Humanist, Registrar or Church Weddings: Which Ceremony Is Right For You?

When it comes to planning your wedding, one of the biggest decisions you’ll both need to make is the type of ceremony you want. Do you dream of a traditional church service, maybe in your childhood church where your parents were married, or a more simple, legally binding registrar ceremony at a town hall or plush hotel, or lastly a personalised humanist wedding led by a celebrant literally anywhere you can imagine? They’re quite different from one another, and each option offers a very different experience for you on your wedding day. I’ve photographed weddings in big London town halls, barns, trains, bandstands, hotels, churches, chapels, hilly countryside, fields, under trees, in orchards, by lakes… the options for your ceremony are so broad these days, couples are spoilt for choice. So the question is which one is right for you? Below, we’ll explore the differences between each, including feel & benefits, and why you might choose one over the other.

Humanist Wedding Ceremony

A humanist wedding ceremony is led by a humanist or celebrant and is all about you as a couple. It’s very personal and flexible – there are no rights or wrongs about what you can include in your ceremony, which is written entirely from scratch, so no two ceremonies are ever the same.

  • The feel: Personal, warm, and completely unique to you
  • The focus: Your love story, values, and personalities of you as a couple

Humanist ceremonies can often include symbolic rituals such as hand-fasting or a ring blessing/ warming. You can write your own personalised vows, choose music that means something special to you, and involve friends and family in readings or performances. There’s no limit to what you can do.

Where can you have a humanist wedding?

Pretty much anywhere—on a beach, in a woodland, on a train, in your garden, or at a licensed venue.

Benefits of a humanist ceremony:

  • They’re totally flexible and tailored to you
  • No restrictions on music, readings, or wording
  • Inclusive of all backgrounds and beliefs
  • They can be 10 mins or an hour in length- you decide
  • Guests often leave saying it was the most personal ceremony they’ve ever witnessed

Things to consider:

In England and Wales, humanist weddings aren’t yet legally binding (though they are in Scotland and Northern Ireland). So many couples complete the legal paperwork at a register office on a separate day, and then hold their humanist ceremony as the main celebration witnessed by their guests.

Registrar Wedding Ceremony

A registrar ceremony is a civil wedding conducted by a registrar from your local council. It’s the most common non-religious wedding in the UK and is legally binding.

  • The feel: Formal but simple, with some room for personalisation.
  • The focus: The legal act of marriage

Where can you have a registrar ceremony?

In a register office, a licensed wedding venue like a hotel, barn or country house, or sometimes outdoors at approved locations.

Benefits of a registrar ceremony:

  • Legally binding in one go
  • Very straightforward to organise
  • More affordable if held in a registry office itself
  • Usually 20-30 mins in length

Things to consider:

  • Limited flexibility—you can usually choose from set vows and readings
  • No religious content is allowed (no hymns, prayers, or biblical readings)
  • May feel less personal or intimate compared to a celebrant-led wedding

Church Wedding Ceremony

A church wedding ceremony is a religious service conducted by a vicar, priest, or other ordained minister and is ideal for couples with a strong faith, it carries deep spiritual meaning.

  • The feel: Sacred, traditional, and timeless
  • The focus: Your marriage as a covenant before God

Where can you have a church wedding?

In a church, chapel, or other place of worship—usually linked to your parish or faith community.

Benefits of a church wedding:

  • Rich in tradition, history, and symbolism if that is important to you
  • Automatically legally binding
  • Often accompanied by beautiful music, architecture, and ritual
  • Usuallly 45 mins to 1 hour in length

Things to consider:

  • Only suitable if at least one of you has a strong connection to the church or faith
  • Less flexibility in structure, wording, and music
  • May feel more formal than other options

Which Wedding Ceremony Is Right for You?

  • Choose a humanist wedding if you want a completely personal celebration with total freedom to create something meaningful and very unique to you both
  • Choose a registrar wedding if you want a simple, straightforward, legally binding ceremony with some personal touches (for more info and guidance on registry office and registrar-led weddings go to Registry Office UK)
  • Choose a church wedding if your faith and tradition are central to your lives and you want a spiritual aspect to your ceremony

Some couples want a combination of approaches, and over the years, I’ve photographed many types—for example, doing the legal part with a registrar and immediate family only, and then holding a humanist wedding to celebrate with all family and friends. Or having a registrar ceremony with church blessing. You decide what works for you.

Your ceremony is the heart of your wedding day. Whether you choose the freedom and very personal approach of a humanist ceremony, the efficiency of a registrar service, or the tradition of a church wedding, the most important thing is that it reflects who you are as a couple. If you’d like to know more about how I’d cover your wedding celebrations contact me here.

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