your ceremony - your way

Ask me anything - I'm an open book.

What is a celebrant?

Many people are still unclear about what a celebrant does. When I told my friends and family that I wanted to be a celebrant, some of them asked "A what"?

A celebrant is a person who officiates at a ceremony or rite, such as a wedding, funeral or naming ceremony. Think of a celebrant as a 'master of ceremonies' - the person who holds the space, conducts the ceremony and keeps everything going. A celebrant can officiate a bespoke, personalised ceremony and include religious or spiritual content if desired. Celebrants are usually self-employed and work independently of any religious or statutory organisation.

At the moment, celebrants cannot legally marry couples in England. Registrars can process and approve a couples marriage licence and conduct a legally binding ceremony at licenced venues only.

Can a celebrant legally marry us?

The short answer is no. Independent wedding celebrants can deliver a loving and meaningful wedding ceremony but the legal bit is not yet possible. In England, independent celebrants cannot legally marry couples. The legal part of marriage must be done at the registry office and usually costs around £50. Most couples choose to do the legal aspect at the registry office and have the ceremony a few days or a week after. It is entirely up to you.

Once you have done the statutory part of your marriage (it takes around 10 minutes) you are free to hold your own awesome wedding celebration with rings, vows, readings and any other rituals that you would like to include such as handfasting or a wine box ceremony.

What's the difference between a registrar and a celebrant?

This is a very good question because many people aren't sure about what the difference is! A registrar can legally marry couples whereas a celebrant can only hold bespoke ceremonies. Many couples choose to do the 'legal bit' first at their local registry office with two witnesses and then hold their wedding or civil partnership with an independent celebrant afterwards.

While you can absolutely get married with a registrar, a celebrant-led ceremony offers versatility, choice, personalised words, rituals and symbolism. The beauty of having a celebrant is that they will get to know you pretty well before the ceremony whereas with a registrar, you will get whoever is on the rota on the day.

What should I look for in a celebrant?

Every celebrant has their own unique style, personality and way of working. Much like people in general, they each have their own strengths, qualities and approaches to working. No two celebrants will ever create the same script or conduct a ceremony in the same way, which makes every ceremony so special.

You may want a celebrant who loves to integrate nature into their ceremonies or a quirky celebrant who loves dressing up and creating themed ceremonies. The best advice I can give is to talk to a few celebrants near you and get a feel for who they are as people and how they work. Google local celebrants in your area or visit celebrant directories.

Follow your gut and trust your instinct!

What are the benefits of a celebrant-led celebration?

The freedom to create a personalised, bespoke and meaningful celebration that is completely unique. You can tailor your celebration around your own ideas and preferences. If you want to renew your vows on a beach, get married in the ruins of a castle or hold a woodland funeral ceremony, the choice is yours!

Your celebration can be held almost anywhere and you aren't confined to licenced-only venues. Your celebrant takes time to get to know you so that your celebration isn't a one-size-fits-all affair. A celebrant-led ceremony allows you to include rituals, symbolism, readings and family members in a creative and fun way

Can I have religious or spiritual content at my ceremony?

If you would like to include religious or spiritual content, such as words or rituals, then we can certainly include them as part of your ceremony.

What's the difference between a Funeral Director and a Funeral Celebrant?

Funeral Director's take care of all elements of the funeral, such as whether you are choosing a burial or cremation, a full funeral service or a direct cremation, etc. They take care of the deceased and deal with the funeral arrangements.

A funeral celebrant focusses on the service itself, including the eulogy, readings, music and the order of service. They work with families to create an intimate and personal tribute to the person who has died and lead the funeral ceremony.

As you may already know, celebrant ceremonies are not legally binding. They cannot be made to appear legally binding, nor can I use the words of a legally binding ceremony. In the case of a Naming Ceremony, Renewal of Vows or Commitment Ceremony, you would expect no legality anyway, so this applies specifically to Wedding Celebrations and Civil Partnership Celebrations. So, you will need to have a Registrar Ceremony first to legally register your marriage or civil partnership.

But these are not your wedding. This is the formal legal bit, and you are not required to exchange rings or do any kind of ceremonial actions. I recommend a 2 by 2 ceremony with the registrar. This is a simple ceremony involving the couple and two witnesses in a register office. Think of it as no different to registering any other kind of life event, such as a birth of a death.

Because it is a legal requirement, it means the words used are incredibly inflexible, which means you will have the same ceremony as everyone else. It is not personal to you in any way. So treat it as what it is; the legal bit, and then you come to me for all the stuff you will actually remember.

So in brief, you have to register your marriage or civil partnership with a registrar, and then we do the ceremony afterwards.

When booking your 2 by 2 ceremony, you may need to dig around a bit. Local councils and register offices don't advertise them very clearly, so don't be afraid to get in there and dig around to find what you need.

Terms & Conditions

The Legal Stuff for Weddings

Terms & Conditions

Payments Policy

It's pretty straightforward. Basically, on the day you decide to book me as your celebrant, I will give you a booking form which will give details such as the date, time, location etc. Once this is signed, I take a 50% Initial non-refunable payment in order to hold the date.

It also covers the initial meeting at the Venue (face to face) or a digital meeting if needs be, during which we will create an outline and a proper plan for the ceremony, so make sure you're sure before you book me. The Initial Payment needs to be paid within one week of the signing of the booking form or the date will be considered open once again, though most opt to pay it on the day of booking.

Then, once we get a little closer, usually two months before the date, I will take the remaining balance of the payment. This triggers the writing, and will cover another meeting as well as the subsequent writing and delivery of the ceremony. I cannot hold the date without the initial payment, and I cannot writing the script until the final payment has been made.

There are sometimes occasions when extras may be required. Certain symbolic items, a specific costume if it is a themed ceremony, a hotel room or travel expenses. If they are known when we book then I will add them on at that stage, or if they are added later I will add them on at the end. You will have itemised invoices for all payments, so it should be very clear. If I already have an item that may be required, such as a ring cushion or a specific costume then I can hire these out at a lower rate for use during the ceremony. Again, this can be built into the price. I try to be as transparent as possible.

This will also include mileage and travel expenses if the apply. Please see the travel section below for more information. Payment should be made by bank transfer to Studio Armstrong, which is the company that deals with all my Creative Writing and Educational services I provide. It still me, just under a different name!

Terms & Conditions

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations do happen, and I will always do my best to be as sympathetic and accommodating as possible. I have no specific cut-off for cancellations, I just ask that you give me as much notice as possible. In the event that the ceremony is cancelled after the final payment has been made, I am unable to refund this unless I am able to rebook this date with another ceremony then I will of course use this payment to refund you as a gesture of good will. Please note that I will have spent time on the creation of the ceremony and research, as well as the time that would have been allocated to your wedding that may have prevented me from taking another.

Terms & Conditions

Travel & Accommodation Polciy

I am absolutely happy to travel to wherever you would like the ceremony to be held! From Scotland to Australia, I am good to go.

I charge 45p per mile travelled, though this may shift as the market does. In the event of an overnight stay, my policy is to build the price of any expenses into the fee. If it is known at the time of booking I will build it in then, or if it occurs later I will build it into the final payment. Alternatively, you may have accommodation already that you can offer, or you may wish to book something yourself. However you want to do it, it all works for me!

Terms & Conditions

Availability

This is really easy, I'm always happy to do a ceremony!

Christmas, New Year, Bank Holidays, Weekends, Weekdays! You name it! There will be an additional fee of £300 for days like Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. This will be included in the expenses, but I am open to it all. Of course, there is a first come first serve element to this. If the day has been taken and a deposit has been paid then I won't be able to cancel one ceremony for another.

The only other thing would be a late booking fee. If you book up to one month before the wedding, there will be an additional £200 "Late Booking Fee." This basically allows me to rearrange whatever needs to be rearranged to make sure I have the time to write the ceremony!

Terms & Conditions

Insurance

As a member of the Association of Independent Celebrants I am full insured!

I can make copies of my insurance information available on request, and if you are interested in the overview of the insurance you can click the logo below and visit the Association website!

Terms & Conditions

Intellectual Property

In making your booking, you acknowledge that the copyright and all other intellectual property in respect of the ceremony and all documentation or other materials used in or relating to the ceremony belongs to myself. You are licensed to record the ceremony for your own personal use and enjoyment, but you are not entitled to use it otherwise or publish the whole or any part of the ceremony or its materials without my express written permission.