden benefits from views of the river and the ruined bridge on one side and the Castle on the other not to mention the garden itself which is very well cared for. There is however an entrance fee for wedding parties of £40 plus £2 for each guest.
That said the streets and drives around the Castle offer many opportunities for picturesque wedding photography.
The room has seating for 40 guests and disabled access, there are public toilets in the Pageant House Gardens.
The Judges House Registry Office, Warwick.
A new addition, the Judges House is located next to Historic Old Shire Hall which contained Warwick Crown Court from 1776 until 2011. Located on Northgate Street, one of the most attractive streets in the whole of Warwickshire.
The venue has a choice of three magnificent ceremony rooms The Judges' Drawing Room, The Judges' Dining Room, and the High Sheriffs Office all with striking portraits adorning the walls.
Each room features a different colour scheme my favourite being the white-walled High Sheriff's Office.
There is also no allocated parking and Warwick unfortunately is a difficult place to find a parking place at the best of times.
The nearest paid car park is New Street Car Park @ CV34 4RX, however, this car park is quite small. There is also a car park at Barrack Street that is only open for public parking at the weekends.
The venue can accommodate 45-100 guests and has gardens to the rear and disabled access.
St Johns House Registry Office, Warwick.
Formerly housing Warwick Museum, this building has been cleverly utilised as a new registration office for weddings.
Set in a Jacobean Mansion, this new registry office offers two rooms for wedding ceremonies a large room for 40 guests and a smaller room for micro weddings with space for 8 guests. Both rooms feature wood panelling, grand fireplaces, and elegant chandeliers both opening out into the gardens for wedding photos.
Access for dropping off via wedding car is best via the Weston Close to the side of the Mansion, however, like all the other registry offices in Warwick, there is no onsite parking for guests, although St Nicolas Park Car Park is located very close by @CV34 4QY. This car has long stay rates, but it can get busy, especially in summer.
Reception Venues in Warwick
Like Stratford upon Avon Warwick has excellent restaurants and hotels for wedding receptions. The Alderson House, on the High Street, is an excellent choice for larger weddings, the venue boasts a large, air-conditioned dining room ideal for escaping from hot sunny days.
The Warwick Arms Hotel also on the High Street is centrally located with excellent facilities and rooms.
Thomas Oken Tea Rooms close to the Pageant House is ideal for afternoon tea, whilst The Court House is an ideal venue for those looking to hire a space and arrange their catering. The Court House features a large ballroom on the first floor and the smaller Chambers Room for hire at ground level.
The Bodicote House Ceremony Room Registry Office, Bodicote near Banbury
Although this blog post is about Warwickshire Registry Offices, Bodicote House isn't too far away just over the border in Oxfordshire, and it features something that none of the venues I have mentioned in Warwickshire do which is car parking.
I have visited this registry office a few times, the ceremony room is located in a former dining room, featuring an ornate fireplace and oak panelling. The room then opens out into spacious private gardens with the backdrop of Bodicote House itself and attractive outbuildings and arches ideal for wedding photography.
The room features disabled access and public toilet space for 48 guests.
Dovecote Events is an excellent local venue for Bodicote House. The venue can accommodate Barn Weddings and Tippies.
Conclusion
Getting married at a registry office offers flexibility for those seeking an intimate understated wedding at attractive venues whilst keeping costs down compared to a big white wedding.
We offer a flexible two-hour wedding photography package that is ideal for registry office weddings, or depending on your onward venue half-day and all-day wedding photography packages are also available.
If you would like to learn more about our wedding photography options, please contact us.