The consultation on wedding law reform in England and Wales is just around the corner, with the question of whether or not to include independent celebrants being a key point up for debate. Having had support from many MPs and having recently met with representatives from the Ministry of Justice, it is clear to the GCCM team that the voices of marrying couples will be pivotal to this process. That’s why we’ve launched a couples survey to inform the wedding law reform consultation and show policymakers exactly how in-demand our ceremonies are.
Who Can Respond To The Survey?
As the name suggests, this survey is for couples – specifically for couples who have had or plan to have a celebrant-led wedding.
We want to hear why you chose a celebrant to create your ceremony, and what value an independent celebrant can bring compared to other types of officiant.
And importantly, we want to hear how things might be better if your chosen celebrant could legally marry you.
So if you’re planning a celebrant wedding or have had a celebrant wedding in the past, we would be really grateful for your response. The survey is very short and should only take a couple of minutes of your time (unless of course you’d like to write an essay about your wedding, which is very welcome too!).
What Questions Does The Survey Ask – And Will You Share My Details?
The survey asks couples to share their reasons and motivations for choosing a celebrant-led wedding. We also ask for your name, email address and the county in which you live – BUT we will not share these details with anyone outside of the GCCM unless you give your express permission. There is an opt-in tickbox at the end of the survey, so just leave this blank if you’d rather be incognito.
We ask permission to share so that for those who are comfortable, we will have a bank of stories and experiences ready for when we’re asked to comment on wedding law reform in the media. But we will only do this with your permission, and if your experience is shared we will only use first names and counties, e.g. “Alex and Beth from Cheshire said…”
Can I Share The Survey With Couples I Know And Work With?
Yes, please do! We want to reach out far and wide to hear lots of different perspectives. So if you are a celebrant or work within the wedding industry, please feel free to share a link to the survey with all the couples you know who are planning a celebrant-led wedding.
You can share by email, social media, blogs, or during meetings that you hold with couples. No background knowledge of law reform is needed – we just want to hear their own unique reasons for choosing a celebrant.
How Will The Couples Survey Help With Wedding Law Reform?
We firmly believe that the responses we receive from couples will greatly help our case to get independent celebrants included as authorised marriage officiants.
A large part of the current problem is lack of knowledge. MPs and policymakers don’t necessarily know what independent celebrants are, how they work or how they differ from other types of officiants. There are also misconceptions floating around – such as believing that including humanist celebrants and giving registrars more flexibility would meet the needs of all couples. In order to spread the word and bust those myths, we need to demonstrate why couples are choosing independent celebrants and how these celebrants are uniquely placed to meet the diversity of modern couples.
After all, this reform is not about those working in the wedding industry – it is about couples getting married. The ultimate aim is to make the process of getting married simpler, fairer and more inclusive for generations to come. So the voices of couples really matter.
How Can I Complete The Survey?
You can complete the survey by simply following this link.
If you have any additional information you would like to share (e.g. your wedding photos and full stories), this would be most welcome. Just send them over to the GCCM team at info@gccmovement.org
For more information on wedding law reform in England & Wales and what it could mean for you, visit the GCCM website.