Why I Love Celebrant Weddings (and How the Legal Bit Works)
Some of my favourite ceremonies have started with a shot of tequila, happened right next to a row of beach huts, or finished with the dog putting a paw print on the certificate. The common theme? They were all celebrant weddings.
A celebrant wedding is a ceremony written around the two of you and led by a celebrant instead of a registrar. It can happen pretty much anywhere you like, from a field at the bottom of a farm to the woods you walk the dog in, and it can include whatever means something to you: the story of how you met, a handfasting, your nan doing a reading, the kids handing over the rings.
I’m Dave, a documentary wedding photographer based in Kimberley, Nottingham, and I’ve photographed a lot of celebrant ceremonies, from barns in Nottinghamshire to a beach in Devon. Here’s why I love them, what they’re like to photograph, and how the legal side works right now.
Last updated 15 October 2026
What a celebrant actually does
A celebrant gets to know you before the wedding, then writes and leads a ceremony that’s about you: how you met, what you’re like together, the things your friends tease you about. There’s no set script, so you can keep the traditions you love, ditch the ones you don’t, and add the things a civil ceremony won’t allow, like readings with spiritual or religious content, rituals, songs or family joining in.
Some celebrants are humanist celebrants, who create non-religious ceremonies. Others are independent celebrants, who’ll include whatever matters to you.
Why I love them
Mostly it comes down to how personal they are. A celebrant ceremony is built around the couple, their loves and their interests, and you can see that in the room. A few of my favourites:
Evie and Tom: when Evie and her dad reached the end of the aisle at Willow Marsh Farm, the three of them, Evie, her dad and Tom, knocked back a tequila to get the ceremony started.
Lizzy and Richard got married on the beach at Saunton Sands in North Devon, right by the beach huts & signed shells along with their guests during the ceremony.
Lisa and George were married at Cedar Hollow: a woodland with a wardrobe you could walk through and a zip line. They wove spiritual elements into the ceremony, a lot of them pagan, and in a place that already felt like Narnia, it fitted perfectly. They also had a handfasting, with their hands tied together in braided cords while they made their promises. We had one at our own wedding too.
Sabrina and Tim got married in their garden in Beeston and had a ring warming. Their rings went round the guests in a little pouch, so everyone could hold them for a moment and add a wish before they were exchanged. Tim was in tears for most of the ceremony.
Ellie and Edward’s dog “signed” the certificate with a paw print. Good luck getting a registrar to accept a paw print! They also filled a wooden crate with messages from their guests and a bottle of bubbly to open on their anniversary, then hammered the lid shut there and then.
Aleck and Joanna combined their surnames but didn’t tell anyone what the new one would be. At Wollaton Hall, Louise revealed it with a game of hangman. Any guesses from the letter already revealed?
Christine and Paul at Sedgewell Barn played a game of Throw Throw Burrito to decide who’d say their vows first. When the best man “forgot” the rings, an owl turned up as ring bearer instead.
And at almost every one, the celebrant tells stories about the couple, some touching, some very funny.
What changes for me as a photographer
Quite a lot, and all of it in a good way:
- They’re usually longer, so there’s more time to move around and catch the ceremony from different angles.
- More people react. Because the ceremony is personal, guests laugh, cry, nudge each other and turn round to look at someone. That’s what makes ceremony photos worth looking at.
- Celebrants want the best for their couples, photos included, so they tend to be laid back about where I stand and just let me do my thing.
- You can have it almost anywhere: a woodland, a beach, your own garden, a warehouse in Birmingham.
“All our friends and family sung his praises not just as an incredible photographer but fitting in perfectly to our intimate small wedding.”
Aleck, celebrant wedding at Wollaton Hall
Where you can have one
Pretty much anywhere you can gather your people, as long as the venue or landowner is happy. Some of the celebrant weddings I’ve photographed:
- Willow Marsh Farm, East Leake (Evie and Tom) — see my Willow Marsh Farm venue guide
- Wollaton Hall, Nottingham (Aleck and Joanna) — see my Wollaton Hall venue guide
- Rufford Mill, Nottinghamshire (Megan and Will) — see my Rufford Mill venue guide
- Fazeley Studios, Birmingham (Emma and Bea)
- Cedar Hollow, near Oxford (Lisa and George)
- Saunton Sands, North Devon (Lizzy and Richard)
- Stone Siding, Northamptonshire (Ellie and Edward)
- The Stables Wedding Farm, Oldham (Leila and Steve)
- Sedgewell Barn, North Yorkshire (Christine and Paul)
- Their own garden in Beeston, Nottingham (Sabrina and Tim)
- Overgrown Acres, Cotgrave, now closed (Alice and Keiron)
How the legal bit works right now
In England and Wales, a celebrant can’t legally marry you at the moment. To be legally married you also need a civil ceremony with a registrar. Most couples go for the simplest version at their local register office: the two of you, two witnesses, the legal words and the signing. You’ll need to give notice at the register office at least 29 days before. (In Scotland the rules are different.)
It doesn’t have to be on the same day. Most of my couples do it on a different day, so I usually don’t see it at all but happy to be involved if you want me there.
When we got married, Liz Phelps, my wife’s old English teacher, led our ceremony and we did the legal bit the day before, with the bare minimum of spoken words. It actually took longer for the registrar to write out the certificate than to say the legal words, so we had a chat with the other registrar while the paperwork got signed, then headed to our venue to get the last bits sorted for the proper celebration.
If you’d like the legal bit photographed, or somewhere nicer than an office for it, Nottingham Council House and The Chapel on the Hill in Kimberley are two register office venues I know well.
Could the law change?
Hopefully! The government’s Tying the Knot consultation ran from 16 July to 24 September 2026. It proposes regulating who conducts a wedding rather than where it happens, and asked whether independent celebrants should be able to conduct legal weddings. Nothing has changed yet, and any new law will come when parliamentary time allows. I’ll update this post when it does.
The downsides, honestly
I can only really think of two. You’ll have the legal bit to organise separately, though it doesn’t have to be the same day and it’s quick. And it’s an extra cost on top of the celebrant. For how personal your ceremony gets to be, I think that’s 100% worth it.
Awesome celebrants I've worked with
Kickass Gatherings
Louise, Nottingham. A humanist celebrant, trained with Humanists UK, writing relaxed, fun and personalised ceremonies. She doesn’t assume you want any of the usual bits, from the walk down the aisle to a name change.
Evie and Tom, Aleck and Joanna, Alice and Keiron, Ellie and Edward.
Your Best Life Celebrant
Helen Phillips, Leeds. Humanist ceremonies across Yorkshire and the North. She led Christine and Paul’s at Sedgewell Barn, the one with the Throw Throw Burrito vows and the owl ring bearer.
Christine and Paul.
Gem of a Wedding
Paignton, Devon. Ceremonies on the Devon coast and countryside. Gem led Lizzy and Richard’s on the beach at Saunton Sands, right by the huts.
Lizzy and Richard.
Queer Ceremonies
Lisa, Loughborough. Inclusive ceremonies for LGBTQ+ couples. She led Emma and Bea’s at Fazeley Studios in Birmingham.
Emma and Bea.
Eva Greenslade
Sussex. An Earth Path celebrant who holds handfastings and other rites of passage, with a nature-based, pagan feel.
Lisa and George.
Leni Robson
Derby. An independent celebrant who’ll include whatever matters to you, religious or not. Her process is “Chat. Create. Celebrate.”
Megan and Will.
Tying the Knot Ceremonies
Rob Dale, Leeds. Humanist weddings, vow renewals and partnership ceremonies across Yorkshire and beyond, anything from unconventional to stripped-back.
Aspen and Bea.
Infinite Celebrations by Jas
Jas, Nottingham. An independent celebrant whose motto is “One size really does not fit all”, doing weddings, vow renewals and Asian weddings.
Sabrina and Tim.
Celebrant Number 1
Lucy Taylor, Torquay, travelling nationwide. She led Leila and Steve’s at The Stables Wedding Farm in Oldham.
Leila and Steve.
Celebrant wedding FAQs
Are celebrant weddings legal in England?
Not on their own, yet. You’ll also need a short civil ceremony with a registrar, which can be on a different day.
Do we still need a registrar?
Yes, for the legal part. Most couples do the simplest register office ceremony with two witnesses.
Can the legal ceremony be on a different day?
Yes. Lots of couples do it days or weeks before. We did ours the day before.
Can we have a celebrant ceremony outdoors?
Yes. I’ve photographed them on a beach, in woodland and in a couple’s own garden. You just need the venue’s or landowner’s permission.
What is a handfasting?
It’s a ritual where your hands are tied together with cords or ribbon while you make your promises. Lisa and George had one at Cedar Hollow, and we had one at our own wedding.
What is a ring warming?
Before the rings are exchanged, they’re passed round your guests so everyone can hold them for a moment and add a wish. Sabrina and Tim’s went round in a little pouch.
What's the difference between a celebrant and a registrar?
A registrar conducts the legal ceremony and has a set structure and limits on content. A celebrant writes a ceremony around you, with no script, but can’t legally marry you in England and Wales at the moment.
Planning a celebrant wedding?
If you’re planning a celebrant wedding and want someone to document it as it happens, I’d love to hear about it. Have a look at my pricing, or drop me a message.