The Association of Independent Celebrants (AOIC), our Trade Association, recently attending the UK Weddings Conference. They were surprised to find that many of the licensed wedding venues attending, didn’t know they could work with Celebrants. They were telling couples that they must work with the local Registrar. This considerably restricts what they can offer couples and which couples will want to work with them.
Working with an Independent Wedding Celebrant means you can have your ceremony anywhere.
As long as you have permission, of course! And there are some breath-taking licensed venues, which are being overlooked by couples who want the more personal experience of a Celebrant-led wedding. None of the couples attending the UK Weddings Conference had been offered any choice about the type of Officiant available to them and instead were told they must use a Registrar.
While the Registrar is required to hold a legal marriage, to complete the paperwork and issue your Certificate, there is no reason you would choose a ceremony with a Registrar if you knew you could work with a Celebrant. Really – absolutely nobody wants an inpersonal, rushed and purely legal service. They are all the same and the Registrar will probably never have spoken with the couple before the ceremony. They’re out-dated, non-inclusive and a key reason why wedding law reform is so over-due.
Top Ten reasons to book a Celebrant for your ceremony – wherever you choose to hold it
- You’ll have a highly personal service, created by someone who has got to know you both.
- Your wedding will be unique, nobody else will have the same ceremony.
- You can have as many, or few, guests as you want and they can include your fur family members.
- Anyone you choose can be part of the service, to read, sing, play an instrument or dance.
- You can include traditional elements relevant to your heritage or faith.
- You can be inside, outside or a bit of both!
- You can wear whatever you like and invite your guests to do the same.
- You can include a unity ceremony, such as a hand-fasting or sand pouring.
- You’ll be supported throughout the planning and build-up to your day by a professional who cares.
- You. You are the best reason to have a Celebrant. Because with an Independent Celebrant, it really will be all about You.
Additional costs can be prohibitive
If you’re hoping to have your legals as part of your ceremony, you’ll need to book a Registrar and Celebrant. Take a careful look at what your Local Authority charges to let their Registrars come out to a licensed venue. And prepare to be shocked!
Sadly, many Registrars are not ‘okay’ about working with a Celebrant. I, and many of my colleagues, have had to work with Registrars who were rude and unhelpful. They ignored communications and even insisted on completing their part of the ceremony before we were allowed in.
I am pleased to hear that the AOIC is currently working hard to build stronger relationships with Registrars. I hope that Registrars will see this as an opportunity to work with us to create what couples hope for.
In the planning for your day, I encourage you to look at venues based on what you have imagined. Not for the legal aspect of the ceremony. You are missing out on so much that will add to the joy, the unique experience and the memories.
To licensed venues that have not been telling your clients about Independent Celebrant ceremonies – you are in for a treat. The first time you see a ceremony written and delivered by one of us, you will see why. You will always want to tell clients about us. We make you look fabulous!
If you’re looking for a Celebrant for your big day, whatever the venue, take a look at our featured Graduates in our Interview with a Celebrant feature.
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