City hall wedding more expensive in most municipalities

Couples who want to get married at city hall have to pay more than last year in most municipalities. An extensive ceremony costs an average of 477 euros on the popular Friday. In 2023, that was still 452 euros. The price varies enormously per municipality, according to the trade site ThePerfectWedding.nl, which collected the rates from all municipalities.

This year, 319 of the 342 municipalities increased there wedding fees. The rate rose most in Geertruidenberg. This year, lovebirds in this Noord-Brabant municipality pay 915 euros for a ceremony on Friday. That is double the 2023 amount when the costs were still 465 euros. The municipality said it implemented the increase to bring the fees in line with those of neighboring municipalities. It also brought the Friday afternoon fees in line with the fees for Saturday and Sunday.

Fiances in Zeist also have to pay significantly more than last year. The Utrecht municipality increased the rate by 245 euros to 924 euros. Other municipalities that significantly increased their fees include Gorinchem, Amersfoort, and Beek in Limburg. Beek was previously the cheapest municipality to get married in on a Friday.

At over 1,000 euros, Leeuwarden is the most expensive municipality to get married in on a Friday. Voerendaal in Zuid-Limburg is the cheapest at 200 euros.

“The differences per municipality are extreme,” said Sarah Glasbergen of ThePerfectWedding.nl. “We have been doing this research for years and it would be good if something was finally done about it. A few years ago, the differences were already large and parliamentary questions were even asked about it. Unfortunately, nothing has been done about it yet.”

Many municipalities charge different rates for Monday to Friday and for the weekend. Some municipalities also have a special rate for Fridays, which, according to ThePerfectWedding.nl, is a popular day to get married.