In Scotland there are 2 types of marriage or civil partnership ceremony:
Civil Marriage or Civil Partnership – A Civil Ceremony conducted by a registrar.
All registrars who are authorised by the Registrar General for Scotland may conduct your marriage or civil partnerships ceremony in their office, ceremony rooms or at a venue agreed between themselves and the couple.
The registrar is the only celebrant who can also process your marriage or civil partnership paperwork which will be required in all marriages and civil partnerships in Scotland.
They will produce the schedule and bring it to your ceremony and take it away again to register and send you your certificate saving you the job of remembering and having to attend the office within working hours.
The fee for having the registrar conduct your ceremony will include the costs for your legal paperwork and your certificate built in to the total price.
If you would like to have a friend or family member speak or deliver part of your ceremony then your registrar will be happy to discuss this although there are certain parts that must be delivered by an authorised registrar or celebrant to make your marriage or civil partnership legal.
Religious/ Belief Marriage or Civil Partnership – A Ceremony conducted by a minister of religion, humanist or another belief celebrant who has been authorised by the Registrar General.
An authorised minister of religion or belief celebrant may conduct your ceremony in their place of worship or at a venue agreed between themselves and the couple.
An authorised minister of religion or celebrant cannot process your legal paperwork and you must contact the local registrar in the area where your marriage or civil partnership will take place to arrange this.
You will also be required to attend the local registration office in the days leading up to your ceremony to collect your schedule and return it within three days of your ceremony.
The fee for having a minister of religion or celebrant conduct your ceremony will not include your legal paperwork or certificate and this will need to be paid to the local registrar in addition to the fees you have paid for your celebrant.
Not all celebrants who are authorised to conduct a marriage are able to conduct a civil partnership.
Unauthorised Celebrants
Not all celebrants are authorised to conduct marriage or civil partnership ceremonies to make your marriage or civil partnership legally recognised by the law in Scotland. If you are looking to have your ceremony conducted by a celebrant please ensure that they are authorised by the Registrar General of Scotland otherwise you may have to have an additional ceremony to make your marriage or civil partnership legal. This also applies if you are looking to have a friend or family member conduct your ceremony who is not an authorised celebrant.
Any person who is not authorised by the Registrar General of Scotland to solemnise a marriage or a civil partnership ceremony but who conducts a ceremony in a way to suggest that a legal marriage or civil partnership is being formed is committing an offence.
All marriages in Scotland are formed by vows and a ceremony must take place to form a legal marriage, if you choose to have a ceremony conducted by a celebrant or another person who is not authorised to conduct a legal marriage ceremony then you will have to have a separate ceremony in order to make your marriage or civil partnership legal, this will incur additional fees.