You’ve probably pictured it a thousand times: you walking down the aisle, surrounded by friends and family, to tie the knot with your person.
Your daydreams probably don’t include your wedding officiant. But they have a pretty crucial role to play. Namely: marrying you.
To be married legally in the UK, your wedding needs to be conducted by an officiant—which is someone who has the legal authority to marry you.
There’s specific laws around who is allowed to officiate different types of ceremonies. Here’s what to know.
Contents
Who can officiate a civil ceremony?
Who can officiate a religious ceremony?
Other types of ceremonies
Celebrant vs registrar: what’s the difference?
Can anyone conduct a wedding ceremony?
Who can officiate a wedding in the UK?
It depends on whether you’re having a civil or religious ceremony.
Civil ceremonies
Most weddings in the UK are civil ceremonies. Basically, this is any legally-recognised wedding ceremony that isn’t religious in nature.
And civil ceremonies must be conducted by a registrar. This is a council-appointed official who has the authority to legally register civil marriages.
You have to book your registrar through the local council of your venue, not where you live. For example, if you were getting married at Kindred, you would need to book through Hammersmith and Fulham council.
To learn more, here’s our guide to booking a wedding registrar.
FYI: you can only have a civil ceremony in a venue that’s officially registered for marriages. You can find out whether your venue is registered via their local council’s website.
Religious ceremonies
If you’re having a religious ceremony, it will be performed by an authorised religious minister, like a priest or vicar.
Your first port of call should be to contact the minister (this would be a vicar if you’re getting married in the Church of England) of the place of worship and get their permission.
It’s worth noting that different religions may have their own requirements when it comes to marriage. Some religious buildings will require you to also have a registrar present, for example.
Good to know: unless you’re having a Church of England wedding, which are exempt, the premises must be registered for both worship and marriage.
Other types of ceremonies
What if your ceremony doesn’t fall into either of those categories?
Currently, the only types of marriages legally recognised in the UK are civil or religious ceremonies. Humanist ceremonies — non-religious weddings led by a celebrant that are tailored to the couple — are not currently legally binding in England and Wales.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t have one. Many couples who opt for humanist or other, independent types of ceremonies often have a civil ceremony as well, to take care of the legal part.
Celebrant vs registrar: what’s the difference?
Just now, we mentioned that humanist and independent weddings are led by celebrants. These are not to be confused with wedding officiants: celebrants are not legally authorised to marry you. You could think of them more as hosts or emcees.
Some couples choose to have both a celebrant and registrar. Here, the celebrant might lead most of the ceremony, that they will tailor to you. And then when it’s time for the legal bit, they step aside and let the registrar do their thing.
Can anyone conduct a wedding ceremony?
No: there are specific rules in the UK around who can conduct a legally-binding marriage. As a refresher, only an authorised religious minister can lead a religious marriage, while civil ceremonies have to be conducted by registrars.
But anyone can be a celebrant. If you’re planning on having a non-binding ceremony to celebrate your love, you can choose whoever you like.
Your wedding venue
Kindred is a much-loved West London wedding venue registered for civil ceremonies. You can find us in the heart of Hammersmith, just a few minutes’ walk from Hammersmith tube.
We’re best known for our elegant, unique interiors: Bradmore house is an 18th century Georgian mansion whose interiors have been designed with a modern touch. From arched, high ceilings and wood-panelled walls to beautiful pops of colour, we’ve got the best of both worlds.
Couples who choose us also mention our warm service. Our team is here to take the stress out of planning, so that you can focus on enjoying the moment.
Cellar, our ground-floor Hammersmith restaurant will be at your disposal—our chefs will make sure your guests are extremely well fed. And when it comes to drinks, your guests can choose from any of the private bars on each floor of our building.
We would be delighted to bring your dream day to life. Have a look at our wedding brochure to learn more about weddings at Kindred. You are also most welcome to come and see the space for yourself, at no obligation. Simply get in touch with us to arrange it.
