Is a celebrant wedding legal in the UK?

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.

Before you close this tab in a panic, it's not as big a deal as it sounds. Lots of couples choose this route intentionally, either because they don't care about the legal bit, or because they prefer to handle it separately.

If you do want to be legally married, the solution is simple: book a brief civil ceremony at your local registry office. It costs around £50 - £100, takes about 20 minutes, and you just need two witnesses. You can do this on any day before or after your celebrant ceremony, even the morning of your wedding if you fancy it.

My own wedding worked exactly like this. We did the legal bit quietly in the morning with close family, then had our full celebrant ceremony with everyone in the afternoon. It meant our actual celebration had zero constraints. We could be wherever we wanted (my parents' garden), say whatever we wanted (bears with chainsaw arms), and do the whole thing exactly on our terms (a pint in hand at all times). 

It's also worth knowing the law around this is being reviewed. The government’s been looking at reforming marriage law in England and Wales, so this may well change in the future. The wheels of government move slooooowly though so don’t expect this to happen any time soon. 

Got more questions about how this all works in practice? I love talking through this stuff and it's part of the process when you book with me. Get in touch below.