Celebrant-led wedding ceremonies have never been more popular. Humanist ceremonies have been around for decades, but the last few years have seen a huge groundswell in popularity. Once you’ve seen one celebrant wedding, there’s no going back to the traditional registrar-style.

As a London and Brighton based humanist celebrant, I create unique and deeply personalised ceremonies, filled with love and laughter. My aim is always to create a ceremony that sets the tone for the party that follows.

The ceremony is typically seen as a boring formality before the bar opens and the party starts. But more and more couples are realising that it can, and should, be the main event. Because, let’s be honest, that's what the whole day is really about!

 Here are five reasons to consider a celebrant ceremony.

1. Personalised and unique

With a humanist wedding, your ceremony is guaranteed to be deeply personalised and unlike anyone else’s. That’s because celebrants spend time getting to know a couple, interviewing them and finding out about their love and their relationship. All of those silly details, random stories and in-jokes? I want to know them ALL!

Registrar ceremonies are template driven. While you can personalise them with readings, it’s very “insert couples name here”. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve kind of seen them all. Personalising the most important part of your day with a celebrant ceremony guarantees an unforgettable experience.

2. You know the person marrying you

Walking down the aisle can be nerve-wracking enough for some. Having a friendly face, someone you’ve spent time getting to know and who understands the ins and outs of who you are, will make for a much better experience than someone you met literally 15 minutes before the biggest moment of your life.

3. Your guests will love it

It will upgrade your day no end. People don’t have to sit and hear something formulaic that they’ve heard umpteen times. Instead, you can bring your guests into your life together. They’ll often be able to see a side that they don’t necessarily get to see.

After pretty much every ceremony, couples say they've had so many compliments about the ceremony, and it's often all people talk about. Why not create an awesome, memorable experience for people?

4. You can do it anywhere

Yep, with celebrant ceremonies, there are no restrictions in where and when you get married. It doesn’t have to be a licensed venue – which can often be a GIANT cost saving, too. In a private garden? On a mountaintop? At sea? In a castle or villa or licensed venue? You can do it anywhere you like…(safety permitting, obviously!)

5. Find ways of bringing your guests into your ceremony

With a celebrant ceremony, you can find ways to include your guests in the important part of your day that go above and beyond readings alone. Whether that’s in the form of group song or rituals and symbolic acts, good celebrants will have tones of creative ideas about how to include the people you care about the most.

How do I start? And how do I know who is the right celebrant for me?

There are lots of wonderful celebrants out there. Decide on what kind of tone and vibe you want from your ceremony, and arrange to speak to a few people who most embody that. All celebrants are created differently and will bring different offerings to the party.

I love to write light hearted, laughter and love filled ceremonies – whereas others are more earnest and romantic/hearts and flowers types – and everything in between. Go for whoever speaks to you most and who you trust will set the tone for the day you want.

Research is king – look at testimonials, photos and see who you feel a connection with. And make sure whoever you work with is properly trained and certified.

What about the legal bit?

Humanist wedding ceremonies aren’t currently legally binding. But you can go to a registry office and get the legal bit done in 5-minutes flat. The “legal bit” of getting married consists of agreeing to 32 words (…basically that you are legally able to marry), and signing the register.

It costs about £50 in most councils, and is called a “2+2 ceremony”. That way, you can save your proper celebration for your wedding day, with all of your friends and family present. Believe me, doing the legal part beforehand does not take away from the experience of your celebrant-led wedding.

Because why have an ordinary wedding ceremony, when you can have an extraordinary one? If you’d like to hear more about how to create your own bespoke humanist wedding ceremony in London, Brighton and surrounding areas, and make your ceremony POP! get in touch for a chat.