Q: What qualification will I need to become a wedding celebrant with the power to conduct legal marriages when the law changes?
A: Nobody knows… yet.
And that’s important.
Since the Government announced its proposals to reform wedding law in England and Wales, there has been a lot of discussion about what qualifications celebrants will supposedly need in order to become legally recognised officiants.
So let’s clear something up.
At the moment, there is no specified qualification that celebrants have been told they will need.
The Government consultation proposes allowing independent officiants to conduct legally binding weddings and makes it clear that there will need to be proper training, regulation and oversight.
We wholeheartedly agree.
But the detail of exactly what that training will look like has not yet been decided.
What does the consultation actually say?
The consultation talks about independent officiants completing ‘recognised training’. When discussing how approved membership organisations might appoint and oversee officiants, it gives ‘Ofqual approved courses’ as an example. This example is given once in the whole 170 page document in a ‘maybe something like this’ way.
Example. Not confirmed requirement.
It does not say that celebrants will have to hold a particular Level 3 Diploma. And it certainly does not say that everyone will need an NOCN qualification.
In fact, the Government has been consulting on some pretty fundamental questions about how the whole system should operate – including who should regulate independent officiants, what role membership organisations should play and who should actually deliver the required training.
The consultation proposes that approved membership organisations could be responsible for providing training, subject to regulatory oversight. But these are proposals, not the final framework.
There is still a considerable amount to be worked out before anyone can say with certainty what the route to becoming a legally authorised independent officiant will be.
Will existing celebrants need more training?
Almost certainly.
And we actually think that’s a good thing.
Being given the power to conduct a legally binding marriage brings responsibilities that simply aren’t part of the independent celebrant’s current role.
Future legal officiants are likely to need training around the legal requirements of marriage, capacity and consent, forced, predatory and sham marriages and whatever administrative and regulatory responsibilities form part of the eventual system.
So yes, those of us already working as celebrants should expect to have some homework to do. But think of the benefits… you will have the whole wedding market open up to you. No more competing against the Registration Service on an uneven playing field.
Whether your upskilling or training from scratch, the ability to conduct legally-binding ceremonies will be a game changer.
But there is a huge difference between upskilling an experienced celebrant and training someone from scratch.
And that’s one of the reasons we think now is actually a very good time to become a celebrant.
If the law is going to change, why train now?
It’s a fair question.
If additional training is going to be required in the future, why not wait until everything has been decided?
Because legal training will only ever be one part of becoming a brilliant and successful wedding celebrant.
Think about everything else involved.
You need to know how to meet couples and build a relationship with them. How to ask the right questions. How to write a brilliant ceremony. How to stand in front of 100 people and deliver it confidently. How to work alongside venues, photographers, planners and other wedding professionals. How to deal with nerves, last-minute changes and the thousand and one things that can happen on a wedding day.
And then there’s the business.
You need a website. Photographs. Social media. Reviews. Relationships with local venues and suppliers. You need people in your area to know who you are and what you do. You need to understand how to market yourself, respond to enquiries and turn those enquiries into bookings.
Most importantly, you need experience and reputation.
None of that happens overnight.
Get established before the market changes
Imagine two celebrants entering the new legal wedding market.
One has been working as a celebrant for a couple of years. They’ve conducted weddings, built relationships with local venues, collected great reviews, developed their writing and delivery skills, learned how to run their business and become known in their area.
When the new requirements are introduced, they complete whatever additional legal training and authorisation is required.
They’re ready to go.
The other waits until the law changes before beginning their celebrant journey.
Even once they’ve completed the required training, they still have to build everything else – their experience, business, contacts, reviews, confidence and reputation.
And when celebrants potentially become responsible not only for creating a wonderful ceremony but also for the legal formation of a couple’s marriage, experience is going to matter.
Who would you feel more confident putting in charge of your legal marriage – someone with a proven track record and dozens of ceremonies behind them, or someone who has only just qualified?
A qualification can teach you knowledge and skills.
It can’t give you two years’ experience.
What about people who have already trained?
This is another reason we think it is important not to panic about qualifications that haven’t even been decided yet.
Existing celebrants already have substantial vocational skills. They know how to interview couples, create ceremonies, conduct weddings, speak publicly, work with other wedding professionals and manage the unexpected.
It would make little sense to pretend that all of that knowledge and experience suddenly becomes worthless because the legal framework changes.
We strongly believe any sensible future training system should recognise prior learning and experience, while ensuring that everyone who is authorised to conduct a legal marriage meets the same robust legal and professional standards.
Exactly how that will work is one of the things we need to wait and see.
And what about celebrant training providers?
We’ll have homework to do too.
The Government consultation isn’t only about what individual celebrants will need to do. There are still questions around who should provide training, who should set the standards and how that training should be regulated and quality assured.
As trainers, we’ll need to respond to whatever framework is eventually introduced.
And we will.
At Match & Dispatch, we have a particularly useful combination of experience here. We’re former registrars, practising independent celebrants and celebrant trainers, so we understand both sides of the equation – the legal responsibility involved in forming a marriage and the very different vocational skills involved in creating and conducting a fantastic celebrant-led wedding.
As soon as we know what the required training looks like, we’ll be on it.
If additional training or upskilling is required, our existing Match & Dispatch celebrants won’t simply be left wondering what on earth they’re supposed to do next. We’ll make sure they understand the new requirements and what they need to do to meet them.
So, should you train now or wait?
We think there is a very strong argument for training now.
Not because anyone can promise that today’s qualification will automatically give you legal powers under tomorrow’s legislation.
They can’t.
Train now because becoming a really good celebrant takes time.
Train now so you can start conducting ceremonies.
Train now so you can start building relationships with venues and other wedding suppliers.
Train now so you can collect reviews, develop your reputation and become known in your local area.
Train now so that, if and when independent celebrants are given legal powers, you’re not standing at the starting line.
You’re already an experienced, established celebrant who simply needs to upskill for the new legal responsibilities.
Wedding law reform could create an enormous opportunity for independent celebrants. The Government’s consultation cites the Law Commission’s estimate that independent officiants could potentially conduct around 50,000 weddings a year – 22.6% of the market – if they are permitted to conduct legally binding weddings.
That’s a very different wedding landscape from the one we have now.
So our advice is simple:
Don’t train now because somebody tells you they know exactly what qualification the Government will require. Nobody knows that yet.
Train now because building the skills, experience, business and reputation to become a successful celebrant takes time.
Then, when we finally know what the legal bit looks like, you can add the legal bit.
And rest assured – as soon as we know what that involves, so will you.
Finally, don’t just take our word for it…
Kate & Kate
—
