Registrar or celebrant?
Do you choose a registrar or celebrant? Your ceremony is at the very heart of your special day and so it makes sense to choose your officiant wisely. You have the choice of a registrar or a celebrant….but what’s the difference? Basically it’s all about personal choice. The Give Couples Choice movement has been created to inform couples of their choices for their big day. It is your wedding day, so totally your choice.
If religion is important to you then you would probably opt for a church wedding. This will be performed by a member of the clergy and follow the official protocol of your religion. Gone are the days when you had to get married either in a church or a registry office – since wedding licenses have been available to hotels, museums, stately homes and thousands of other venues, the possibilities are endless.
If the religious option is not for you your alternatives are a registrar or celebrant. But what are the differences? In brief, while a registrar ceremony is legally binding, it is much shorter and more restricted than a celebrant-led ceremony. In many other countries celebrant-led ceremonies are legal marriages but sadly the UK is lagging behind. However, watch this space because parliament is considering a proposal for Humanist Celebrant ceremonies to be made legal, which should pave the way for independent celebrants to also have the same status. We are keeping our fingers crossed!
The graphic below is a simple way to see whether a registrar or celebrant ceremony is the right one for you. I’d love to chat with you about your ceremony, just get in touch today.
