Both reports provide valuable insights, but they approach their research differently:
• Bridebook: Surveyed 6,800 engaged and newlywed couples, making it the larger sample and likely more representative.
• Hitched: Included 3,000 couples married in 2024, combining surveys with internal data, offering a focused look at recent trends.
Both reports are essential resources for understanding your
market. Bridebook provides a broad overview, while Hitched offers detailed
context on celebrant-specific trends.
Hitched reports a 5% rise in demand for celebrants,
with 23% of couples now choosing celebrant-led ceremonies. Couples are
increasingly separating their legal ceremony from their wedding day, opting for
celebrant-led services to create meaningful, unique celebrations.
- Position
yourself as the expert in personalized, celebrant-led ceremonies.
Highlight your flexibility and creativity on your website and in your
marketing.
- Educate
couples on their options: Celebrant-led ceremonies give them complete
freedom to design a wedding that reflects their personalities.
Both reports note the continued decline in religious
weddings, with fewer than 20% taking place in places of worship. However, many
couples still want to include elements of their cultural or religious
traditions in a small, personal way.
-
Emphasise
choice in your marketing. Make it clear you can create ceremonies
that honour traditions or include spiritual elements in contrast to Humanist ceremonies which is just another belief system with restrictions.
- Share
examples of ceremonies that blend cultural or religious customs with
modern personal touches.
- Bridebook:
Highlights a rise in demand for barns, pubs, and restaurants as venues for
budget-conscious couples.
- Hitched:
Notes that hotels remain the most popular choice, with outdoor ceremonies
also growing in popularity.
- Network
with venue wedding co-ordinators. Ensure they know about celebrant-led
ceremonies, as many venues still don’t fully understand this option and call them "blessings". Offer
to leave leaflets or brochures at venues you have a good relationship
with.
- Highlight
the choice of diverse venues, not just licensed one and your ability to adapt to
changes in the British weather (unlike inflexible registrars).
4. Website Essentials: Transparency & Mobile-Friendly
Both reports emphasize the importance of digital tools in
wedding planning. Couples are unlikely to contact suppliers if pricing isn’t
clearly displayed online.
- Ensure
your website is mobile-friendly. Most couples plan their weddings via
smartphones and apps like Bridebook and Hitched.
- Inspire & Inform Authentically. Celebrant template websites look too corporate and suggest style & glossy marketing over substance & value.
- Don't waste money advertising on Meta (Instagram & Facebook) or Google.
- Clearly
display your pricing on your website. Many couples won’t even make an enquiry if they don’t know if they can afford your services. Include
packages and any seasonal discounts.
Couples are increasingly opting for weddings outside of
traditional summer Saturdays, driven largely by cost:
- Autumn
weddings, especially in October, are now nearly as popular as summer ones.
- Many
couples, especially Gen Z, are choosing midweek weddings to save money.
- Flexible
pricing: Consider offering reduced rates for midweek or off-peak
weddings to appeal to budget-conscious couples.
- Promote
the charm of intimate celebrant wedding rituals as part of a ceremony in front of a smaller audience.
Over
70% of couples now hold their ceremony at their reception venue, with outdoor
options becoming more popular.
- Invest in portable audio equipment (wireless speaker & microphones)
- Talk to couples about contingency plans for outdoor ceremonies.
- Highlight your ability to adapt to
different environments & the weather in your marketing. Your focus is the couple vs registrars have legal paperwork to do.
Hitched’s
5% increase in demand for celebrants means celebrants are now a key part of the
wedding planning conversation for nearly one-quarter of couples.
- There’s
never been a better time to become a celebrant.
- For existing celebrants,
stay visible online with TikTok, Instagram.
- Educate wedding venues who tie their bookings to local council registrars that they are loosing bookings to more celebrant-informed venues.
1
in 7 couples now separate their legal and celebratory ceremonies, ensuring
their wedding day is free from rigid legal formalities.
- Highlight
the creative & timing freedom you offer compared to registrars.
- Explain how this separation enhances the wedding day experience for the couple (who are more relaxed), guests (who have more fun) and venue staff (who don't have to stress about 10 minute slippage window with registrars.
- Keep emphasising the value of personalised ceremonies.
With the rise of celebrant-led ceremonies, now is the
perfect time to train as a wedding celebrant. The reports show:
Couples
are actively seeking celebrants to deliver personal, meaningful ceremonies.
From
rustic barns to modern pubs, celebrants must be versatile and
adaptable—only the best practical training will prepare you for this.
With no experience, no testimonials or photos, newly trained wedding celebrants have to get established by appealing to budget-friendly couples who still want personalisation. There are plenty of these in 2025.
- Read the full BrideBook 2025 Wedding Report here.
- Read the full Hitched 2025 Wedding Survey Report here.
- Get more tips & inspiration on Celebrant Training School YouTube Channel
- Get FREE Wedding Celebrant Training here.
- Learn more & enrol on practical online training to become an accredited Wedding Celebrant here.
- Read "How to Become a Wedding Celebrant" here.
- Read "What Qualifications do I need to become a Celebrant?" here
- Read "How Long does it take to train as a celebrant?" here.
- Read "How Much does it Cost to train as a Celebrant?" here.
- Read "How Much does a Celebrant get paid in the UK?" here
