Registered Celebrants are not recognised by the Law in Ireland. The correct job title is Registered Solemniser
Only a HSE Registered Solemniser is duly authorised by the Law to Officiate & Solemnise Marriage in the Republic of Ireland.
There is now an abundance of individuals in Ireland falsely advertising themselves as Registered Celebrants in order to deceive couples into booking them. This practice is not at all ethical. The job title of “Registered Celebrant” is NOT recognised by the Marriage Act and is NOT authorised to officiate a legal marriage in Ireland. These dubious individuals are “Registered” with a commercial training provider who trained them, their training provider is NOT recognised by the Marriage Act either..
These “Registered Celebrants” are also falsely claiming to be your best choice of Celebrant because they are independent of the rules of an organisation giving you complete flexibility with the design of your ceremony and they can conduct your ceremony on any day of the week. These claims are false, as it implies that if you work with a HSE Registered Solemniser like myself, your ceremony design will be restricted by the rules of an organisation. This claim is complete nonsense.
Those who make such claims, including certain Celebrancy training providers, may not even realise they are giving false information, because they just don’t have a detailed working knowledge of the Marriage Act of Ireland because they aren’t registered, they aren’t required to work to the Marriage Act.
Because they don’t work with the Marriage Act, they are not legally qualified to give advice on your options for getting married in Ireland.
Not all Registered Solemnisers and have strict rules to follow regarding the style of ceremonies they create & conduct. With me as your Celebrant you have complete flexibility regarding the style and wording for your ceremony.
If you are searching for a private hire of a luxury romantic medieval Irish Castle & Mansion House, with all the olde world charm you could imagine, a convenient distance from Cork City and International Airport, you can’t go past Blackwater Castle located just outside the village of Castletownroche, in North County Cork.
One of Co.Cork’s most sought-after destination wedding venues, now re-opened for 2024, Blackwater Castle is is located 60km from Cork Airport (50 mins), and a short distance from the Cork to Dublin motorway.
It’s stunning cliff-top location overlooking the River Blackwater, with meticulous gardens, lawn areas with private woodland backdrops offers a breath-taking selection of outdoor choices for your ceremony and picturesque photo opportunities too numerous to mention!
If an indoor ceremony is more your liking, (or as weather dictates) there are several choices for a glamourous indoor ceremony, with all rooms in the mansion house classically decorated and filled with natural sunlight, with beautiful panoramic views of garden beyond.
The original tower house adjoining the castle mansion house is home to a genuine sheela-na-gig stone, which in mythical Irish folklore is a well-known fertility token. Where it was once believed that a maiden who touches the sheela-na-gig and makes a wish, will fall with child soon after!
There is also access to the tower house roof for stunning photographs, on request.
The castle’s flexible approach allows couples to place their own stamp on their big day. Management will do theif utmost to fulfil your wedding wishes, ensuring your perfect day, your way.
Accommodation
With 9 bedrooms, 6 reception rooms including bar, professional kitchen, plus additional accomodation in the extensive fully converted stables housing up to approx. 100 guests, makes a perfect self-contained setting for your idyllic romantic castle wedding getaway.
Entertaining your Guests on your Wedding Day
Blackwater Castle welcomes all musicians and suppliers that you wish to include for your special day, and offer bucketloads of friendly advice and guidance for every aspect of your wedding day.
Post Wedding Party
The whole castle and accommodation is available for exclusive hire and can be booked for several days before and after your wedding with various packages on offer.
Contact Blackwater Castle at any time to make an appointment for a chat and viewing, you’ll be so glad you did!
Sinéad is a talented wedding and occasion singer as well as being the lead vocalist with Cork-based band, Franklin. She has a stunning voice to suit various genres evidenced by the ability to go from an operatic aria to an Aretha classic in the blink of an eye!
With over 15 years of experience, she is equally happy to make suggestions to help you with your musical choices or learn a whole new set of songs for your unique big day! Her goal is to make sure your wedding music fits the personality of your wedding and you. The world is your oyster!
Sinéad is easy to work with for both couples and celebrants and is happy to be contacted at any time to discuss any query you might have about music and running order for ceremonies. Sinéad is contactable at 087-7716385 and vocal samples can be provided on request.
If you’re in need of a one-stop musical shop, package prices can also be sought to provide music for both your ceremony and drinks reception, or additionally your live evening entertainment with Franklin,
The cost of a Celebrant in Ireland varies greatly for many reasons. Factors which may affect the cost of a Celebrant in Ireland include:
the type and style of ceremony you choose
travel distance to the ceremony venue
what is included as standard, and what can be added for extra cost
how competent, experienced (and in demand) the Celebrant is
how much the Celebrant must charge in order to pay their bills
If Celebrancy is a sideline or hobby to a regular paying job – their fee may be less
If Celebrancy is a sideline to a much higher paying career role – their fee may be more
For me, Celebrancy isn’t a career, it’s a vocation,. My role as your Celebrant isn’t a performance, I’m never acting or pretending. The beautiful unique & personalised ceremonies I create & conduct are real weddings, and yes you can include the legal parts if you wish, without any need to attend a HSE Civil Registration Office on a different day with your witnesses for a Registry Office marriage.
I am an expert in the art of ceremony & celebration. No matter what style of ceremony I am requested to create & conduct, I am always honoured to be part of such a special day in people’s lives.
With over 25+ years experience in the art of ceremony & celebration, I know what an important decision it is to choose your Celebrant. I also know how everyone has different needs for their ceremony. So I have developed a range of VIP Packages to assist you in choosing a package which best suits your needs.
With every ceremony I create & conduct, you are my VIP.
Special days are made by special people .. and you are one of them Sharon.Thank-you so much for helping to create a wonderful day that we’ll never forget..how you told our story was romantic, funny and just magical. Thank-you. GN (the groom) Legal Marriage Maryborough Woods Hotel Cork City
In my homeland Australia it’s not unusual for Civil Marriage Celebrants to conduct 2, 3 or even 4 or more personalised and unique ceremonies in the same day, especially on weekends. When I get to conduct more than 1 ceremony in the same day here in Ireland, I am absolutely thrilled with the extra excitement it brings to the day!
Others claim to have a 1 ceremony per day policy for all ceremonies they “perform” – so they can “ensure your ceremony has their full attention”. This implies that others (like myself) who won’t hesitate to conduct more than 1 ceremony a day, won’t be capable of providing their full attention.
This claim is false and misleading on so many levels.
Here’s a couple of good questions to ask yourself about a Celebrant who makes such claims:
Would you ever trust a hairdresser who won’t book more than one client per day because if they did, they wouldn’t be able to give each client the full attention they deserve ? Or book your car into a motor mechanic who will only ever book one car per day because if they book more than one car per day, they won’t be able to give each car the attention it deserves? Does that sound like a suitably experienced professional who is able to stay focused enough to deal confidently and competently with the unexpected should it arise on your big day? I didn’t think so.
The mostexperienced and capable Celebrants (like myself and many others) won’t hesitate to conduct more than 1 ceremony a day if requested. Of course I do have certain criteria like they must be within 15 minutes drive and at least 3 hours apart. I have conduct ceremonies at 11am and 2pm, 12 noon and 3pm, 1pm and 4pm and so forth on the same day, each with my utmost attention and focus.
If you prefer that I don’t book any other ceremonies on your special day for any reason at all – that’s not a problem. You can choose my Exclusive VIP option – which guarantees that I won’t conduct any other ceremonies on your big day, guaranteed!
Many ceremonies I conduct will naturally fall into this category anyway due to their country location, or being on a weekend day, ie. when there is more traffic on the roads making it not at all ideal for more than one ceremony per day.
I don’t “perform” ceremonies, I conduct them. To me your ceremony is never a performance, to me it’s never about acting on a stage. To me your ceremony is real and authentic, a role which is so fundamentally missing from modern society, who have so drastically turned away from Religion and spirituality on such a vast scale.
Despite the many reasons this cultural shift is happening, what Religion did for ceremony is that it preserved a certain level of authenticity and dignity by turning a ceremony into a spectacular community and cultural event. When Religious ceremony is done well and with true honour and dignity held by a wonderful facilitator (and there are/were plenty of good ones!) Religion kept the Spirit and magic and the true art of ceremony alive!
For a ceremony without the Spirit and magic of celebration, is nothing more than a speech.
Now society is going full circle with the return of the art of ceremony to its native roots – where the ceremony was never defined by doctrines of a Religion, but was instead defined by the wishes and beliefs of the couple to give them good luck and a wonderful start and help to ensure their successful future together.
Celebrancy remains an essential community skill which is all about capturing the true Spirit and character of the couple and creating the special magic of the moment for them and their guests in the celebration of their new lives together.
No matter what kind of ceremony I create & conduct, the smiles at the conclusion of the ceremony is what makes all my efforts worthwhile,
With over 30 years experience in the art of ceremony – I have the expertise and experience you need to ensure your ceremony exceeds your expectations.
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