Why choose a Celebrant?

THE LEGAL BIT — AND WHY CHOOSE A CELEBRANT?

Getting married should be one of the most personal days of your life. But when it comes to making your marriage legally recognised in England and Wales, there are certain rules that have to be followed.

You can have a religious wedding through a church or other registered religious building, subject to the requirements of that faith or venue. Or you can have a civil ceremony at a register office or an approved wedding venue, with a registrar and at least two witnesses. GOV.UK

A registrar-led civil wedding can absolutely be lovely — but it has legal restrictions. Most importantly, the ceremony cannot be religious in nature. Religious services, prayers, hymns, sacred texts and religious rituals cannot form part of the civil proceedings. GOV.UK

BUT WHAT IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

What if you're not particularly religious, but you'd still love to include a prayer because it meant something to your grandparents?

What if you want to remember someone you've lost?

Perhaps there's a poem, song or family tradition that's part of your story. Maybe you want to write your own vows, involve your children, include your dog, perform a symbolic ritual, tell the story of how you met — or simply have a ceremony that's funny, relaxed and unmistakably you.

That's where a celebrant ceremony comes in.

I'm not a registrar, so the ceremony I conduct does not itself create the legal marriage. Instead, some couples choose to complete the legal marriage separately with the registration service and then have their personal wedding celebration with me on another day. The legal ceremony itself still has the statutory requirements, including two witnesses. GOV.UK

Then comes the part everyone remembers.

YOUR STORY. YOUR CEREMONY. YOUR WAY.

Your celebrant ceremony isn't there to tick boxes. It's there to tell your story.

Religious? We can include elements that reflect your beliefs.

Not religious? Absolutely fine.

A little bit spiritual? Great.

Traditional in some places and completely bonkers in others? Even better.

We can talk about the people you've loved and lost. We can include your favourite music, meaningful readings, personal vows and family traditions. We can involve the people — and even the pets — who matter most to you.

And because the celebrant ceremony is separate from the legal civil marriage, we're not trying to squeeze your personalities into a registrar's legal ceremony.

You take care of the legal bit. Together, we'll create the wedding ceremony that's actually about you.

FREE, NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION

Have a chat with me about the wedding you're imagining and let's see what we can create.