About Wedding Celebrants

Well, not all celebrants are created equal. Not all are award winning - YAY! - or trained and certified with the leading International College of Professional Celebrants (ICPC). I am though! And although you don’t need any formal qualifications, it does help enormously and shows a strong level of commitment to the profession and to your ceremony, don’t you think?

It means I’ve undergone residential and online celebrant training towards achieving a Level 3 Certificate in Wedding and Funeral Celebrancy in the UK, from the nationally recognised National Open Colleges Network (NOCN).

What’s special about ICPC accreditation is that following an intensive residential course, they provide ongoing support, training, and resources to professional wedding celebrants like me, who are seeking to continuously improve their skills and serve their clients with integrity and excellence.

So, you can be sure that you are in safe hands with me. Importantly, I only take one booking per day, so you have my absolute undivided attention. And, if I was to fall ill, you need not worry. One of my trusted fellow ICPC celebrants would be able to help us out to ensure your ceremony went ahead as planned.

As a member of the International College of Professional Celebrants I have both £5 Million Public Liability Insurance and £1 Million Professional Indemnity Insurance.

An independent celebrant – that’s me – is someone who will write, produce, direct and deliver a totally bespoke ceremony, exactly to your liking, and this may be performed anywhere of your choosing. It can be on licensed or unlicensed premises or on public land and this is because there is no legal paperwork being completed at the time. Hurrah!

To enjoy a bespoke, truly joyful, memorable and meaningful wedding ceremony with me, that reflects you and your wishes - without ANY rules of restrictions - you will have already competed the legal registration of your marriage with a council registrar at the Register Office. That’s because, importantly, I cannot currently legally marry anybody, unlike a council employee registrar.

Let’s leave the legal stuff to the legal people!

Also, as an independent celebrant I am not linked to any religious or other institution – for example, I am not a humanist celebrant, so I am happy and able to include multi-faith and religious elements in your ceremony.

You have a statutory right to complete your legal registration of marriage at the Register Office (RO) with a council registrar, also known as a celebrant registrar.

Registrars, whether they register your marriage at their place of work (RO), or a licensed venue, are council employees. They are not independent like me or able to deliver a tailor-made wedding ceremony without rules or restrictions. One that is exactly to your liking and written by an experienced professional storyteller. And, you will not know which rostered registrar will attend your licensed venue on your wedding day.

So instead, if you are in England or Wales, you can register your marriage in a simple and very popular Statutory Ceremony - also known as a 2+2 Ceremony.

This is where you and your partner attend the RO with two witnesses, make the basic statutory declarations and sign your marriage certificate - just as you would at your licensed wedding venue. It is usually a mid morning appointment on a weekday, so you can always head out for a marvellous celebratory lunch afterwards. Hurray!

If the Register Office attempts to persuade you to have more than the basic statutory registration, remind them of your right to have the 2+2 ceremony - it is really cost effective too at around £60 -£100 depending on your county council. Once this process is finalised, I will be able and delighted to declare you married at your wedding celebration – the fun part! Hurray!