Can a celebrant legally marry us in Ireland?

Yes, if they are on the HSE Register of Solemnisers. Rev Catherine Lewis is a registered solemniser, so the ceremony she conducts is your legal marriage. There is no second registry office appointment.

How much notice do we have to give the HSE?

You must give notice to the HSE in person at least three months before your wedding day. You both need to attend, and there is a €200 State fee paid to the HSE rather than to your celebrant.

How much does a wedding celebrant cost in Ireland?

Catherine charges from €600 for a wedding ceremony, which covers all meetings, the writing, a rehearsal if you want one and the paperwork. A €200 deposit holds the date.

How many witnesses do we need?

Two witnesses aged eighteen or over must be present for the whole ceremony and sign the Marriage Registration Form with you.

What areas does Catherine cover?

She is based in Co. Tipperary and conducts ceremonies across Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Kerry and the wider Munster region.

Ceremonies

Whatever you are marking, it gets written from scratch. Nothing here is read off a page you have heard before.

Wedding ceremonies

A legal marriage, written for the two of you.

Because I am a registered solemniser, the ceremony I write is the one that legally marries you. There is no separate registry office appointment to sit through and no second set of vows.

We meet, more than once if you want to, and I ask you a lot of questions. Then I write the whole thing and send it to you to read. Nothing gets said on the day that you have not already seen and agreed.

Handfasting, ring warming, sand or candle rituals, a reading from someone who is nervous about reading, your children standing with you, a dog carrying the rings. All of it is possible and none of it is extra.

From €600plus travel outside Munster · €200 deposit holds the date

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Vow renewals

Saying it again, on purpose, years later.

Sometimes it is an anniversary. Sometimes it is the wedding you never got to have, or the one that happened in a hurry during a hard year. Sometimes a couple simply wants to stand up in front of everyone and say it again now that they know exactly what they are promising.

There is no legal paperwork, which means the whole thing can be shaped however you like, anywhere you like.

From €300plus travel outside Munster · €200 deposit holds the date

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Naming ceremonies and blessings

Welcoming a child, in your family's own words.

A naming ceremony marks a child's arrival without requiring anybody to sign up to a belief they do not hold. Grandparents who expected a christening usually leave saying it was lovelier.

We can name guardians or godparents, involve older brothers and sisters properly rather than leaving them standing at the side, and bring in whatever traditions run in your family. Adoption blessings too.

From €300plus travel outside Munster · €200 deposit holds the date

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Funerals and memorials

A goodbye that sounds like the person who died.

Losing someone is not the moment to be handed a script. I will sit with your family, listen, and write a service that reflects who they actually were and what they believed, or did not believe.

Celebration of life services, interfaith memorials, non-religious services, scattering of ashes and graveside ceremonies. I can usually move quickly when the timing is short.

From €400plus travel outside Munster · €200 deposit holds the date

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Wedding coordination

Somebody whose only job is making sure the day runs.

Couples keep telling me afterwards that having one person holding the whole day together mattered as much as the ceremony did. Chasing suppliers, running the timeline, being the person everybody asks so that the two of you do not have to be.

This is separate from the ceremony and priced on what you actually need, because no two weddings need the same thing.

Price on askingtell me what you have in mind

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The legal bit, in plain English

To be married in Ireland you must give notice to the HSE at least three months before your wedding day. You do that in person at a civil registration office, you both need to attend, and there is a €200 State fee that you pay to the HSE, not to me.

At that appointment they will ask for the name of your solemniser. That is me. I am on the HSE Register of Solemnisers, so the ceremony I conduct is the legal marriage. There is no second registry office appointment and no separate civil ceremony to sit through.

On the day, you, your two witnesses and I sign the Marriage Registration Form. You return it to the registrar afterwards and that is you married.

Book the HSE appointment early, they get busy. If you are unsure of the order of any of it, ring me and I will talk you through it.

Is your date free?

One ceremony a day, so it is worth checking early.

Check the diary