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Beginner July 2023 Wiltshire

Celebrant and Registrar confusion

Jess, 28 September, 2021 at 14:09 Posted on Planning 0 1

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Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to book a venue soon with the plan being to have the ceremony at the same venue as the reception with a registrar coming out to us. However, we recently found out this restricts us on the wording and songs we can have (we would like a mixture of religious and non-religious readings and music). So I have been researching celebrants which seems like the ideal solution but I'm confused by the process... If a celebrant does our ceremony, can we go to the registry office that same day so the date on the certificate is the same? Or do we go to the registry before the actual wedding day? Or does a registrar still have to be hired for the day to do the legal bit that the celebrant cant do?

The fact that things are changing to a marriage schedule also confuses me... does this mean we wont sign a schedule/certicate on the actual day?

Thank you!

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Latest activity by Andrea, 28 September, 2021 at 15:05

Curious October 2021 Berkshire
Andrea · 28 September, 2021 at 15:05
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As far as I understand it registrar weddings have to be completely non-religious, therefore the legal part of the wedding (unless you marry in a church) would not be able to have any religious references. I don't know about a celebrant but I guess if its not an official/legal ceremony then you can have what you want. You could have an early registry office wedding to do the legal bit then have your preferred ceremony later that day or in the same week at the venue and have the readings and music you want. Its up to you how many people you invite to each part but it could mean that not many people see the legal ceremony, my sister for example had a registry office wedding on the Wednesday with just immediate family members and then had a sort of re-do without the legal part the following Saturday with all their friends and family on their farm.
As for the marriage schedule, you still sign on the day although its not in the official register, it will still look much the same as it always has. But you won't receive the marriage certificate on the day as that only comes after the details have been logged on the online system now. Our registrar has said that if we still want the symbolism of being given the marriage certificate, we can buy a certificate box and they will present it to us at the end of the ceremony as they would have previously done with the certificate. We're not worried about doing that as its just something else to get lost but you may feel its something you want.
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