Top 3 reasons to book a celebrant for your wedding

In the UK we currently have fairly limited choices for legal weddings. This is likely to change, but until it does you can:

1. Get married in church.
2. Get married by a registrar. You can either get married at the registry office or the register can come to you, but only if you are at a registered venue. No religious content is allowed.

Neither option allows much flexibility in content, and often you are one in a line of ceremonies happening that day.

So why are more people choosing to use a celebrant? You still need to do the legal registration at a registry office after all. What’s the point of a celebrant-led wedding? Want some reasons? Here are my top 3!

1. You get to choose!

You will know exactly who will stand with you as you commit to each other, as you make promises that you hope will last forever. You can choose any music you like, whether it’s hymns or heavy metal. Do you want to get married outdoors? A celebrant can make it happen. By the time you get to your wedding day, you’ll have spoken to, met with, possibly cried with your celebrant. You trust them to speak for you, to support you and that they will make your ceremony a beautiful reflection of you and your relationship. If I am your celebrant, I’ll know your story, your values, the things that are important to you. I will have your back

2. Value for money

A celebrant led ceremony is often around the same cost as having a registrar come out to the venue. Even if it’s a bit more expensive – just think what you get in comparison. You get long term support in planning your ceremony. I’ll normally spend anything from 20-30 hours preparing your ceremony, not including the actual day. You get creative suggestions for rituals to enhance the emotional impact and meaning of what is, in fact the most important part of your wedding day. And I’ll be there as long as you need me on the day. The party is great – but it’s the commitment and ceremony that make it a wedding party!

3. A completely unique ceremony

If I’m your celebrant, you get a script written from scratch entirely for you. None of your guests will be sitting there, silently reciting the words because they’ve heard them so often before. I’ll help you write your vows if you want. I’ll considerately craft a ceremony that feels just right. If a handfasting feels right for you, we’ll do that. If you have different religious beliefs or come from different cultures and want to include elements from those in your  ceremony, we can absolutely do that. If you want to honour your parents, we’ll find the perfect way to do that. Do you have children that want to be involved on the day? We’ll give them roles that are just right for their age, interest level and embarrassment factor. There is nothing that we HAVE to do, but we CAN do whatever feels right to you.

 And on the day, if you’re running late – or even if everybody is ready early – you know I’m there already and I won’t be rushing off to do another ceremony. You can take all the time you need.

If you’re planning your wedding – why not think about doing it differently? Have a legal registration of marriage on a weekday, then have a celebrant-led wedding in front of your friends and family. Let your love shine!