The rise of the celebrant with Sophie Wilcockson

"When it comes to getting married, it's church or registrar, right? Wrong! There's another option," says local wedding celebrant Sophie Wilcockson. Here, she explains why using a celebrant is rapidly becoming one of the hottest wedding trends of 2024.

“Back in 2003 when I got married, I'd never heard of a wedding celebrant. When we booked the venue we were told we'd also need to book a registrar, which we duly did. This involved half an hour in a cramped office at the town hall with a bored-looking man who asked us to choose the wording for our vows (which consisted solely of deciding whether or not we wanted to obey each other) and select a reading from three options. Consequently, we had a reading from a book neither of us had read and the same vows as every other couple in Manchester.  

"The good news is these days it doesn't have to be like that.

"Celebrant-led wedding ceremonies are becoming increasingly popular, thanks in part to TV shows like Married at First Sight and Say Yes to the Dress. But what makes a celebrant-led wedding different, and better?

1. It's truly personal. Your chosen celebrant will spend time with you, listening to your love story, getting to know you and understanding what you want for your big day. Your ceremony will be 100% bespoke - there are no cut and paste, cookie cutter words here. Your ceremony will be as unique as you are.

2. It gives you more venue options because the place you choose to say 'I do' doesn't need to be licenced for weddings. If you want to get married in a museum or tie the knot on a narrow boat, you can!

3. It's more flexible. While vicars will only conduct religious weddings and registrars won't include any religious elements in their ceremonies, celebrants can do anything you like. If you want pop songs and prayers on your big day, you need a celebrant!

"So, what are the down sides? Well, a celebrant can't legally marry you (yet). You'll need to do the boring legal stuff beforehand - registering the marriage as you would a birth or death - but your ceremony is when you say 'I do' in front of your family and friends. In fact, if you don't tell them, no-one would ever know that wasn't the moment you were married!

"Everyone deserves a fabulous and memorable wedding day. With a celebrant-led wedding, the only limit is your imagination.”

Find out more at https://swceremonies.co.uk