FAQ

What exactly is a celebrant-led wedding?

It's a wedding ceremony created around you.

Rather than following a standard script, we'll build your ceremony from scratch. We'll tell your story, talk about the people you are, include the things that matter to you and create something that actually feels like your wedding.

It can be traditional, modern, romantic, funny, spiritual, completely non-religious – or a mixture of all of them.

There really isn't a "correct" way to do it.

What's the difference between a celebrant and a registrar?

A registrar conducts the legal marriage and has certain legal requirements and restrictions they have to follow.

As an independent celebrant, I don't legally marry you. My job is different: I create and conduct the personal ceremony where you can have far more freedom over what happens.

Many couples simply complete the legal formalities separately at a register office and then have their main wedding ceremony with me in front of their family and friends.

Think of the registrar as taking care of the legal marriage. I'll take care of telling your story.

Is a celebrant-led wedding legally binding?

In England and Wales, an independent celebrant-led ceremony isn't currently the legal marriage.

You'll need to complete the legal requirements separately through an authorised marriage ceremony, which many couples choose to do at a register office.

That doesn't mean your celebrant ceremony isn't your wedding. For many couples, the legal appointment is simply the paperwork and their celebrant ceremony – with the vows, rings, music, family, friends and questionable dancing afterwards – is very much their wedding day.

Can we have our ceremony anywhere?

Pretty much!

Because the celebrant ceremony isn't the legal part of your marriage, you're not restricted to a licensed wedding room.

You could have your ceremony in a beautiful wedding venue, woodland, garden, barn, family home or somewhere that has a completely personal meaning to you.

Obviously, if the land or location doesn't belong to you, you'll need the owner's permission, and some locations will have their own rules.

But essentially, if you've got an idea, talk to me and let's see if we can make it happen.

Can we include religion in our ceremony?

Absolutely.

One of the benefits of choosing an independent celebrant is that your ceremony doesn't have to fit into either a completely religious or completely non-religious box.

If you'd like a prayer, Bible reading, blessing or another religious tradition included, we can do that. Equally, your ceremony can be completely non-religious.

This can work particularly well for couples from different religious or cultural backgrounds who want to acknowledge both traditions without having a fully religious wedding.

Your beliefs. Your choice.

Can we include handfasting or other symbolic ceremonies?

Definitely.

Handfasting, unity candles, ring warming and other symbolic elements can all be incorporated into your ceremony.

But I don't believe in adding something simply because you've seen it on Instagram. We'll talk about what it represents and whether it actually means something to you.

And if you've got an idea I've never heard of before, even better. Let's explore it.

Can our children, family, friends – or dog – be involved?

Please!

Some of the best moments happen when the people – and animals – you love become part of the ceremony.

Children can participate, friends can give readings, family members can be involved in symbolic elements and, yes, your dog can absolutely bring the rings.

Although I make no guarantees that your dog will actually follow the plan.

That's part of the fun.

Do we have to write our own vows?

No.

If you've always dreamed of writing your own vows, brilliant. I'll help you with them.

If the thought of staring at a blank sheet of paper trying to explain how much you love somebody fills you with dread, don't worry about it.

I'll guide you through the process and we can find a way of doing your vows that feels comfortable and natural.

Nobody is getting homework from me unless they want it.

We're not particularly romantic. Will a celebrant ceremony still work for us?

Absolutely.

I'm not going to turn you into people you're not.

If you don't normally call each other "my soulmate" while staring lovingly into each other's eyes, I'm certainly not going to make you start doing it in front of 100 people.

Your ceremony should sound like you.

That might mean incredibly romantic. It might mean warm, understated and genuine. Or it might involve me telling the story of the disastrous first date that you've spent ten years arguing about.

That's why I get to know you first.

We hate being the centre of attention. Is a celebrant ceremony going to make that worse?

No – and please tell me if you're nervous about it.

You don't have to perform.

Part of my job is making you feel comfortable and taking the pressure away. We'll know exactly what's happening before the day and I'll be standing there guiding you through it.

You don't suddenly have to become public speakers because you're getting married.

Leave that bit to me.

How long does a celebrant wedding ceremony last?

There's no compulsory length because we're not working to a standard script.

As a general guide, I'd expect most ceremonies to be somewhere around 25–40 minutes, depending on what you'd like to include.

But I'm much more interested in whether it's good than whether it's exactly 30 minutes.

A brilliant 25-minute ceremony beats a boring 45-minute one every time.

Do we need a wedding rehearsal?

Not necessarily.

We'll have planned the ceremony thoroughly beforehand, so everybody should know what's happening.

On the wedding day I'll arrive early, check the ceremony space, meet the important people involved and make sure everyone knows where they need to be and what they're doing.

For a more complicated ceremony, or where there are lots of people involved, we can discuss whether a separate rehearsal would be worthwhile.

Why should we have a celebrant ceremony rather than just the legal ceremony?

Because your ceremony deserves to be more than something you simply have to get through before everyone starts drinking champagne.

This is the moment you stand in front of the people you love and make promises to each other.

I want your guests to laugh. I want there to be moments they weren't expecting. And yes, hopefully we'll get a few tears too.

Most importantly, I want your guests to come away thinking:

"That was so them."

That's what a great wedding ceremony should feel like.