There is a big change happening in Wedding Ceremonies in Ireland, as more and more couples, across all sexual orientations, are choosing to be married by a professional Wedding Celebrant, as opposed to the traditional church style ceremony…in the 1990’s in Ireland over 90 percent of couples got married in a catholic church, the number is now less than 50%.
With more people than ever wanting to understand whether a professional Wedding Celebrant is what they want for their big day, I have decided to answer some of the most common questions about Wedding Celebrants that I hear, to help you make the decision that is right for you:
What is a wedding celebrant?
A wedding celebrant is anyone who can officiate a marriage ceremony. Wedding celebrants are love storytellers who are professionally trained and provide ceremonies for couples as they begin a new chapter of their lives together.
This term includes religious leaders who officiate weddings. But typically a wedding celebrant will represent people from all faiths, mixed faiths, or no faiths at all. . This is especially helpful for couples who aren't affiliated with a religion or who come from different religious backgrounds and want to incorporate different aspects of each into the ceremony.
Is a Wedding Celebrant different from a registered Solemniser?
Yes. They can be two different things. A Wedding Celebrant tends to lead the wedding ceremony once the couple are legally married (perhaps at a Registry Office). But they CAN be one and the same.
For example, I am both a Wedding Celebrant AND I am a registered Solemniser. This means I am able to also legally marry a couple during their wedding ceremony. And while legally important, it actually represents a small part of the ceremony.
Many couples nowadays welcome this, so that the same person is able to marry them and lead their ceremony too.
What does a wedding celebrant do?
Officiating weddings is a lot more than writing ceremonies. It’s an energy exchange between the celebrant, the couple, and their invited loved ones. Celebrants are also huge support systems for the couple, as they can lead the actual marriage.
Additionally, wedding celebrants can be an extra-important source of support for couples who may not have the support of their families.
This I’ve found can be particularly important for couples I have been a Wedding Celebrant for, from the LBGTQ+ community. And also for people getting married for a second time, where for example some of their children may not approve. Everyone deserves a second chance at happiness in their lives!
People often seek and welcome advice in this regard.
What does the celebrant say at your wedding?
That is entirely up to you, as the couple getting married. But a good, experienced celebrant such as myself will help you every step of the way, to build a ceremony which reflects your thoughts, belief system, dreams and love, perfectly.
We can go with traditional vows of course and there are lots of options to be creative within the ceremony,and use any text that speaks to you as a couple or incorporate any stories from your time together.
Remembrance candles for loved ones who have passed on, Unity candles, poems, shorter spiritual reflections, music, and many more options are now very popular with couples.
I will always go the extra mile and schedule meetings with my couples, to helpfully understand the bond you share and the future you want together.
This is vitally important and should take place relatively close to the wedding.
I generally meet couples at their home and spend time getting to know them and learning about their story and journey as a couple, this is vitally important to create the right energy between the couple and the celebrant.
This is after all the most important aspect of a wedding day!
How much does a wedding celebrant cost?
It’s difficult to just provide a number as wedding celebrant rates differ so much. The cost of a wedding celebrant will vary based on the location, the length of the ceremony and the level of personalisation – in other words how much time will be needed to deliver the perfect ceremony for you.
As a ballpark, a wedding celebrant can typically cost anything from 400 - 600 Euros.
What do I represent as a celebrant?
I completed a two year training programme as an Interfaith Celebrant, and it was one of the best things I have done in my life.
I carry out ceremonies for people of all faiths and none.
Often one member of a couple may have a particular faith path, and the other may have no faith path at all, or they may be from different faith paths.
In such circumstances I create a ceremony that represents the belief system of both and is representative of both as a couple.
I hope that helps!
When you have been a professional Wedding Celebrant for as long as I have, I assure you, you will be in good hands.
By the time the ceremony comes round, you’ll feel like we’ve been friends for years!
As with every couple I officiate for, I will put my heart and soul into creating the perfect, personalised ceremony on your Big Day!
Contact me on daragh@daraghdoyle.com and in the meantime, click HERE to read my ‘About Me’ page
