When you first start planning a celebrant-led wedding ceremony, naming ceremony or celebration of life, you may not be entirely familiar with what a celebrant does. In relation to weddings, people are often unclear on the distinction between a celebrant and a registrar. I’m always very happy to clarify that a celebrant offers something far more personal, flexible and human than any statutory service can provide, which is exactly why so many couples and families choose to work with one.
A registrar is responsible for the legal paperwork: the signing of the marriage schedule, the statutory declarations, the legal wording. They ensure the marriage is properly registered. What they cannot do is shape a unique ceremony around your story. Their scripts are standardised, timings are tight, and creativity is limited because the law sets the boundaries.
As your celebrant, on the other hand, I will be entirely focused on you. My role is to listen to and capture your story: who you are, what you love, and what matters most. I then distil all of that into a ceremony that feels unmistakably yours, finessing as you see fit. Whether we’re planning a wedding in your garden, an orchard, a cliff-top vow renewal or a beautiful indoor celebration with your closest circle, the ceremony grows from your uniqueness.
As a celebrant, I’m free to weave in symbolism, readings, family traditions, multilingual elements, and my special botanical references that reflect your story. I can include humour, warmth, and emotional honesty. Together we can craft vows or a fitting eulogy that feel like your voice, not a template. I can also hold the space with steadiness (something I bring from my leadership and coaching background) so that you feel calm, confident and fully present.
Many couples choose to do the legal signing quietly beforehand, at the local register office, saving the ‘real’ ceremony for their celebrant-led occasion. Celebrant-led ceremonies have been steadily on the rise for over ten years now. The number of independent celebrant‑led ceremonies in England and Wales rose from around 4,000 in 2015 to 9,500 in 2019 — more than doubling in under five years,” according to research from the University of Warwick1. Similarly, a 2025 Hitched survey reported that “23% of couples now choose celebrant‑led ceremonies”2 Families planning a Celebration of Life often tell me that having someone who is not constrained by set formulas makes all the difference in capturing the essence of the person they love.
Ultimately, you need a celebrant if you want a ceremony that reflects you: your personality, your values, your history, your quirks and joys. A celebrant gives you time, creativity, emotional support, and the freedom to celebrate your love, welcome someone, affirm your identity or honour a life in a way that feels true to you.
1 University of Warwick. Independent celebrant-led wedding ceremonies: translating, weakening, and innovating traditions. 2023. https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/181772/13/
2 Hitched, via Celebrant Training School. 2025 Wedding Survey Report. 2025. https://celebranttrainingschool.co.uk/blog/2025-wedding-survey-report
