Celebrants vs Registrars: What’s the Difference & Why It Matters for Your Wedding Day!

Let’s unravel one of the biggest wedding planning puzzles… Celebrants vs Registrars, whats the difference? And more importantly, why might you need both?”

In this blog I’m going to demystify…

The difference between a marriage and a wedding 

The different types of celebrants

The legal side of marriage in England & Wales

The role of registrars

The magic of celebrants

Why both might feature in your perfect wedding journey…

Marriage and Wedding, The Difference 

Marriage Ceremony

A marriage ceremony is the legal act of getting married. It’s the moment two people enter into a marriage contract in the eyes of the law…think basic registration with a registrar.

A Wedding Ceremony

A wedding ceremony is the celebration of a couple’s commitment, which can include personal vows, rituals, music, readings, and more…think full of celebration with a celebrant. 

What Type of Celebrants Are There

Independent Celebrants like me ! (Also known as civil celebrants, family celebrants, or simply celebrants)

We’re the most flexible and inclusive. We can include spiritual, religious, symbolic, or completely non-religious content. We work with you to co-create a bespoke ceremony, and we’re not necessarily affiliated with any specific religion or organisation

We can include handfasting, sand ceremonies, jumping the broom, cultural rituals, film quotes, humour, and so much more!

Humanist Celebrants

They are trained and accredited by Humanists UK or similar organisations

Offering strictly non-religious-no spiritual or religious content allowed ( this includes pagan style handfastings) 

They focus on human values, personal stories, and love, and are ideal for secular couples who want a meaningful but non-religious ceremony

In Scotland and Northern Ireland, Humanist celebrants can legally marry couples (not yet in England and Wales).

Religious Celebrants

Affiliated with a specific faith or denomination (e.g., Christian, Pagan, Jewish)

May include traditional rites, prayers, or blessings. Ideal for couples who want a faith-based ceremony inside a church and traditional place of worship

Civil Registrars

Technically not celebrants, but they do call themselves celebrants now which is confusing!

They are local Government officials who conduct legal marriages.

They perform civil ceremonies (non-religious) in licensed venues or register offices.

They cannot include religious or spiritual content, and offer a more formal, legal service, most definitely not bespoke.

So, What Does It Take to Be Legally Married?

In England and Wales, as things stand right now only certain people can legally marry you:

Civil registrars and some religious officials e.g, Church of England / Wales, a Quaker in shared ministry and a Jewish Rabbi,

ALL OTHER religions inc. Catholic require a registrar to be present at the religious venue for a marriage to be legal.

To be legally married, you CURRENTLY need:

A licensed venue or register office

A civil registrar present

Legal declaratory words followed by the contractual words

I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I (name) may not be joined in matrimony to ( name)

I (full birth name) take you ( full name) to be my lawful wedded husband/ wife)

There are a few variations, but not enough to personalise beyond this.

You require two witnesses

No rings vows/ need be exchanged.

Repeat the sentences after registrar, sign the schedule (which will then be posted out to you) 6 minutes MAX  of your time and that’s it …your legally wed.

This is the “bare bones” part of the process, legal but it is a cookie cutter ceremony, and is often known as a basic registration or 2 plus 2, and by law EVERY  registration district in England and Wales must offer it…they just don’t make it very easy for couples to

A. find the information on their websites

B . book it for a time/ location that suits them

For example…Essex CC currently offering the basic registration at Chelmsford ONLY on a Monday morning and this year right now the earliest you can currently book for this is November!

“Think of it like registering a birth – it’s official, but it doesn’t tell the story of your child’s personality. Same with weddings!”

What Does a Civil Registrar Do?

A registrar is a local government official. They perform statutory ceremonies, simple, short, and within legal guidelines. Often limited by:

Time slots (often 20–30 mins, back-to-back)

Set wording and structure (can’t remove or change much)

Location restrictions (must be a licensed venue)

No religious or spiritual content

Time bound

Location bound

A lot of red tape for venues and couples

“You can change the names and a few readings, but you quote Star Wars…

‘I love you….I know’

talk about your first kiss on the beach, or include handfasting under the stars!”

They are attempting to switch things up and are now offering a 2 ceremony option.

Legals at the register office followed a personal ceremony at a venue of your choice, HOWEVER their ceremonies are still cookie cutter, they can only do a couple of simple rituals, sand ceremony is one of their favourites . They can still not put certain content in AND they are still bound by all the restrictions previously mentioned

PLUS you don’t get to form a personal relationship with them and the script is still not bespoke because they don’t get to know you and write from the heart.

What Does a Celebrant Do?

Now enter: the celebrant – the storyteller, the ritual-maker, the vibe curator!

So this includes your independents like me and Humanists.

A celebrant can create a completely personal ceremony from scratch.

I nearly always do a rehearsal and often do a venue visit too. I can MC post ceremony and make the whole experience so memorable your guests will be talking about it for years to come.

You’ll remember your ceremony… and have a keepsake script to pass on to your kids and grandkids too.

You can have your wedding in a woodland, on a beach, at home, in a pub garden.

You can include spiritual, pagan, or symbolic rituals (like handfasting, jumping the broom, and other more weird and wonderful rituals and if you want, with an independent, have some religious content)

You are absolutely encouraged to involve your pets, your kids, your mates.

You get to write your own vows, or have them co-created, and we will include humour, film quotes, music, or meaningful moments. Anything goes, you can even get nakey if you want (with the right celebrant and I can point you in the right direction for that celebrant if it floats your boat)

I have led ceremonies that have blended pagan beliefs, shamanic and wiccan, norse and eclectic.

Some have had with festival flags, fire breathers, glitter stations and confetti ponies, they have come in on a horse and cart, a tractor or walked in to live drumming.

A registrar couldn’t touch any of that with a ten-foot pole!

Why You Still Need the Registrar

Currently, in England & Wales, celebrant-led ceremonies are not yet legally binding.

You still need to book a registrar (usually at your local register office) for the legal paperwork.

Most couples do this separately, often a few days before the big celebration, but you can also do the legals afterwards too don’t forget

It’s like registering the marriage in the eyes of the law, but having your real wedding, the one with all the feels, all the love, and all your people….on your terms.

Top Tip:

“The ‘2+2’ option is the simplest legal ceremony: just you two and two witnesses at the register office done and dusted for around £150!”

Celebrant vs Registrar in Summary

So, Why Should You Book a Celebrant? (If we are the right option for you, and we know we aren’t always…)

You want to be seen and celebrated for who you are. You want freedom to choose the location, the content, and the feel. You want a ceremony that’s joyful, inclusive, and meaningful. You want a storyteller, not an ‘insert name’ here script reader. You want to remember it forever, not just for the legal formality. Your love isn’t off-the-peg. So why settle for an off-the-peg ceremony?

Some FAQs / Common Misconceptions

Can we still exchange rings with a celebrant? Absolutely.

Will people know it’s not ‘legal’? Nope. It looks and feels like the real deal, we just can’t use the legalise.

Can we do both on the same day? Yes, if the registrar comes to your venue, but it costs more and has restrictions.

Will celebrants ever be legal? There’s movement on this, Scotland and Jersey already allow some celebrants and the ministry of justice is currently looking at how this could work in reality in England and Wales.

The Labour Govt. have promised a change in law before the end of this parliament ….so watch this space.

A Final Thought or Two

When you find your dream venue you don’t need to go rushing out to book a registrar. A lot of venues are still saying this is your next step….It’s not…decide on what kind of ceremony you want and what kind of officiant you want to lead it, and then start to look at the registrar and celebrant options.

Remember if your dream venue is unlicensed, you can still have your wedding there, but you will need to find your dream celebrant and complete the legals at the register office.

If you want to tick the legal box, book your registrar. (ATM you’ll HAVE to do this IF you want to be legally married)

Not every couple wants a legal ceremony, but they do want to commit to each other with some form of ceremony, again, a celebrant can help you do that . But if you want to tick the soul box, the love box, the ‘this is SO us’ box, book a celebrant We work with you, and for you, to create the ceremony that perfectly reflects you and your love story.

We vary in price, experience and style. Shop around find the one that suits you and have the best wedding day ever !

So, in the debate, whilst we await a change in the law, which one do you want to officiate your ceremony on the day? Celebrants vs Registrars, the choice is yours.

Oh and if you do want a celebrant who is multi award winning, quirky, experienced, and full of heart, I know a funky one who’s always up for a chat!

For more information and ideas about how we can work together get in touch now

I can’t wait to work with you and create something funky and magical.

Let’s talk