The first thing most newly engaged couples think about is wedding venue or location. But now due to Covid-19 each couple have a lot more to consider. Guidelines are changing all of the time, so whether you are going ahead with your original planned wedding date, or if you are working on a Plan B for your big day, or are currently planning your ceremony for 2022 or beyond, hopefully the following information will help.
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.
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.
Whatever way you choose to marry, (i.e. through a civil (legal), secular (non-religious) or religious ceremony), the registration process is the same. You are issued with a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) by the Registrar, following your notification appointment, which gives you authorisation to get married. To be legally married, the MRF (sometimes referred to as a marriage licence) must be signed after your ceremony by a Solemniser. A Solemniser is a person who is authorised to perform civilly (legally) recognised marriages in Ireland. It includes civil registrars who are employees of the Health Service Executive, Humanists and members of the various religious denominations who are nominated by their religious bodies. Full details of Solemnisers in Ireland are here
So, if you are having a religious ceremony in a church or with an Interfaith Minister, Humanist or Spiritualist celebrant, the MRF is passed on to the HSE registered solemniser (Priest, registered Interfaith Minister, Humanist or Spiritualist celebrant) who will witness the signing of this document at your ceremony.
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.
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
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.
As accredited celebrants we are dedicated to promoting the use of ceremony to help each client create a ceremony that reflects the couple’s beliefs, philosophy of life, personal stories and personality.
Coastal Ceremonies will ensure your ceremony reflects you both as a couple and can help you bring your ideas and vision to life and create a ceremony that you and your guests will never forget, reflecting your own beliefs, personality and style.
We can officiate many types of wedding ceremonies and include any cultural additions or traditions that are meaningful to you both, such as a Celtic hand fasting, sand ceremony and so on. For more information about our wedding ceremonies click here
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.
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.
Ethos/Background: Spiritualists believe that when the physical body passes, the spirit body lives on and they can connect and communicate with the spirit body.
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.
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.
Here are some interesting marriage statistics from the Central Statistics Office. The following statistics were published in April 2020 in Ireland.
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.
~ Arrigo Boito