Why I Left Hospitality Management to Become a Wedding Celebrant:
The Dream Team - July 2025 - Me at the back and L-R - Emily, Rebecca and Rachel💕
The Marriage System That’s Failing Couples: The moment I realised I was on the wrong side of the wedding industry… ⚡️
From Dream Job to Eye-Opening Realisation - Before I became an Independent Professional Celebrant, I was the Wedding Manager and part of the Senior Leadership Team at a busy hotel and country estate in Yorkshire.
I led a Dream Team of coordinators (hey girlies!!) and we lived and breathed weddings. We knew every detail — who was secretly pregnant and toasting with Nosecco, who had the strictest mother-in-law, and which songs made them sob happy tears.
I thought I had the best job in the world…
Until the moment I realised I was part of a system that was failing the very couples I cared about. 🤯
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When You Know the Couple Inside Out… And Still Hand Them Over to a Stranger
We knew our couples better than anyone. I knew Jess wanted her rescue dog in the ceremony. I knew Tom proposed with his gran’s vintage ring. I knew they met on Tinder but told their mums it was in Waitrose. 🤣
But, just before the ceremony, a registrar would arrive, turn to me and ask:
“Which one is the groom?” 🧐
And I would have to hand over the couple to complete strangers—one to run the ceremony, one to do admin.
The most meaningful part of their day was delivered by someone who didn’t know their names, their vibe, or their story.
Just a copy-and-paste, template script.
It felt wrong.
Every. Single. Time.
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The System That Says “No”
The final straw?
Watching couple after couple be told what they couldn’t do:
• “You can’t walk down the aisle to Ave Maria by Beyoncé — too religious.”
• “You can’t write your own vows — they need pre-approval.”
• “You can’t have the Lord’s Prayer, even if it means the world to your nan.”
• “You can’t exchange Varamala garlands — that’s religious content.”
I once had to orchestrate a garland exchange after the registrar left the building at an Anglo-Indian wedding. It was beautiful. Emotional. A celebration of heritage. And it shouldn’t have needed to be hidden! 😠
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🛑 Think a Registrar Ceremony Includes “The Legal Bit”? Think Again.
Even if you work in the wedding industry — this might surprise you.
There is no public register, no romantic, handwritten in ink certificates anymore.
That all went online in 2021.
So if you’re choosing a registrar-led ceremony because your family wants to witness the legal part — 🛑STOP RIGHT THERE. You need to read this. 👇🏻
Here’s what actually happens now:
• 📝 You sign an A4 sheet of paper called a marriage schedule
• 📦 The paper goes in the registrar’s bag to the next wedding, then the next, and maybe another after that.
• ⏳ They have 7 days to input your details into an online register
• 📬 Only after that can you order your marriage certificate
No register. No calligraphy. No romance. Just admin.
So if you’re under pressure to book a registrar just so “they can see the legal bit”…
Let them know: they won’t.
And that means there’s no reason to settle for:
🚫 Strangers delivering a generic script
🚫 Vows that need censoring
🚫 The 11am time slot with a 5am glam squad call
🚫 Restrictions, cultural erasure, and ceremony content policing
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From Frustrated Manager to Celebrant on a Mission
That’s when it hit me.
I was collecting these gorgeous, personal love stories… and watching them be delivered as lifeless, interchangeable ceremonies.
The registrars weren’t the villains — they were following rules.
But the system?
It was failing couples. Badly.
So I trained as an Independent Celebrant, added In-House Celebrant to my job title… And after a plot-twist, industry shocking redundancy for the Dream Team — I went full-time.✨ Celebrant Led 🧡 was born… and I’ve never looked back.
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Because Your Ceremony Deserves Better
This is your love story.
It should sound like you. Feel like you. Reflect who you are.
🧡 No strangers
🧡 No restrictions
🧡 No soulless 13-minute script
🧡 No pretending your story fits someone else’s template
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From Yorkshire to Destination Weddings — This Is What I Do Now
Whether you’re planning in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria or halfway across the world…
I’m here for: The rebels, the romantics, and the rule-breakers.
Because when you’ve seen hundreds of love stories watered down…
You don’t just walk away. You change the game.
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Ready to Tell Your Story?
If you’re planning your wedding and choosing between a registrar or celebrant…Let’s talk.
If you’re a venue and want a celebrant on your supplier list, one who totally gets your world… Let’s connect.
This isn’t just my job.
It’s my calling. 🧡
Katie xx
📍 Based in Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cumbria
✈️ Also available for UK & Destination weddings
💌 linktr.ee/celebrantled
TikTok.com/celebrantled
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