How do we make our marriage legal if we are using a celebrant?

The Importance of Understanding Your Choices with Registrars and Celebrants

So you want to have a beautiful personal ceremony that has been written just for you but you also want to make sure you're legally married right? In England, celebrants can't legally marry you (yet!) so you have a number of options when it comes to making your marriage legal. I understand that this may feel like a bit of a minefield and you may not be quite sure where to start so I am here to help! Can you have a registrar and a celebrant on the same day? The answer is yes! Usually. It depends on the registrars in question - some will be very open to the idea of working with a celebrant and some will make it more difficult. But it shouldn't be difficult as it is your wedding day so really the choice should be yours!

Lucy and Dalton at The Water's Edge at Ewen

Registrar vs. Celebrant

So first of all what is a Registrar?

A registrar is a public official responsible for conducting legal civil ceremonies. You can find registrars in your local registry office. They ensure that all legal requirements are met during your ceremony. This gives couples peace of mind that everything will be official. The scripts are from a set template and they will insert your names as and when appropriate. Some registrars like to call themselves 'legal celebrants' which is misleading as they cannot perform ceremonies with the level of personal service that we can.

What is a Celebrant?

A celebrant is a trained professional who facilitates unique and personal ceremonies. Celebrants craft unique ceremonies tailored to your choices and values. Your ceremony will be a true reflection of you as a couple and there are no restrictions like you have with a legal ceremony. Unlike registrars, celebrants offer greater flexibility and they work with you as a couple one on one in the build up to your wedding day so they get to know you both as a couple. Couples can express their personality and love story in whichever way they please when they choose a celebrant.

If You Book A Celebrant Do You Need to Visit a Registry Office?

Yes, if you choose to habe a celebrant led ceremony, you will need to visit the registrar to complete your legal paperwork. Like when you buy a house, you exchange contracts one day which is your 'legal paperwork day' and shows that you own the house, and then you complete, get the keys and celebrate on a separate day. And of course which day do you truly remember? The day you moved in of course as that is the true celebration. Or when you have a baby, you make an appointment to go and register their birth one day and then you might choose to celebrate at a naming ceremony or on their birthday. Just because you do the legal paperwork to register your marriage on a separate day, it won't make your wedding day any less special.

Can You Have Both a Registrar and a Celebrant on your wedding day?

Absolutely! Many couples choose to have their personal celebrant led ceremony and a legal signing with the registrar on the same day. There are a few different ways to do this and it will depend on the availability of your registrar and their preferences as to which one you can do. I have worked with many local authorities in various ways to combine a celebrant ceremony and a registrar on the same day. Some of the ways couples I have worked with previously have done this are: - An early morning legal paperwork appointment on the morning of the wedding - this works really well as you get a 'mini first look' where you can see your partner first thing before you are dressed and have a moment of calm together. In this case the bride and groom met up around 9am in their pyjamas (and the bride in rollers!) with just the two of them and two witnesses and they completed the legal paperwork with the registrars which took around 10 minutes. They then said goodbye and went off to get ready for their big ceremony which was with myself and all of their guests later on in the afternoon. It was perfect and none of the guests even realised they'd had the legal appointment in the morning. - A legal paperwork appointment towards the end of the drinks reception. Again this option worked really well and was very seamless. I did the main ceremony with the couple and all of their family and friends and then everyone went outside for the drinks reception. Around 90 minutes later the couple went back in to the licensed ceremony room alongside 2 witnesses to do the legal paperwork while the rest of the guests were invited to take their seats for dinner. This only took around 5-10 minutes so by the time the couple had finished with the registrars everyone else was ready to sit down and the couple then made their grand entrance in to their wedding breakfast. - A combined ceremony with a celebrant and a registrar. This option depends on your registrars preferences on working alongside a celebrant. Some will happily and others are more resistant. It can be a little 'clunky' as the registrars have to leave the ceremony room before I can carry on so you need to be aware that they will leave the ceremony room once you have signed your paperwork. For this option, the registrars led the start of the ceremony and asked the couple to make their legal declarations, say their contracting words and sign their marriage schedule and then they handed over to me for the rest of the ceremony and left. The part led by the registrars actually only takes around 5 minutes as would you believe it, you only need to say less than 100 words and sign a piece of paper to make your marriage legal! The couple saved their vows, ring exchange, first kiss and all of the other big elements of their ceremony for the part led by me. I also shared their love story, we included family members, had their dog as a ring bearer and they lit a unity candle. These are the three ways that I have experienced a couple booking myslef and a registrar on the same day and all three worked well for different couples depending on what it was that they wanted from the day. Of course you do need to bare in mind that if you choose to do it this way, you will need to pay the fee for registrars to come out to your venue on your wedding day which is usually around £600 - £700. (based on Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Registration Services) If you go to the registry office to register the legal paperwork at a statutory marriage appointment it is around £60 - £70.

Why Choose a Celebrant?

Personalisation

A celebrant creates a ceremony that puts the two of you at the heart and sets the vibe for your whole wedding day. We can weave your love story into the whole ceremony, making it distinctly yours. We work with you every step of the way so by the time your wedding comes around you'll feel more like friends and you'll have a calming influence on your wedding day of having someone you have got to know conducting your ceremony.

Flexibility in Venue and Time

With a celebrant, you have the freedom to choose your own venue. This could be a beautiful outdoor setting, a cosy barn, a family home or any other special place meaningful to you. We also don't have any time restrictions whereas registrars have set time slots available for ceremonies and usually have multiple ceremonies per day so they have to stick to the schedule on the day. Celebrants like myself only take one booking per day so that whole day is yours and you are our priority!

Inclusive Ceremonies

Celebrants can create inclusive ceremonies that reflect diverse beliefs and cultures with no restrictions. Want to include religion in your ceremony? No problem! Want to include a tradition that involved alcohol? You got it! The possibilities are endless!

Conclusion

Your wedding day should reflect your love, personalities, and beliefs. Understanding how to navigate the choices between a registrar and a celebrant is essential, but also I understand that you may not want to choose between us and actually find a way that you can combine both your beautiful personal ceremony and your legal part all on the same day!

The choice is absolutely yours and I am here to help make your dream ceremony a reality. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me!

Laura x