Getting married is one of the most exciting life events – you have found the person you love and you have decided to commit to being with them for a lifetime, how exciting!!
Then ‘wed-min’ takes over - colour schemes, table plans, menu tastings…but have you considered who will conduct your wedding ceremony?
You may think that you only have two options – a religious ceremony or a registrar. Have you considered having a celebrant-led wedding?
A wedding celebrant writes and officiates wedding ceremonies (they may also offer other ceremonies such as funerals, vow renewals or namings).
What makes a celebrant-led wedding different?
So how does a celebrant-led ceremony differ from either a religious or registrar wedding? Crucially, celebrants are not bound by the restrictions of any one faith or by wording dictated by the council employed registrars. A celebrant-led wedding can be 100% personalised; the venue, the content, the style – there is nothing to stop you creating your DREAM ceremony.
When booking a registrar for a wedding ceremony, you won’t know in advance who will be conducting your service. You will meet whoever is on duty on the day of your wedding, probably about half an hour before the ceremony. However, if you choose to use a celebrant, they will be involved in the creation of your ceremony from conception to delivery – they will take the time to get to know you both and will help guide and support you through the process.
The legal bit
Currently in England, celebrants cannot legally marry you (although watch this space as there is a huge push for marriage reform underway).
Therefore, in using a celebrant, we make the differentiation between a ‘marriage’ and ‘wedding ceremony’ – subtle, but different nonetheless. You can choose to coordinate the legal marriage (through your local registry office) in whatever manner you wish; it can take place on the same day, a different day, as part of the celebrant ceremony or totally separate. But your wedding ceremony will be the showpiece; the personal, meaningful representation of you two and your love story, to share with all of your guests.
What does a celebrant-led wedding include?
This is entirely up to you! If you feel most comfortable with a traditional structure, perhaps even want to weave in some elements of faith (or multiple faiths) then this is absolutely possible. If you want to hold your ceremony at an un-licensed venue, no problem! Fancy a themed wedding and want that to be carried through your ceremony – a celebrant is definitely what you need!
Ultimately, a celebrant-led wedding is bespoke, unique and memorable for all the right reasons.
If you want to know more about how a celebrant might be right for you as a couple, please get in touch. I’d love to hear about how you imagine your day and to talk about how we can make those dreams come true!
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