Frequently asked questions

More and more couples are deciding on having a wedding that reflects the essence of who  they are.  

You may feel a religious ceremony is not suited to you as a couple and so for this reason you may look at a registry office wedding as it offers a non-religious service. This will only give you the option of choosing between 3 standardised government scripts: A, B or C which can only be performed at a registry office or a licenced venue. If it is a ceremony that will be held outside there are temperature restrictions that the registrar has to adhere to. 

On the other hand, a Celebrant led wedding gives you freedom to create a ceremony unique to you anywhere you would like in your own home, garden, a woodland, beach or any venue of your choosing. But just to let you know I’m not a fan of sky-diving so I’ll bow out now gracefully if that’s what you’ve got in mind! 

Currently a wedding officiated by a Celebrant in England and Wales is not recognised as legally binding. The law will probably change soon to come into line with Scotland & Northern Ireland. 

So to do the legal bit – this is easily sorted. All you need to obtain is a statutory marriage registration. This is where the two of you will take part in a short and simple process which will require two witnesses and a fee. This is to ensure that you can declare legally that there is no reason why the two of you cannot be married. You will then sign the marriage register and be declared married.  

You can then have your own bespoke ceremony which is unique to you in a place that you have chosen.  

This doesn’t have to be done before your wedding it can be done after. Most couples who I have married do it a week or couple of days before their celebrant led ceremony with me.  

Most wedding ceremonies are around half an hour but they can be slightly shorter or longer depending on you as a couple and what you want. This will depend on readings, poems, singing, musical interludes and vows. 

This is your day and the whole point of why you are choosing a Celebrant led wedding is so you can have a wedding ceremony that reflects your love story and your personalities. You can sprinkle into it a little of whatever you fancy! 

If you have a theme or something that is important to you, we can put that in the ceremony. Some of my couples want an informal wedding, and to write their own vows while others prefer a more traditional style. 

I qualified as a Wedding & Family Celebrant in 2019 completing my funeral celebrants training in 2021.  

I hold a Certificate in Marriage & Family Celebrancy from The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants. I also hold a Certificate in Wedding Celebrancy from the Wedding Celebrant Academy. And I hold a Certificate from The Funeral Celebrant Academy.  

Once you’ve got in touch with me and decided you want me to be your celebrant we will meet up. This will be a combination of Zoom and meeting in person. 

For a wedding it’s important for me to meet you as a couple and understand what is important to you. Ideally we can do this face to face over a cuppa. I love the first meetings – there is a wonderful energy in them, the expectations, your story and ultimately your love. From there we will decide and schedule a sequence of meetings. In the meetings we will discuss the order of the ceremony, I will help you with your vows if you need.   

For a funeral or memorial, time may be of the essence and I will meet you and your family to ensure the ceremony reflects your loved one and their life. 

The minimum amount of time I would need for a wedding is 4 weeks unless it was under special circumstances. For those of you at the planning stage of your wedding a maximum 2-3 years in advance would be good to get the date fixed in the diary however this is just a guide. A deposit will be needed to secure the date. 

Please get in touch to have a chat each ceremony is different. 

If you choose me to be your Celebrant a deposit will be needed to secure the date and for weddings an intermediate payment followed by a final payment 14 days prior to your wedding day. This will be set out in a contract.