Can Celebrants Legally Marry You? The Answer Depends on Where You Live

This is one of the questions I get asked most, and honestly, the answer surprises a lot of people. It's not a simple yes or no. It depends entirely on where in the UK you're getting married.

Can a wedding celebrant legally marry you in the UK? The answer depends on where you live. Kathryn B Wilson explains the law, and where she's legally married couples herself.

Kathryn at her own wedding in Malta

In Scotland, humanist marriages have been legally recognised since 2005, and it's not a small, niche option there either, more humanist weddings now take place each year than religious ceremonies of every kind combined. In Northern Ireland, humanist marriages became legally recognised in 2018, following a Court of Appeal ruling that found excluding them was a breach of human rights. Humanist weddings now make up around one in seven marriages there. I'm accredited by Humanists UK, and Northern Ireland is somewhere I've had the genuine privilege of legally marrying couples myself, start to finish, no separate ceremony required.

In England and Wales, it's a different story, at least for now. A humanist celebrant can absolutely write and lead your ceremony there, and it can be every bit as meaningful, personal and beautifully crafted as one in Scotland or Northern Ireland. But right now, it isn't legally recognised on its own. Couples in England and Wales who want a humanist ceremony still need a separate legal ceremony too, usually a short appointment at a register office, alongside the celebrant led wedding that actually tells their story.

I know that feels like an odd, slightly bureaucratic wrinkle, and I won't pretend it isn't. The good news is that change is genuinely underway. The Government confirmed in October 2025 that it intends to legally recognise humanist marriages in England and Wales, and launched a public consultation on wedding law reform in July 2026, running through to late September 2026, ahead of legislation being introduced when parliamentary time allows. It's not law yet, and there's no confirmed date for when it will be, but the direction of travel is clear and it's been a long time coming.

Kathryn B Wilson explains the law, and where she's legally married couples herself. Celebrant, Love Celebrants performs a wedding at Clivedon House

So here's the honest, practical answer. If you're marrying in Scotland or Northern Ireland, a humanist celebrant can legally marry you, entirely, with nothing extra needed. If you're marrying in England or Wales, a celebrant led ceremony currently sits alongside a separate legal formality rather than replacing it, though that may well change in the not too distant future. Either way, the ceremony itself, the part everyone actually remembers, can be entirely yours.

If you're planning a wedding and want to talk through what that looks like wherever you're getting married, get in touch and I'll walk you through exactly how it works for you.