Read on to find out more about the role and duties of a celebrant, and see if it is right for you wedding….

So, what is a celebrant? We at Your Suffolk Wedding have had the pleasure of getting to know a few independent celebrants this year, but what is a celebrant and what do they do? We asked Ruth (her/she) from  ceremonies by ruth to help us answer this for you!

Q: So Ruth, what is a celebrant?
RUTH: A celebrant is essentially a storyteller who creates a unique wedding ceremony around each couple’s love story reflecting the dreams and visions they have for their wedding day.

Q: That must make it very special knowing that each ceremony you provide is specific to the couple’s you are marrying. But Ruth, what are the legalities of having a celebrant do the service of your wedding?

RUTH: Unfortunately, at the moment Celebrants in England and Wales cannot perform the legal aspect of marriage registration. Hopefully a change in the law is coming! – But that is still a few months away. However, the paperwork is very easily completed at a registry office with a “simple 2 x 2” ceremony. The couple will take two witnesses and within a matter of 15 minutes approximately, the paperwork is completed.

The law change Ruth speaks about is a change to the common law where currently couples can choose between a religious ceremony or a civil ceremony where there is no flexibility in the choice of words or the differing religious aspects of one or both persons. The proposed law is that weddings conducted by non-religious organisations or independent celebrants will be allowed to be legally binding.

Q: So although the main difference between a registrar and a celebrant is the legal aspect of the marriage – why should couples book a celebrant rather than a civil service by a registrar?

RUTH: By booking a independent celebrant, you have the freedom to hold your ceremony anywhere you want. If the venue of your dreams isn’t licensed by the council, then no problem, go ahead and book it and then book me as your celebrant! If you want to have your wedding on a beach (I do love a beach wedding) or at your local pub or even in your back garden, pick a date and then book me! There are simply no rules and nothing is off limit when booking a celebrant (well, maybe my sky diving days are over, but you get my drift!)

From speaking to Ruth separately from this interview, she also spoke about how she can also incorporate religious aspects into the service as well, in forms of prayer or readings – giving couples the freedom to celebrate their cultures, beliefs and traditions in a way that suits and fits them as a couple rather than be tied to a set process by use of words that are statutory, contractual, in a licensed or religious venue . 

Q: What made you becoming a celebrant? 

RUTH: My son had a celebrant led wedding in Australia a few years ago and I adored the freedom they had to write their own vows and include family members in their ceremony. It was a wedding completely different to the standard ones I had been to before. When I came back from his wedding I immediately looking into training to be a celebrant and here I am!

Q: What type of service do you most love doing?

RUTH: Oh, I love weddings and naming days (lets face it, who wouldn’t?). I spend my whole day talking to couples about their love stories and exciting wedding plans or talking to parents about how together, we can create a unique, wedding day/ naming ceremony for their much loved children. 

Whilst speaking to Ruth on a separate occasion, she happened to mention that when planning a wedding service, she sends a set of questions to both persons to complete in their own time. Questions that tell her their own versions of how they met, when they knew they fell in love etc. She said to us that reading these are one of the best parts of her service, sitting down with a glass of wine to read them and often shedding a tear at the love shared between them both. – She said often, you get a person who is struggling to write their vows and she refers them back to the questionnaire she sent them as she said they are usually already written within the answers they give!

Q: What qualifies you to be a celebrant? 

RUTH: I hold the National Qualification called NOCN Level 3 Diploma in Couples and Naming which is the highest celebrant qualification in the UK.

Q: What has been your favourite wedding moment you’ve been celebrant for? 

RUTH: A couple wanted to include a Celtic hand tying moment where I bind ribbons around their hands and as they pull them apart a knot is formed hence the old saying “Tying the Knot”. Well in this ceremony the couple wanted to included their Mums’ so as they tied their ribbons to add their blessing to the marriage I asked the guests to silently take a moment to send our couple all their love and best wishes, which would then be captured in the knot. I heard a collective AAAH from the guests and I knew my words had hit the spot, just a beautiful moment!

Q: What was the funniest moment of a wedding you’ve been celebrant at? 

RUTH: A couple wanted their baby boy to be the ring bearer and he entered in the arms of his uncle. He took the first ring from the box but then didn’t want to hand it over to his mum! When the uncle finally managed to prose the ring from his fingers we continued with the to exchange vows with the ring – only to find out it was in fact the wrong ring!

If you would like to know more about Ruth and independent celebrants for your wedding day, you can contact her through our website link  here.