Celebrant Options In Ireland

What is a Celebrant

The ceremony is the most important part of your day.   We find people often forget that while planning their wedding.  We tell couples how important it is to hit the right tone from the start so choosing the right celebrant for you is so important. There are so many Celebrant Options In Ireland out there and so many incredible celebrants (sometimes known as an officiant).  When choosing a celebrant, you have to think about what reflects you both as a couple, your personalities and your belief system.

There is currently a lot of choice and it’s not always easy to understand the various options you have, so Coastal Ceremonies are going to attempt to explain the Celebrant Options In Ireland available to you so you can choose the right celebrant for you both and have a ceremony that reflects you both as a couple.

Legal marriages in Ireland

Regardless of the celebrant, or ceremony you both decide on, everyone must follow the same steps in order to be legally married in Ireland. As such, this is the starting point.

All of the information on legal marriages in Ireland is on the HSE website. Irrespective of whether you are an Irish citizen or a foreign national, anyone marrying in Ireland must give three months’ notice before they marry. You must make this notification in person to any Registrar or contact the Registrar and ask them to send you a postal notification form which you can then email to them.  This is a new process as a result of Covid-19 and may change in time. 

If you choose an independent celebrant from Coastal Ceremonies to officiate your wedding ceremony, you can complete the legal signing at a registry office before or after your ceremony. This means that you would firstly need to arrange an initial appointment with the HSE to give notification (which everyone has to do), then later a second appointment to sign your legal document, the Marriage Registration Form.

HSE Approved venues:

If you want a civil (legal) ceremony on a beach or a cliff, it gets a bit tricky.  A legal marriage must be conducted in a HSE approved venue or a venue which is open to the public. Check with your registrar when booking or check what the requirements are for a venue to be approved here

Wedding Celebrants – Your Options 

Coastal Ceremonies are accredited professional celebrants and we can officiate at non-religious, semi religious or mixed faith ceremonies. We have a wide range of Celebrant Options In Ireland. We specialise in Symbolic Wedding Ceremonies including Destination Weddings, Micro Weddings, Elopements, Baby-Naming Ceremonies and Vow Renewals. 

We are part of the Irish Ethical Celebrants Society and as Ethical Celebrants, we celebrate all of life’s milestones including births, wedding ceremonies, vow renewals and coming of age ceremonies.  We provide a modern approach to traditional wedding ceremonies, while always respecting the importance of ritual and ceremony in Irish culture. 

• Where can you get married? We are able to conduct your dream wedding ceremony in your choice of venue with very limited restrictions.  If you want to get married on the Cliffs of Moher, in your back garden, in a hotel venue or on the grounds of a castle, we can officiate your ceremony.  The choices are (almost) endless!

• What days can you get married? Seven days a week.

• Can the Marriage Registration Form be signed during the ceremony? At present, under the “Marriage Provisions of Civil Registration Act 2004” independent ethical celebrants have not been granted the authority to legally sign your marriage certificate. 

Interfaith Ministers from the Earth Spiritualist Foundation.

Ethos/Background: 

Earth Spiritualism is the practice of earth spirituality, an inclusive spiritual practice and way of life for inner peace, health & happiness in daily life in a modern world.  It is founded on a philosophy of kindness, spiritual principles and living in harmony with nature,  Mother Earth, and all living things.

• Where can you get married? Your choice of venue with very limited restrictions
• What days can you get married? Seven days a week
• Can the Marriage Registration Form be signed during the ceremony? Under the “Marriage Provisions of Civil Registration Act 2004”, Interfaith Ministers are all registered solemnisers and may legally solemnise the marriage without a separate registry office

Humanist Celebrants

Ethos/Background: Humanists have no belief in a god or the supernatural, relying on scientific evidence and appreciation of the world around us and the achievements of humans. Humanist ceremonies are secular (non-religious) occasions. One of the tenets of humanism is a tolerance for others who hold different belief systems.

Church weddings

Ethos/Background: When we think of Marriage, the church wedding is often the first ceremony to come to mind. Church weddings as the most common type of weddings in Ireland. Brides and grooms who are religious will often choose to get married in a Catholic Church, typically in their own parish. 

• What days can you get married? Church weddings can take place most days but some parishes do not permit weddings on Sundays. 
• Can the Marriage Registration Form be signed during the ceremony? All members of the clergy are solemnisers so can legally sign your marriage certificate after the religious ceremony in the church. 

HSE Registrars (Civil Weddings)

Ethos/Background: A civil marriage is a marriage performed and recognised by a government official. Civil Weddings may be performed by a religious body and recognised by the state, or it may be entirely secular.

• Where can you get married? Most popular wedding venues are HSE approved (check when booking), so HSE registrars can come to your venue and legally marry you in your wedding venue. 

• What days can you get married?  HSE registrars are available on Monday to Friday. 

• Can the Marriage Registration Form be signed during the ceremony?  All HSE registrars are solemnisers so can sign your MRF at the ceremony.

Wedding Statistics

Here are some interesting marriage statistics from the Central Statistics Office. The following statistics were published in April 2020 in Ireland.

• The number of all marriages (opposite and same sex) registered in 2019 was 20,313.
• In 2019, religious ceremonies accounted for 59% of all marriages.
• The majority of non-religious ceremonies were civil marriages at 31.6% of all marriages.
• There were 640 same sex marriages in 2019.
• Over 62% of same sex couples had civil marriage ceremonies.
• August is the most popular month to get married in Ireland.

Wedding Planning Services

Coastal Ceremonies hope this has attempted to clear up some of the confusion around the various choices you are now faced with. There is so much choice between amazing wedding celebrants in Ireland. 

It is important to remember it is your special day, so choose the right celebrant (ceremony officiant) for your wedding. Think about what reflects you both as a couple, your personalities, your belief system. Contact Coastal Ceremonies if you want to discuss any aspects of your ceremony or your Celebrant Options In Ireland. We would love to chat.