Are you one of the 70% of people getting married that will choose a Civil Ceremony at a Registry Office or a licensed venue instead of a Church wedding?  Yes?

Did you know that you have other option? No? Then read on!

By using an independent Celebrant you can separate the legal aspects & paperwork and have your ceremony wherever you want, whether it is a licensed venue or not. I have conducted endless outdoor wedding ceremonies for couples in the woods amongst the bluebells, on an airfield, on a beach, on a canal side, in gardens, on family land and on an island lake.  Your options are endless and the only limit is your own imagination.

Currently, in England and Wales, a Celebrant does not have the legal power to marry people.  That is the function of a Registrar.  The simple facts are that by attending the Registry office, making your legal declaration (which is literally two questions) and signing the register in front of the Registrar makes you legally married.  This takes 10 minutes and you don’t need to exchange rings – that part you can leave to your Celebrant.   Some people find this hard to grasp at first, but when I explain that it is the same as registering the birth of a baby and then having a Christening or a Naming Ceremony on a different day – the penny drops. You don’t take 80 people along to sign the birth certificate do you?

George Clooney & Amal did it; Brad & Angelina did it; Guy Ritchie just did it.  They all had a simple legal declaration and then celebrated their wedding ceremony in front of friends and family separately – just the way they wanted it – without being driven by paperwork, red tape restrictions and bland scripts.

Someone once suggested to me that the separate wedding ceremony would then be a fake, that it’s not “real.”  I can assure you that none of my testimonials or photos of happy smiling wedding couples have been photo-shopped.  It’s only ‘pretend’ if you are trying to hide something – and what have you got to hide – that you’ve already signed a piece a paper?

Thank you for a wonderful ceremony. We had so many lovely comments about how personal it was and how emotional. My dad gave you a special mention in his speech too!

It is important to remember that the stroke of a pen and a moment in time isn’t what makes a marriage – that is what creates the legal bond; a real marriage begins well before the wedding day, and the efforts of marriage continue well beyond the ceremony’s end….

PS…I’ve included some snaps of real happy brides and grooms.

Justine was invited to give a talk at the recent Alcott Weddings & Events wedding fair arranged by Vintage Chic Wedding.  Alcott Weddings is a stunning Worcestershire countryside location.  A peaceful setting with lakes, fields, trees and horses awaits your wedding guests at this lovely venue. Photo courtesy of Alcott Weddings.

Thinking outdoor, festival, chic, boho?  Think Alcott Weddings where Justine is the recommended Celebrant.