What’s the difference between a registrar and celebrant?
What’s the difference between a registrar and a celebrant I hear you ask?
It’s a good question and one that not many people know the answer to due to the word ‘celebrant’ being a relatively new term that seems to be used more and more.
What a registrar does…
It might help if I explain what a registrar does (if you don’t already know), a registrar is an official who oversees and keeps records of births, deaths and marriages so for example if you don’t fancy a church wedding then a registrar is the only alternative to getting married legally so they play an essential role with making the weddings official.
However as much as registrars play an important role, they are very tick box orientated, they have to say set words and adhere to set procedures so although they get the legal bit done it’s all a bit impersonal.
What a celebrate does…
This is where celebrants come in as once you have the legal paperwork in place (which costs roughly £80 at a registry office mid-week) a celebrant can work with you to create a bespoke and meaningful ceremony where you can invite your friends and family to mark your special day.
What will the ceremony include…. well, that’s totally up to you but the beauty with working with a celebrant is we can make your event anything you want to it be.
What a lot of people don’t know is that celebrants can incorporate a ring exchange, vows, signing of a certificate, poems, songs, the list is endless as we have no restrictions as to what’s included within the ceremony.
The other difference with a celebrant is we can conduct the ceremony literally anywhere (!), whereas registrars must operate within a ‘licensed premises’. So, whether your wedding is going to be in a plush venue or down the village hall we can officiate the ceremony.
So, in summary the below are the key differences…
What a Registrar is accountable for…
The tick box legal bit when it comes to births, deaths and marriages.
What a Celebrant is accountable for…
Creating a bespoke ceremony incorporating as many elements as you would like in any location you desire.
If you would like more information then contact me, I love to chat about all things celebrant