Why Choose a Civil Registrar to officiate your wedding?
Some of our clients ask, "Who will be the pastor at our wedding? Sometimes they are surprised that the officiant is one of our Civil Registrars also known as Wedding Celebrants.
The Cayman Islands got its first Civil Registrar of Marriages in 1963; his name was Mr. Ernest Panton. Our first female Civil Registrar was Mrs. Francine Jackson, who is still officiating weddings. Since 2020, Simply Weddings has also been formalizing same-sex Civil Partnerships for both residents and overseas guests. Mrs. Joy Basdeo was the first Civil Registrar for Civil Partnerships in the islands.
Being a Civil Registrar means that while an individual is licensed to conduct and register marriages, this is not done under any religious obligation, and therefore the ceremony is non-denominational and does not take place in a church. Neither does the ceremony take the prescribed form that a church requires. For example, some churches require couples to not have been previously divorced, or they might require a period of marriage counseling. Other churches only conduct marriages for their members in good standing.
The requirements for a Civil Marriage are a little different. Since the requirements for resident weddings and destination weddings are different, you should visit our website to see exactly what is required. Visitors need a Special Marriage License to be married, and Simply Weddings will do this for you. Locals will need a Notice of Marriage which will be published for 7 days, in other words, your intention to be married.
Apart from the differences in the legal requirements, having a Civil Registrar officiate your marriage or civil partnership gives you the freedom to design your own ceremony and make it unique to you. Our Civil Registrars will work with you to design a personalized ceremony in keeping with your beliefs, your culture, and your personality.
We have written and performed ceremonies for Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, and Shinto couples, to name just a few, but the majority of our weddings are for couples who do not have a religious affiliation.
We have incorporated Unity Sand Ceremonies, Rose Ceremonies, Hand-fasting, Three Strand Ceremonies, Jumping the Broom, Seven Vows, and several other culturally inspired ceremonies.
We give you the opportunity to compose your own vows, use our standard vows, choose your own readings, choose from our tried and true Selected Readings, and design exactly how you wish your individualized ceremony to take place. If you choose for us to say a short non-denominational prayer, we are happy to do that or a non-religious blessing.
Whatever your choice, know that our Civil Registrars are experienced, professional individuals who ensure that your wedding or civil partnership is carried out to the highest legal standard.
