Closed petition Professionally trained Celebrants to conduct legal marriages and same sex unions.

Closed on 15 December 2012

The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants is petitioning that professionally trained certified and qualified Independent Celebrants are able to conduct the legal requirements of a marriage which at present can only be completed either by a local authority registrar or minister of certain religions.
We would also petition that the restrictions of 'approved venues' are lifted allowing complete freedom of choice in the regards as to the venues where marriage ceremonies, where the celebrant is licenced and not the venue.
Primary marriage legislation in the UK we feel is out of date and does not allow for those couple not wanting or not able to have a church ceremony to have a dignified or personalised ceremony, they are simply limited to the 'out of the book' standard service offered by the local authority, often on the conveyor belt of registry offices who are churning out inpersonal set wording on a half hourly basis.