So here's something you wouldn’t think I’d love as a celebrant, but I totally do: more and more couples are asking their best mate, their sister, the cousin who's been not-so-subtly hinting for a big moment since 2019 to act as their celebrant.

And honestly? I get it. There's something pretty special about the person who knows all your worst dance moves and your most embarrassing exes being the one who gets to say “I now pronounce you...”

But here's the tricky bit. Your chosen person has probably never done this before. And standing up in front of everyone you love to read a script out loud with charisma but without your voice shaking is a genuinely nerve-wracking skill. One most of us don't get much practice at outside of a wedding.

So I've built two ways to make sure your DIY celebrant absolutely smashes it.

Most wedding content out there is written for one very specific kind of couple. If that's not you, you're left doing the mental gymnastics of translating advice that half-applies and quietly ignoring the bits that don't. So let's skip that bit.

A Ceremony With No Script to Follow

Here's the good news: a celebrant-led ceremony has no script to follow, no legal wording to stick to, and absolutely zero assumptions baked in about who you are or what your ceremony "should" look like. That means every single default — the ones nobody questions because "that's just what you do" — is up for grabs.

I hate using the word "standard." Nothing about my ceremonies is standard, that's kind of the point of hiring a non-traditional wedding celebrant instead of going down the registrar route.

But there is a sort of recognisable shape that most wedding ceremonies follow. A rough skeleton that's stuck around because, honestly, it works.

So here's the wedding ceremony running order I use as a starting point with every couple. Emphasis on starting point. Because this is your wedding, you can take out, swap, reorder, or completely reinvent anything you want.

Here's a fun fact nobody tells you when you start wedding planning: your ceremony does not have to be 12 minutes of someone reading from a ring binder while your guests check how long until the bar opens.

That's a registrar ceremony. Perfectly fine if that's your vibe. But if you're after something with actual personality? Something that sounds like you, feels like you, and that your guests will actually remember? We'll, you’re going to want a celebrant for that.

The micro wedding trend isn't going anywhere. And honestly, having been part of some truly spectacular small ceremonies, I completely understand why.

A micro wedding is generally considered to be a wedding with fewer than 30 guests — sometimes as few as 10. The idea is to strip back the guest list to only the people who genuinely matter, invest more in the experience for those people, and create a day that feels intimate, meaningful, and completely pressure-free.

Congratulations, you're engaged! Now someone's probably already told you to book your venue first. And they’re absolutely right! But book your celebrant pretty much straight after, because good ones fill up fast.

Most celebrants take bookings around 12–18 months in advance for popular dates. Summer Saturdays and Halloween in particular go quickly. If you've got your heart set on a specific date and a specific celebrant, waiting to 'sort it later' is a genuinely risky strategy.

This is one of those questions that there’s not really an answer to, but everyone asks it anyway. So here are my thoughts. A celebrant-led wedding ceremony typically runs somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes. The sweet spot for most couples is around 25–30 minutes. That's long enough to feel meaningful, personal, and unhurried, but short enough that nobody is getting twitchy waiting to get to the canapes.

The law that decides whether your wedding actually counts in England and Wales was written in 1836. That's not a typo. Eighteen. Thirty. Six. Queen Victoria hadn't even been crowned yet. There were no cameras, no cars, and definitely no one asking “but will the venue have good lighting for the ceremony photos.” And yet here we all are, in 2026, still getting married under rules built for people who thought leeches cured headaches.

Anyway. Good news: someone finally noticed.

Choosing a wedding celebrant is one of the most important decisions you'll make when planning your ceremony. This person will be the voice of your relationship on the biggest day of your life. No pressure. Here's what to actually look for.

Heard of handfasting but not totally sure what it involves? Here's everything you need to know , and how to decide if it's right for your wedding.

Bored of the traditional wedding checklist? Here are some genuinely brilliant alternative ideas to make your wedding feel like yours.

Done with the stiff, scripted, traditional ceremony? Here are some brilliant alternatives that you and your guests will actually enjoy!

Let me guess: you've decided you want personal vows, you've opened a blank document, stared at it for 45 minutes, written "I love you because..." and then closed the laptop. Sound familiar?

Writing personal vows is genuinely one of the things couples find hardest about planning a ceremony. But it doesn't have to be…

Right, let's address the big old elephant in the room, because this is genuinely one of the most asked questions I get.

Currently in England and Wales, a ceremony performed solely by an independent celebrant is not legally binding. That means if you only have a celebrant-led ceremony and skip the registry office, you won't be legally married in the eyes of the law.

Yes! Absolutely you can. And more and more couples are choosing to do exactly that.

Ah, the money chat. Everyone's favourite bit. Let's just get into it, because you deserve a straight answer.

Trying to decide between a celebrant and a registrar for your wedding ceremony? Here's the honest breakdown.

So you've heard the word "celebrant" and you're nodding along like you know what it means, but you’re secretly Googling it under the table. Don't worry, we've all been there! Let me explain.