Celebrant-Led Wedding Ceremonies
Guide for Couples
Legalities & Your Celebrant Ceremony
In England and Wales, celebrants aren’t yet able to perform legally binding marriages, so couples need to complete the legal registration separately from their celebrant ceremony.
Think of it like this: registering your marriage is the official paperwork, and your celebrant ceremony is the heartfelt celebration that follows, just like registering a baby’s birth and then holding a Christening or Naming Ceremony.
Your first step is to book a date and venue for your legal marriage or civil partnership. This can take place at a register office or an approved venue licensed by your local council.
For marriages, both partners must give notice of intention to marry at your local Register Office, even if your legal ceremony will be held elsewhere. Your notice must include the location of your legal ceremony, so make sure this is booked beforehand.
By law, notice must be given at least 29 days and no more than 12 months before your legal registration takes place.
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Options & Costs for Your Legal Marriage or Civil Partnership
You can choose to have your legal marriage or civil partnership and your celebrant ceremony on the same day, or keep them as two separate occasions, whichever feels right for you.
A registrar and two witnesses must be present to make your marriage or civil partnership legally binding. Some registrars are happy to work alongside celebrants and will travel to your chosen venue to complete the legal formalities on the day of your celebration.
Alternatively, you can hold a simple statutory ceremony at your local register office, which is a quick, no-frills option that currently costs around £57 or opt for a larger, more expensive, legal ceremony with guests.
Many couples choose a small, intimate legal ceremony with close family, followed by a personalised celebrant-led wedding, which they see as their true wedding day.
Costs and procedures vary between registration districts, so it’s best to check with your local register office and let them know you’re planning a celebrant-led ceremony. Once you’ve made contact, I’ll be happy to liaise with your registrar (if they’re open to collaboration) to help make the whole process as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Wedding Ceremony Guidelines
Transparency
Celebrants conducting wedding ceremonies are not authorised to perform legally binding marriages or civil partnerships (with the exception of those who are authorised, e.g. in Jersey).
I will make this clear to couples, verbally and in writing, and discuss with each couple early on what their plans are for their legal marriage/civil partnership and inform them of their options if they are unsure.
I will not use wording in your ceremonies that may lead people to believe that I am conducting a legal marriage. Most importantly, my ceremony wording will not replicate the specific legal wording of a marriage ceremony (the declaratory and contracting words).
This is a legal requirement, and using such wording would be considered fraudulent.
Ceremonies after the Legals
Suppose couples wish me to conduct their ceremony after completing the legal proceedings. In that case, using words such as ‘marriage’ in the proper context is acceptable, e.g. “a celebration of your marriage.”
The terms ‘marriage’, ‘civil partnership’ and ‘husband/wife’ refer to the legal aspects of the partnership.
The term ‘wedding’ also refers to the legal aspects, as ‘wed’ is synonymous with ‘marry’.
The prefix ‘Mrs’ also has legal connotations.
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Ceremonies before the Legals
Ideally, the legal process will have taken place before the ceremony, but if this is not possible (or the couple are choosing not to do this), I can offer a ‘commitment ceremony’ instead.
In this case, I cannot use the terms ‘wedding’, ‘marriage’, ‘civil partnership’ or ‘husband/wife/Mrs’.
I will also explain to both the couple and their guests that I am not carrying out a legal marriage but facilitating the celebration of their commitment to one another.