Series: Celebrant or Registrar? 6. Marriage landscape is changing for the better, thanks to the fantastic work of the Celebrants!

The times and trends, they are a changing! Thanks to the fantastic work of Celebrants marking life’s milestones with such heart and aplomb the wedding industry and traditions have slowly turned toward Celebrant-led ceremonies being the first choice. I hope this is being read by some suppliers of the wedding industry because frustratingly some venues and planners are still under the misconception that a registrar is the ‘go-to’ for a wedding ceremony and prompt their couples down that route. I get it though, particularly if they have been in the bureaucratic throes and expense of applying for or renewing a venue licence. When I married in the 90s I remember this discussion, it was assumed that the choice was church or the register office, it was all about the ‘done thing’, and my wedding day was, for the most part, not fitting of our character, our beliefs, our relationship or how I have ever hosted a celebration since. Marriage has adapted, over the centuries in the UK, to the changing needs and beliefs in society. Way back, around 500AD, marriage was used as a strategic or political tactic. It was to meet community need or benefits, to stop conflict, to increase status or enhance opportunities for families by marrying into wealth. Marriages could take place anywhere but in 1753 the Marriage Act brought it into a religious context insisting that all ceremonies must be in a venue recognised by the Church of England. In 1836 the option to have non-religious ceremonies was afforded by the establishment of Register Offices in towns and cities (The law of marriage - UK Parliament). Celebrancy also has roots in ancient civilisations but in the 20th Century in the UK and other western countries their popularity grew as an alternative to religious ceremonies. Marriage has changed more in this century than it has for millennia. Thankfully it has become a celebration of love and connections, so following suit (as no two couples are the same) the nature of weddings have changed to better reflect this, giving couples choice about how they make the ultimate commitment and express their love. In the UK, in 2004, long overdue amendment granted civil partnerships for gay couples and in 2013 they were granted equal marriage rights, so couples can have a religious ceremony if they choose as religious organisations can opt in to perform gay marriages. As for any future reform, public consultation performed in 2014 returned a majority in favour of permitting further law change, but the government at that time decided against it on legal and technical grounds. We only have, at this point, speculation about whether the government will take the recommendations forward, but many are hopeful that more choice enhancing change is afoot.