We married abroad but would like a ceremony in my home town, can this be done?

A huge draw of Celebrant led weddings is the plethora of venue options where you can hold your service, including ceremonies abroad. But a popular aspect of these ceremonies is that it gives you the option to have both home and away.

For those that can’t attend your abroad wedding, you could use a celebrant to renew your vows back home or have a second wedding altogether. This is a wonderful way to continue the celebrations and ensure that all of your loved ones can join you for your special day.

Can a Celebrant legally marry us?

Most celebrant-led weddings are not legally binding, so it is likely that you will use your abroad wedding as the ‘official’ service.

In England and Wales, celebrants are unable to legally marry a couple. However, in Scotland, Jersey and Northern Ireland you can have a legal celebrant-led wedding if you use a humanist celebrant.

In Australia and New Zealand, qualified independent celebrants can legally perform a marriage or civil union. Likewise, in the US you can become officially “ordained” and then legally marry a couple.

If your celebrant cannot legally marry you, then you will need to sign your wedding certificate and make the marriage “official” elsewhere, such as in a registry office.

But this is changing, gradually! The Wedding Celebrant Commission and Humanists UK are lobbying to extend the rights of celebrants in the UK and Wales. We may see some positive changes very soon!