Some quick answers to frequently asked questions about celebrant-led weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies. These are taken from discussions on Reddit and other forums and from questions encountered in real life.
Can a celebrant legally marry us?
Deep breath,
This is one of the most misunderstood and contentious issues in UK marriage. In summary, in England and Wales a celebrant cannot complete the legal aspects of a marriage. In Scotland there is provision for Humanist celebrants to conduct legal marriages, but not independent celebrants.
So to be legally married a couple must have at least the minimum statutory marriage ceremony conducted by a registrar, or be married by an appropriate person at a religious venue.
There is a huge amount of discussion about this topic. The government is currently consulting on changes to the law that would widen the scope of officants and venues that would be authorised to conduct the legal as well as ceremonial aspects of a wedding. However as with all such things, it may take considerable time befor the law actually changes.
So – don’t forget to book a statutory service as well as your celebrant-led wedding.
Can I get married without having a ceremony? (What is a minimum statutory marriage?)
It depends what you mean by ceremony. Some couples simply want to be legally married and to get it over and done with, without any fuss (or expense). The very simplest, quickest and cheapest way to get married in the UK is to have a minimum statutory marriage at a register office.
There is some great advice here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/living-together-marriage-and-civil-partnership/getting-married/
There are certain things that the registrar has to do to comply with marriage law. In the UK marriage is a verbal contract, which means the legal part is said out loud. But it has to be witnessed and then recorded in the official register. Essentially it comes down to are you free to marry (the declaratory words), and do you agree to do so (the contractual words). A mimimum statutory marriage is often held in an office environment rather than the more impressive rooms available for larger ceremonies.
There must be two witnesses, but there is no need for them to be known to the couple. In practice it might be a bit risky to assume that someone off the street will be available and willing, so its probably best to arrange for a couple of friends, co-workers or even a photographer and assistant to be the witnesses.
Whether you consider this a ceremony or not is a matter of opinion. Of course many couples do more than the statutary minimum and will include vows, exchange of rings and usually the registrar will provide a framework around all of this so it really is a ceremony.
But if you want to go down the route of absolute simplicity (and incur the least cost) then the minimum statutary marriage is the way to go. When having a celebrant-led wedding, most couples arrange to have the minimum statutory marriage a few days to a few weeks before the big day.
One last addition to this … it seems that some local authorities are not keen to promote or even to perform this service, even though they have a statutory duty to do so. The appointments that are available are very few and sometimes they are not even shown on the local authority web site for booking. Some might say that the cash-strapped local authorities are simply looking for ways to make money – as the standard and enhanced ceremonies cost a lot more than the minimum version. But be aware that they are obliged to offer the minimum service.
Can I do the legal marriage and the wedding ceremony on the same day?
Short answer: yes.
Longer answer: probably not ideal. If you are booking a minimum statutory marriage most register offices do not offer many options for days and times. To combine it easily with your chosen main venue will require quite a bit of luck. And also why give yourself the extra stress? It is usually much more practical to have the lagal marriage a few days or even a couple of weeks before the main celebrant-led wedding.
Also worth noting that although the legal marriage could be after the celebrant-led wedding, this can lead to issues. If the registrar believes that you may already be married, then of course they are obliged not to conduct another service. The easist way to avoid this is to do the legal marriage first.
Do I need a registrar for a vow renewal?
A vow renewal has no legal status – it is simply a lovely way for couples who are married or in a civil partnership to renew their commitment to each other. So there is no need to use a registrar.
Interestingly, some local authorities are begining to offer this as a service. However, with a celebrant, a vow renewal can be so much more. In fact it can be the wedding you always dreamed of.