Having a wedding celebrant

Hi

This is kind-of what we're doing! We're doing the "legal" bit in a church the week before, being married by the vicar who will then "marry" us again the week after!

At the church, we're just having parents and kids (and any of the regular church goers that want to watch). For the event the week after, we have 160 people turning up to watch, most won't know that we're already married.

After the ceremony, we'll be see signing something - this will just be a copy of our vows.

And then, its party time!

I don't think it will take away the feeling of getting married on the day.. plus... you get two wedding anniversaries to celebrate in the future!

Do it - have fun and enjoy both days!

Mr_P

I got married the day before our Wedding and for use it did nothing to take away from the big day. The two are totally seperate events and for me I did feel that being married that day before took a little of the pressure away and made the day easier to enjoy.

On a another note, I have photographed a number of couples who have done exactly what you are thinking about, and each Wedding day has been full or laughter and sincere joy and happiness.

It is of course entirely up to you, I will say get a good celebrant one that will ensure to capture the feeling of the moment.

One problem is remembering which day is my Wedding anniversary , I get it wrong most of the time but I now have an excuse

It's a really good option and can give you a lot more freedom. For example, you can't have ANY religious content in a civil ceremony but you can with an independent celebrant.

Also, costs can be lower. The "registration only" service at the register office is usually £50 to £75 if you book on the days it's available. Then celebrants can be in the £250 to £450 range. Registrars are often £500 on a weekend.

Your guests will have no idea that your ceremony is not the legal part, you don't need to tell anyone!

I am an Independent celebrant and having discussed this at length with my clients I know they didn't consider the day they registered their marriage as their wedding day and treated it as a formality and to do the paperwork in the same way as other registrations eg:

When you are born you have a birth date.....date your birth is registered...date you are christened/named

When you die, you have a date of death....date your death is registered...date of your funeral

with a wedding....date you became engaged....date you registered your marriage...Wedding day!

My couples celebrate their wedding ceremony date for future anniversaries as this was the day they exchanged rings and vows. Everyone is different and it's all about what is important to you most. Xx