Can a Celebrant Legally Marry me in the UK?

I speak to so many couples who are still unsure about what a celebrant does, and whether they can legally be married by a celebrant. In short, the answer to this is currently ‘no’ (if you live in England anyway.)  but I hope this article might answer some of your burning questions about this and help you to have the ceremony you want on your big day.

Can I do the legal bit separately?

Yes, you absolutely can.  You can do this at any point before or after your wedding ceremony on your wedding day.  The simplest way of doing this is to contact your local registry office (although you can do this at any registry office) and ask for a ‘two plus two’ ceremony.

What is a ‘two plus two’ ceremony?

A two plus two ceremony is the most basic ceremony you can have.  It is just you as a couple, plus two witnesses attending the ceremony and signing the paperwork.  These ceremonies are usually limited to certain days and times of the week and they are the cheapest option for couples who want to just do the ‘legal bit.’  A two plus two ceremony with Manchester Council currently costs £68.50 (price quoted for 2024.)

Can I do the legal bit on the same day as my wedding ceremony?

You can do this, but the costs will probably be higher.  If you want a registrar to attend your wedding venue to do the paperwork before or after your ceremony with your celebrant, they will charge you their fee for coming out to a licensed premises.  This is likely to be anything from about £450 to £1000 depending on where you live.  You will then have to pay your celebrant to conduct their ceremony, so it will pretty much double your costs!

What are the advantages of doing the legal bit separately?

There are loads!  For starters, if the legal but has been done before, you can skip having to sit and be interviewed by a registrar on your wedding day before the ceremony begins (it’s a bit of a buzz kill!) 

If you have a celebrant on your big day there are no time constraints, you can get married whenever you like. If you are running late, you don’t need to worry as your celebrant is yours for the day!

You don’t have to have any legal jargon on your wedding ceremony if the legals are done separately, meaning your ceremony can be all about you as a couple and your love story.

Your celebrant will get to know you before your wedding day, so you will arrive knowing who will be marrying you, rather than meeting a registrar for the first time on your wedding day.

You still get to do all the lovely bits on your wedding day like exchanging wedding rings, sharing your first kiss’ and exchanging vows, but you can skip all the boring formalities.  Why wouldn’t you want to do that!

To find out more about having a celebrant led wedding ceremony contact me today.  I’m ready to write the ceremony of your dreams for you!

Photo credit: PLH Photographs