EDITED AND UPDATED JULY 2026

When thinking about your wedding, you may be wondering, can our celebrant legally marry us? Well, the simple answer to that question in the UK is still a no, sadly, BUT, finally I can report that change is coming!!!

On the 16th July 2026 Government launched the consultation on Wedding Law in England and Wales, which outlines moving to an officiant-based system, whereby the officiant (e.g. celebrant, registrar, minister) would be licensed to carry out the marriage rather than the venue in which the marriage takes place. This is similar to the system in place in Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada.

And YOU have the right to be involved in what happens next. Although it’s looking extremely positive we are not quite there, and we have 10 weeks, until mid September to make our voices heard. We expect the registration service to push back hard against the changes as weddings are a huge cash cow for local councils. So don’t think someone else will fill in the government form, GET INVOLVED, please.

The link is here https://consult.justice.gov.uk/family-justice/reforming-weddings-law-in-england-and-wales/

If it goes through then brilliant, but for 2027 couples it’s a big ask, so I personally think you will still need to legalise your marriage at the registry office. Then we can create a ceremony to celebrate your marriage. This ceremony can include your vows, promises and exchange of rings. In fact, it can include anything you like – nothing has to be included and anything can be left out. It’s that simple.

 

 

 

“We chose Sue as the celebrant for our wedding after being unable to get a registrar for the date of our wedding, and we are so glad we did! From the very first meeting we had Sue kept in touch and kept us informed, always sending us drafts of our ceremony to make sure it was perfect. We had multiple meetings with Sue so she could get to know me and Josh and really made our ceremony personal. She made sure that our ceremony ran smoothly and everything was organised. So much time and effort was put into our ceremony from Sue and this was made clear when it finally came down to the day and Sue conducted our ceremony. All our guests commented on how nice it was and how lovely Sue was as a person too.

It wasn’t our first plan to have a celebrant led ceremony, but it was so much better than having a registrar and we are so lucky we found Sue. Thank you so much!”

And this is why celebrant led weddings are becoming the “in” thing. Unlike a registrar, a celebrant should never present you with a few templates to choose from. Your wedding ceremony will be personal to you. So when you are asking, can a celebrant do a legal wedding, remember that no, she can’t just yet, but a celebrant can create an awesome wedding.

For more information jump on my contact page, let’s chat weddings.

https://celebrantsuzi.co.uk/contact/