The results are in! We put a call out for any couples who had chosen an independent celebrant for their wedding to come forward and give us their feedback. We asked them why they made this choice, why they opted for an independent celebrant (rather than a humanist celebrant), and how things might be different if their chosen celebrant could legally marry them.
The responses came flooding in, and the feedback we received was glowing, giving the unanimous message that things would be so much better if independent celebrants were authorised to conduct legally binding marriages. Here’s just a few examples of what they told us…
Question 1: Why Did You Choose A Celebrant For Your Wedding?
“Because I wanted the wedding to be personal, meaningful and full of little details that were all about us. We had the registrar ceremony two days before, and it was just so cookie cutter and impersonal.”
“Freedom of expression – we’re a slightly offbeat couple, and didn’t want any restrictions on what we could and couldn’t include in our vows. It’s not up to anyone else to decide what we want to say to each other.”
“Due to wanting to get married at our home location we had no choice but to use a celebrant for the ceremony. I also do feel after getting to know more about celebrant-led ceremonies they are a lot more personable and beautiful than registry or religious ceremonies.”
“We wanted the person carrying out the most important part of our day to be someone we know, someone we’ve met and who we connect with. We didn’t want a stranger turning up and the anxiety and stress associated with that.”
“We chose a celebrant because we wanted our ceremony to feel personal, meaningful, and truly reflective of us as a couple. Having a celebrant allows us to create a ceremony that tells our story, includes the people and values that matter most to us, and feels much more genuine than a standard script.”
Question 2: Was There A Reason You Chose An Independent Celebrant (Rather Than A Humanist Celebrant)?
“We are not humanists ourselves, so it would seem silly to choose a celebrant that was from a belief we don’t follow in the day to day. An independent celebrant allows for the full choice of freedom for what we wanted for our ceremony, and the independent celebrant we chose did an amazing job!”
“Although we aren’t religious in a traditional sense, the idea of being able to bring in spiritual elements to our ceremony and make it personal to us was important. An independent celebrant seemed to suit our ideas more than a humanist celebrant.”
“My mum is Hindu and, whilst I’m not fully religious, I like to do some religious traditions throughout the year. The alternative option was to have two weddings – an English and an Indian wedding – which just isn’t practical.”
“Complete freedom to have an aspect of Judaism in there. Just a touch to honour my parents.”
“We wanted to include references to our spirituality, and spiritual practices, which would have not been possible (or would have felt inauthentic) with a Humanist celebrant.”
Question 3: How Would Things Be Better If Your Chosen Celebrant Could Legally Marry You?
“So much better. It would have avoided both the off-the-peg from the registrar, I could have bounced ideas around and been able to not have the expense of two ceremonies.”
“We would have saved a lot of money not having to have two wedding days if the celebrant could legally marry us on the big day. The registrar ceremony also cost us hundreds of pounds just because we wanted it on a certain day of the week, so we had to pay for an enhanced ceremony even though the content we wanted was the basic version.”
“We wouldn’t have to split our wedding day up – we are having to legally get married a few days before in a register office and then have our own personal ceremony afterwards. If our celebrant could legally marry us, we would be able to have full control and freedom over how we choose to get married and know that however we choose to do it is legal.”
“Our date of marriage would be the same as our wedding day. We would have saved money and time. It would have caused less stress. My family is disappointed we have to have two separate dates. Lots of positives would have come out of the celebrant legally marrying us.”
“We wouldn’t have to do a 2+2 ceremony the week before and it would be nice to legally marry at the same time by a celebrant and the ceremony be what you as a couple want it to be. I don’t see why it shouldn’t!”
“It simply makes things easier for couples who want to do everything on the same date and I think people still struggle a lot with having two separate dates as their anniversary. They should be allowed to marry however and wherever they want, legally.”
“Having a celebrant able to legally marry us would mean our actual wedding ceremony, the one that reflects our values, story and community, would also be the legal one. Changing the law would give couples more choice and make the process feel more respectful and relevant.”
Will The Government Take On Board This Feedback?
Yes they will! The wedding law reform consultation is just around the corner and should be opening very soon (first half of 2026). The point of this consultation is to gather together people’s views on wedding law reform, including the key question of whether independent celebrants should be included.
Anyone can respond to this consultation when it opens. At the Give Couples Choice Movement we will certainly be responding, and we have permission from the couples in our survey to share their feedback too. We are sure many other organisations, individual celebrants and wedding venues/suppliers will do the same – highlighting beyond doubt the demand and need to legalise independent celebrant weddings.
Can Couples Still Respond To The Survey?
Yes – we are keeping the survey open as we want to gather as much feedback as possible to highlight the demand for independent celebrant weddings. So if you’re planning a celebrant wedding, have had a celebrant wedding in the past, or know couples who might be interested in having their say, just follow the link to share and complete the survey.