More than ever people are turning their back on traditional religious and Registrar-led weddings in favour of a Celebrant-led wedding, but what does it mean and is it right for you?

Celebrant – it’s a weird word isn’t it? Sounds like someone with a cheery disposition or who lives to party. That could be true, but a Celebrant - like me - is someone who conducts non-religious and, in most of the UK, non-legal wedding ceremonies.

‘Wait up – not legal?! What’s the point?’

I get it, it seems odd, but there’s lots of reasons why people opt for a Celebrant-led service on their Big Day, and do ‘the legal bit’ separately. For starters, religious and Registrar-led services are bound by certain rules and formal language that needs to be said for a marriage to be legal. Many would rather their Big Day focused on them as a couple than the formalities and legalities. Celebrant-led services strip all of the dry commentary out to tell the couple’s love story, creating a more intimate and personal sense of occasion.

Another reason that people might choose a Celebrant-led wedding service is location. The legalities currently vary throughout the UK*, but currently in England and Wales outdoor locations cannot be used for a wedding to be legal. This limitation is currently under a two-year review by the Law Commission but as it stands, if you dream of saying ‘I do’ in a forest, on a beach, in a field or on top of a mountain even, a Celebrant could be the best way to go, because they can marry you almost anywhere, other than a church or registry office.

What are the main differences between religious, civil and celebrant weddings?

Ok, so there’s a lot of info here but it's easiest to compare by restrictions to each type of service:

Religious wedding services restrictions

Have to take place at a church, chapel or other registered religious building*
Some religious organisations do not allow same sex couples to get married

The location must be registered for marriages of same sex couples*
Have to include certain formal wording
You may not get to choose who conducts the wedding
Are often limited in length and restricted to between certain hours.

Civil wedding service restrictions

Take place at registered locations only*
Have to include certain formal wording*
You may not get to choose who conducts the wedding
Are often limited in length and restricted to between certain hours
Cannot include anything that’s religious, such as hymns or readings from the Bible.*

Celebrant wedding service restrictions

Aren't legally binding

There aren’t any others – seriously. You can go as crazy as you like. Go for a full-on Vulcan wedding on a spaceship at night if you like, challenging as it may be for the Celebrant to read the service (they may just charge you more).

The money bit

While we’re on the subject of money, in all three types of service costs vary dramatically. The price of a Celebrant-led service will depend on the options you choose, typically with added costs for additional elements such as parchment signings, Quaich ceremonies and broom jumping. A church may demand a fee or request a ‘donation’. A civil wedding held at a registry office can cost next to nothing but the price can vary depending on the room you use, and a civil wedding at a hotel will range from moderately expensive to extremely pricey.

Decision time

So would a Celebrant-led wedding suit you? Use our checklist to find out. If you agree with any of the following bullets you might enjoy a Celebrant-led service more than a religious or civil wedding service:

You’re not religious
You don’t like formal language
You are looking for a laid back day
You have some fun ideas for what you’d like at your service
You don’t want your service to feel rushed
You want to get married outdoors
You want to get married somewhere other than a church, hotel or registry office

Remember if you want your marriage to be legal you’ll still have to have a legal wedding service either before or after your Big Day. It doesn’t have to be an all singing all dancing second wedding though, it can be more of an administrative task, like registering a birth certificate. You will need to give 28-days notice at your registry office before signing and two witnesses will need to be present on the day.

*Scotland flips all of the rules on their head. There’s lots that differs, but the main thing to know is that in Scotland Celebrants who are trained by Humanist Society Scotland can also conduct legal weddings, other celebrants currently can’t. Read anything marked with an asterisk in this article as ‘except in Scotland’.