Registrar vs Celebrant & Owl ring bearer

I think this is a question that needs to be raised with your local registry office, as rules vary from area to area. I can't see any legal reason why you can't have owls deliver your rings, but that doesn't mean that every registrar will be happy to officiate at a ceremony that includes owls! Even if you can't book an appointment for giving notice yet, you should be able to get clarification on what is allowed by your particular registry office.

As Romantic Green Stationery said there is no reason why you couldn't just ask the question before the 2 years. Its great the venue are ok with the owl but it might also be an idea to ask the owl people if they think the venue is suitable for flying inside.

If not then they could still come and show the owls during the drinks and photos, I shot a wedding that did just this.

In England (different in Scotland )The main difference between a celebrant and a registrar is that a celebrant lead wedding is not recognised as being a legal ceremony.

But a legal registrar wedding ceremony has restrictions on when and where it can be carried out - you will always hear the first words "this place has been duly sanctioned". An example is that you cannot have the ceremony under a tree in a field.

laws have recently changed but it used to be that you could only get married outside in an approved gazebo or permanent structure that must have a roof. Things have now relaxed since covid that allowed people to get married anywhere outside without a roof so long as the venue already held a licence for inside weddings.

Because of the legal restrictions some people opt to do the legal bit in a register office with minimum fuss/cost and no guests and then have a celebrant officiate at the wedding so you are then free to do anything you like. But a celebrant lead ceremony cannot have words that make it look like a registrar lead wedding so its not allowed to look like a "real wedding" but celebrants are loverly with there words and it will still feel special.

Couples who opt for this path consider the legal bit as just a date and the celebrant part the actual wedding,

Other restrictions for a registrar wedding apart from where and when are that they can not contain any religious aspects - not even a song with the word angels in it.

View quoted message Thank you for your advice, I had a feeling this may be the case!

View quoted message Thank you for all your advice! We've sent the email so we'll hopefully find out more soon. We've also enquired with a local owl person for more info, so we'll wait and see. Thank you!

Hello!

Thank you for helping people get the information they need. Great stuff as usual. Keep up the great work!!!

Go to Mary Kay Intouch

Hi Amy,

Your owl ring bearer idea sounds enchanting! To clarify, a celebrant can design a unique ceremony like yours, but you’ll still need to have a legal marriage through a registrar. The registrar handles the official paperwork and legal aspects of your marriage, which usually requires a visit to the registry office. It’s great that you’re planning ahead; booking with a registrar well in advance will ensure you secure your date. If you’re also interested in personal growth during this time, consider consulting a Spiritual Life Coach in Seattle for added insight and preparation.

If you’re set on having the owl ring bearer, you can go with a celebrant for the personalized ceremony, but you'll still need a registrar to handle the legal marriage paperwork separately.

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