Regular social media followers will know that here at Celebrant in Cornwall we’re not just about promoting our own business; we go the extra mile to champion ALL professional celebrancy - because independent celebrants really ARE the experts when it comes to celebrating love!
So while browsing a council registration service’s web pages recently, I was fascinated by these gems of information aimed at those booking a wedding ceremony:
“Here, at My XXXX Wedding, we are the keepers of enchantment, creating bespoke and legal ceremonies that weave together the threads of your unique love story. ”
“We stand ready to transform your dreams into something truly magical.”
“It's not just weddings and civil ceremonies that we're experts in. We offer a range of other important family events that are cause for celebration.”
“Embrace the extraordinary and create unforgettable memories with us.”
Now, unlike many celebrants who don’t (or won’t) stick their necks out for fear of negative fallout, I will - and I think I stand for most independent celebrants when I say, this really is a load of baloney. In fact, it sounds exactly like the words an independent celebrant would use to describe their business.
Because local government officers do NOT specialise in crafting bespoke and 'magical' ceremonies; they specialise in completing the legal requirements to legally process and record your marriage. The specialists in crafting personalised ceremonies, the 'keepers of enchantment' are, of course, independent professional celebrants.
Local government officers are NOT experts in other family events - why would they be experts? These ‘family event’ ceremonies (i.e renewal of vows and namings) are not a legal service - the councils view them as another income stream they can tap into, but to say they are experts is definitely stretching the truth. When I worked for a local authority I did one renewal of vows and one naming ceremony in the whole year I was there! One ceremony does not make someone an expert..
And as to embracing the extraordinary, I sense a major overdose of artistic licence here!
So really, it’s no surprise that Joe Public is confused by what the registration office IS actually offering - because now, they sound just like celebrants!
But perhaps - that’s the whole idea? And perhaps that’s why registrars have now even started calling themselves celebrants (or celebrant registrars) - hoping this smoke and mirrors approach will baffle and bemuse more couples into booking.
However, consistency is clearly not the local authority’s strong point, as we spotted this advert just the other day - and these were the opening three lines of the recruitment pitch:
“Ceremony Registrar (Celebrant)
Do you have spare time especially on Saturdays?
Would you like to be part of someone’s special day and earn some extra income?"
So - the role of a celebrant registrar - not exactly a specialised, expert, extraordinary service, when you refer to it as an occasional Saturday job in which to earn a bit of pocket money*…?
Which is why, here at Celebrant in Cornwall, we will continue to advocate that registrars should do what they do best - the legal words and paperwork - and expert professional celebrants should do what they do best - craft and deliver ceremonies from the heart. #justsaying #keepersofenchantment
*£13.83 an hour...
UPDATE: 7 January 2025
After publishing and promoting this blog, the Registration Service in question took quite an interest in my opinions (don't ask me how I know that, but we have intel!) - and today when I visited their site it seems they have ditched their 'celebratory' and 'tailored' celebrant-led wedding ceremonies - for the time being, at least - AND they had heavily edited the words and phrases I had formerly referred to. (The 'keepers of enchantment' is a new thing which tickled me and so I added it into this blog!) Sadly they are still talking about "bespoke, legal celebrant-led ceremonies" so the confusion is not quite over - but this is progress!!
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