Civil Celebrant

What is a Civil Celebrant?

A Civil Celebrant leads a very personal non-religious ceremony for a people looking to share their special event with family and friends.

If you are looking to plan your special life event but do not wish to include any religious beliefs or ceremonies, then a Civil Celebrant sounds just right for you!

There are two types of Celebrants in the UK – Humanist Celebrants and Independent Celebrants (also known as Civil Celebrants) and they both offer wonderful, albeit different, wedding ceremonies. Both types of Celebrants have undergone training and taken a qualifying diploma that enables them to lead Weddings, Funerals, Vow Renewals & Naming Ceremonies. Some Civil Celebrants prefer to qualify either just as a Wedding Celebrant or Funeral Celebrant.

Civil Celebrants can lead your Wedding ceremony on a beach, in a garden, in a castle or even a classic car museum – as long as the bridal couple has obtained the appropriate permission beforehand, the choice is theirs. The Wedding ceremony can be however the couple would like it, with as many poems, music and speeches they would like – traditional or modern. They can exchange the vows that they have written for each other and involve their favourite people in the ceremony and the ceremony can be as unique as they wish.

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Independent Civil Celebrants

Independent Civil Celebrants lead Wedding ceremonies that are not restricted to any culture or faith but can include religious and cultural elements if the couple would like to. A Civil Wedding Celebrant focuses on the couple, their love and the things that are most important to them. Couples can be of different faiths or have no faith, they can be a same sex couple or even divorcees, as the ceremony will be focusing on their personalities and love for each other. You can even blend two reiligons together, if both partners from the couple have two different faiths.

Is a Legal Civil Ceremony required?

When a Wedding ceremony is led by a Civil Celebrant, it is necessary for a legal Civil ceremony to be performed by a registrar first – either at a registry office or in a licensed Wedding venue. The legal Wedding ceremony must adhere to certain rules and regulations. Sometimes this means that couples cannot add their own personal touches to the day such as favourite music or floral decorations and they will not be able to exchange personalised Wedding vows.

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Civil Celebrant – Civil Celebrant Services

Civil Celebrant Services in the UK:

Civil Celebrant Bristol
Civil Celebrant London
Civil Celebrant Manchester
Civil Celebrant Cardiff

Are Civil Celebrant led Weddings not Legal in the UK?

At present, accredited Humanist Celebrants can perform legally binding marriage ceremonies in some parts of the UK but Independent Civil Celebrants cannot. All Independent Civil Celebrants are happy to guide couples on meeting the requirements to get a Wedding licence but are unable to officiate themselves. For most couples this is not off-putting because Wedding ceremonies led by a Civil Celebrant are so special – and memorable for all the right reasons! Couples will need to have a legal marriage ceremony at a registry office either on the same day as their Wedding celebration or any other day beforehand or even afterwards. Most couples feel that their Civil Celebrant led ceremonies and reception is their ‘real’ wedding day and the date for future anniversary celebrations!

Are all Civil Celebrants the same?

Civil Celebrants vary tremendously and it is well worth spending time to find the Celebrant whose character and ideas suit you best. All Civil Celebrants are kind, warm-hearted people who know how important the day is going to be to the couple but their style and personality will differ tremendously. The Civil Celebrant gets to know the couple before the event and work with them to craft a really special and personal celebration. Having said that, Civil Celebrants have plenty of personality too and this is great for easing nerves. Civil Celebrants usually ask couples what they should wear for their ceremony as many prefer the Civil Celebrant not to be dressed too formally. Some Civil Celebrants have their own hallmarks; such as brightly coloured hair or even a shoe-less Celebrant, but you can choose the Civil Celebrant for your ‘big day’ and they will each have a wealth of experience plus friendly, professional guidance to help you plan a very special day…