We LOVE celebrants here at Unconventional Wedding. They expand the options for your wedding day and offer such a wide range of personalisation for wedding ceremonies. And with the Law Commission recently publishing its recommendations to overhaul the outdated wedding laws in England and Wales, we’re excited that Celebrants may be able to conduct legal weddings going forwards! So dive on in and discover all the benefits that a Celebrant can bring to your wedding day.
Any questions, feel free to pop into our Unconventional Wedding chat room over on Facebook. There is always someone there who can help!
Feature photo Vicki Clayson Photography
Our ultimate Guide to wedding Celebrants
Click on each bullet to find out more
The legalities
A celebrant wedding ceremony isn't legally binding (at the moment) but is a fabulous, flexible alternative.
Symbolic Acts
There are loads of different types of symbolic acts, from handfasting to sand ceremonies. You can write your own vows and create your own ritual!
Write your own wedding vows
You can write your own vows and create your own ritual!
Outdoor v indoor ceremonies
We LOVE outdoor wedding ceremonies but you can't always rely on the UK weather! We'll discuss the pros and cons
What to expect on the day
A heads up to what will happen on your wedding day with a celebrant, with advice on how to choose the right one for you/
Choosing your wedding celebrant
Top tips to help you choose the right one for your wedding day
the legalities of a ceremony with a wedding celebrant
A lot of couples now decide to get legally married on a different occasion and make their official vows with a celebrant on their wedding day. This could be earlier in the day or a few days / weeks prior. I know of a couple who got married first thing in the morning and went to a McDonalds drive through on the way back. They then got changed into their wedding outfits and got married in front of their family & friends in a stunning outdoor ceremony by a river.
Why does it happen this way? Currently, a wedding celebrant cannot legally register you as married though some regional differences do apply (we’re not going to go into all the legal bits here). We hope there might be changes in the future (you can read more here) and it goes without saying that you need to do the research to find out what applies to your area at the time you are planning your wedding day.
Top Tips from the Experts
different types of symbolic acts for wedding ceremonies
Arguably, the best thing about celebrant led wedding ceremonies is the freedom! You can escape the tradition and formula (read the standard wedding rings) and create something which is truly unique.
Pick from symbolic acts which represent the vision of your wedding day – some of which we talk about below. Handfasting to jumping the broom, recreating the unbreakable vow from Harry Potter to incorporating your favourite drink! The list is endless!
Top Tips from the Experts
Handfasting wedding ceremonies
'Jumping the Broom' wedding ceremonies
Personalised wedding ceremonies
Writing your own wedding vows
Being able to write your own wedding vows is a clear advantage of a celebrant led wedding day. The only box to be ticked is “YOU”. Your celebrant will work with you to pull these together (don’t worry you don’t need to do it alone!).
Top Tips from the Experts
Outdoor v indoor wedding ceremonies
Another great thing about wedding celebrants is that their ceremonies can be conducted anywhere! This is different to legal ceremonies which can take place outside but they must be under a fixed and permanent structure.
So this opens the door to 101 different opportunities for your wedding ceremony and you can really personalise it just for you! How about a wedding ceremony in a forest, a field, in your parents back garden, on top of a mountain … the options are endless. It just needs to be a place that means something to you both! It also ticks the box for enabling socially distanced wedding days which unfortunately are going to be around in the short term.
Top Tips from the Experts
What to expect on the day with a wedding celebrant
Is a celebrant led wedding day different to a registrar led wedding day? Definitely yes! After all, there is only one wedding happening at your wedding venue on that day! So expect a much more personal approach to the finer details. Celebrants aren’t attached to a rigid timetable – if you need to dodge a rain shower, you can wait! They’ll make sure everything is set up perfectly for you so you just have to turn up!
Top Tips from the Experts
How To Choose Your wedding celebrant
It goes without saying that you need to choose your ‘DREAM TEAM’ to support you on our wedding day. Choosing a wedding celebrant is no different and you should treat them like any other supplier. So we’ve teamed up with humanist celebrant Lisa Bourne Ceremonies to give you our top tips for choosing your celebrant. And of course, you can also check out the celebrants listed in our directory here.
Our top tips ...
Who do you connect with?
It's important you get on with your celebrant as they are leading your wedding ceremony. We LOVE Lisa from Celebrant in Cornwall's comparison to finding the perfect fit for your wedding dress - see more below
What's important to you?
Take a look at all the different celebrants in your area. It's not always about price. Does their vibe work with yours? Have they worked at your venue before?
TRAINING
Have a look at what training they've undertaken. For example, a humanist celebrant, like Lisa and Karen, are accredited by Humanists UK and have to complete specific training
Do a mini vetting!
Have a scroll down their social media. Check out awards, reviews or recommendations. Make sure they are genuine. How many ceremonies have they done?
The legal bits
Always check out postponement / cancellation policies and make sure they have insurance / DBS checks in place
Socially distanced weddings
Is your celebrant up for doing something different? Have they used the technology before?
Top Tips from the Experts
Featured wedding celebrant members ...
These are just some of our celebrant members from across the UK and Europe – the full list can be found here.
Ceremonies By Leni Robson
Couples who like laughter, warmth and really want to put their own spin on their ceremony are right up my Diagon alley. I love getting into a theme, but am a big believer in love being the greatest story, so work really hard to get to know what makes you
The Full Stop Celebrant
Thanks for stopping by The Full Stop Celebrant. My style is emotional, engaging, creative and funny (where appropriate). My aim is to take two really important roles in your wedding vision. Firstly – to work with you to create a wedding ceremony that stays in people’s hearts forever, and secondly,
Trisha Wood Ceremony Celebrant
Trisha is a kind, loving and fun Celebrant. She specializes in the mystical romantic ritual of handfasting. Her ceremonies are super romantic, fun and full of happy tears. Trisha believes the ceremony is the most important part of your Wedding. It sets the tone for your day. Whether you are
Gemma Jay – North East Celebrant
As an Independent Celebrant working across the North East, I specialise in creating unique and memorable ceremonies for couples and families. I will work with you to create the perfect ceremony that reflects your life and love for each other. Religious, or not, same-sex, interfaith, quirky, spiritual, themed, outdoors, you
David Allbutt Ceremonies
Welcome to David Allbutt Ceremonies. Whatever your idea of being unconventional is, is fine with me. Whether it is to be married in a cave, the place you met (in a subway, not the takeaway …. although!!!) Or in the middle of a city park. Maybe it’s to have a
Kickass Gatherings – Humanist Celebrant
I’m Louise Gather, and I am your go-to for kickass gatherings! My speciality is writing and performing wedding ceremonies that are both heartfelt and hilarious – I can guarantee laughter, fun and happy tears! I absolutely LOVE my job, because every couple’s story and every wedding day is completely unique.
More advice about wedding ceremonies and celebrants
Eco Wedding Planning Tips!
Today we have a guest blog by Angie from Creative Ceremonies! Read on to find out how to plan an eco wedding… I’m an Eco-Conscious Celebrant. This means that I consider what we are doing to our environment in my ceremonies. How and what we consume has a huge impact
How To Have A Bilingual Wedding
Today, we have a guest blog from the lovely Yvonne Beck Celebrant! She’s sharing her best tips about how to have a bilingual wedding! Hi there! It has been my pleasure and honour to create wedding ceremonies for couples since 2011. I have worked as a Celebrant for hundreds of
How To Cope With The Postponed Wedding Blues
Today we have a guest blog from Leni Robson at Unique To You Ceremonies. She has shared some valuable advice about how to deal with a postponed wedding and look after yourself. She gently reminds us that our feelings are valid and it’s normal to experience grief! Over to Leni…
Bohemian Autumn Wedding at Longton Wood
We love an outdoor wedding ceremony here at UW! This bohemian autumn wedding was sent into us by ButtercupBus Vintage Campers and photographed by Tony Pullen. It’s a beautiful, intimate affair with a Harvest Festival theme of feasting, celebrating, and giving thanks. What a brilliant theme for a wedding. Keep
Our Guide to having a celebrant at your wedding
When you are planning your wedding, if you are anything like me before I joined the wedding industry, you might not have ever heard of a Celebrant. You will have seen 100s of church or registry office weddings but never understood the flexibility and originality that they can bring to
Dud & Gina’s Festival Wedding Weekend
Today we’re sharing Dud and Gina’s epic festival wedding weekend. This incredible couple described their big day as ‘a combination of a family holiday, a festival and a rugby tour’! Sounds pretty great, right? The celebration took place over a bank holiday weekend at Hidden River Barn in Cumbria. Kirsty