Celebrant or Registrar – What’s the Difference and Why Couples Are Choosing Celebrants By Garland Ceremonies

Hello! I’m Mair Garland, a humanist celebrant based in London. One question couples always ask me is: what’s the difference between a celebrant and a registrar? 

So in this blog, I’ll dig deeper into this question, which I hope will shed some light and help you decide what’s right for you. 

Are celebrant weddings legal?

Celebrant-led weddings aren’t yet legal in England and Wales, though humanist weddings are legal in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

But last year the Government said they support legalising celebrant weddings in England & Wales, but there’s no clear timeline yet as to when that’s going to happen.

This means for now if you want a celebrant wedding, you’ll also need a separate civil ceremony.

That sounds expensive! Is there a way to bring the cost down?

Having two ceremonies shouldn’t cost the earth. Every council will offer a ‘statutory ceremony’, which is a very basic legal ceremony held at a register office with two witnesses during the week for just £56. 

Do take a look at your local council’s websites for more information. 

When should I have both ceremonies? Can I do them on the same day? 

While you can have both ceremonies on the same day, I find most of my couples will hold them a few days or weeks apart. 

What’s so special about a celebrant-led wedding ceremony? Won’t it be the same as a registrar ceremony?

One of the main differences between a celebrant-led wedding and a registrar wedding is the relationship you’ll develop with your celebrant. While you’ll normally only get to meet your registrar on your wedding day, you’ll build a relationship with your celebrant from the day you book them, so you’ll be totally at ease with them by the time you’re walking down the aisle. 

And because your celebrant will take so much time in getting to know you, they’ll tailor your ceremony just for you. I love it when guests tell me a ceremony was ‘so them!’

As for the ceremony itself, your celebrant will take a good amount of time retelling your unique story as a couple and you can round off your ceremony with a ‘symbolic action’– whether that’s lighting a unity candle with your parents, tying the knot with a handfasting ceremony or doing something totally unique to you.

How does a celebrant work to create a ceremony? Don’t they just turn up on the day and read a script?

Most of a celebrant’s work will happen long before your big day. Typically you’ll meet them at least twice not just to talk logistics but also to really get to know you.  

This helps make sure your ceremony is created just for you. Your celebrant can also help you write the perfect vows to share with your partner.

I keep hearing about humanist celebrants and independent celebrants. What’s the difference?

The main difference is that humanist celebrants like me offer non-religious ceremonies, and independent celebrants will sometimes include some religion depending on the couple. 

I’m sold! Where can I find a celebrant?

There are loads of us on social media and we’ll be on most wedding directories – including The Wed Collective, of course!

So there you have it, I hope that’s helped demystify exactly what a celebrant does, how they’re different from a registrar and how they’ll go about creating the most personal ceremony just for you.

Mair Garland is a humanist wedding celebrant based in London, specialising in bilingual ceremonies in French and Welsh.