TEN THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A WEDDING CELEBRANT IN SUFFOLK & ESSEX
I recently met up with Carol Cranfield, a Wedding Celebrant, at a lovely Suffolk hotel. Carol contacted me while looking for a photographer to take some new photographs for her website and social media platforms.
As I took the photographs and we chatted, I learned more about what Carol did and thought this would be a good topic to share with couples planning on tying the knot.
So, along with some photographs from her photo session, let’s learn more from Carol.
1. What Is A Wedding Celebrant and Why Choose One?
A celebrant is a person who performs ceremonies acknowledging some of life’s significant milestones.
2. What Wedding Celebrant Services are Offered for a Wedding?
They will perform ceremonies for couples with mixed-faith, modern, traditional, spiritual, but not religious.
A Celebrant is unbound by any legalities or religion, which means a Celebrant ceremony can be bespoke and completely personalised for every couple. It is an honour to be chosen.
A celebrant works with the wedding couples to devise bespoke wedding ceremonies. The ceremony is tailored to the couple’s wishes and can include music, poetry and readings, writing of vowels, and involvement of other family members or friends. The whole point of the ceremony is to have it unique to you; after all, it is your special day!
We do not follow a template; we will work with you to create a genuinely reflective day of your personalities and love for each other that you and your guests will remember for a long come.
Celebrant-led weddings are known for their creativity and use of symbolic gestures to support the significant aspects of the ceremony.
3. What’s Included?
Several things are included, which vary depending on what Celebrant you use.
- Initial no-obligation phone/ WhatsApp conversation
- Meeting you in person and getting to know you both in more detail
- Writing the ceremony for your consideration, any changes and then for your approval
- Officiating the ceremony on the day
- Sourcing poems, music and reading if requested
- Providing you with a wedding questionnaire to complete to assist with telling your love story
- Writing your vows or supporting you to write them and rehearse them
- Providing you with mini wedding ritual ideas
- Personal Pinterest board to store any ideas
- A written copy of your ceremony, as a keepsake of the day, in a presentation file.
- A certificate of commitment,nt if requested
- We only do one wedding a day, so our focus can be on you and your special day.
4. Does a Celebrant-led wedding provide flexibility?
People used to have more traditional options: to marry in a religious or a civil ceremony. There is a 3rd option that is becoming very popular: to have a celebrant conduct your wedding ceremony. We can offer far more choices in terms of flexibility around the time of the ceremony.
5. Does a Registrar have to officiate our ceremony at a UK-licensed venue?
The simple answer is an absolute No! You do have a choice.
In the meantime, different rules apply if you are getting married in Scotland, so this information is for venues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
6. Why don’t some venues offer me a choice?
Some venues still need to understand the role of the Celebrant fully; in addition, some wedding venues may receive their bookings via the local Register Office.
7. What’s the difference between a Celebrant and a Registrar?
Both a Celebrant and a Registrar want you to enjoy your ceremony, but the ceremony they offer varies greatly. (Different legislation applies to Scotland)
A Registrar can legally marry you and is employed by the local authority. The format and content of the ceremony are restricted by legislation, with no religious or spiritual content allowed.
Registrars will often carry out several ceremonies daily, so they will insist on keeping to the designated time. Due to time constraints, you are unlikely to meet the Registrar before the day of your ceremony.
A Celebrant is self-employed and will take time to get to know you and work with you to create a beautiful, bespoke, non-legally binding ceremony that reflects your ideas, values and personalities.
By separating the legal aspect of marriage, your ceremony can be about love, not legalities. You also have a choice in types of Celebrant. There are Humanist Celebrants and Civil or Independent Celebrants. Both offer non-religious ceremonies; however, Independent and Civil Celebrants are happy to include spiritual and religious elements.
Many celebrants out there can meet your requirements, and they all have different styles, so couples choose the best Celebrant to match their style.
A Celebrant is not restricted to licensed areas, so although you may choose to have your ceremony in the designated area, you also have the option to hold it elsewhere in the venue, perhaps in the beautiful grounds/or woodland setting or by a lake.
Many Celebrants also offer the option of a wedding rehearsal so that you are relaxed and ready for your big day.
8. How do we complete the legal part of getting married?
Complete the legal aspect at the Register Office before your wedding ceremony; it can also be after. Couples book a “small room” ceremony at Chelmsford Registry Office; they take two witnesses with them and complete the legal requirements of their marriage, saving the vows and exchanging rings for their Celebrant ceremony. This costs approximately £60 and is usually available on a specific morning each week, so it is advisable to book well in advance to secure your slot.
For up-to-date prices of all their services, visit https://www.essex.gov.uk/get-married-in-essex/book-a-registrar.
9. Will our guests know our ceremony is not legally binding?
What you tell your guests is entirely up to you. A Celebrant ceremony is a natural and romantic wedding ceremony where couples declare their love and commitment to each other before their family and friends.
Many couples choose not to tell their guests it is not a legal ceremony. Their guests are usually full of really positive comments like “This is the best wedding we have ever been to”, or “This wedding was such a joy to watch and listen to”, or “This was so personalised, and we all felt part of the ceremony.”
Whatever your decision, choose the best option for you as a couple. Remember, it is your significant day, and you want to get it right and ensure you are in safe hands.
10. Choosing Your Celebrant
For more information about Carol and the various Celebrant services available, head to her website, Carol Cranfield Celebrant, or call her directly at 07962 251134. Email carol@carolcranfieldcelebrant.co.uk
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