Demand for celebrants surges as 1 in 3 Irish weddings are civil ceremonies

Demand for wedding celebrants has exploded across Ireland, as same-sex couples look to personalise their upcoming ceremonies.

With nearly a third of all marriages in the State now taking place in civil registry offices, couples — both gay and straight — are increasingly turning to celebrants to make their ceremonies more meaningful and memorable.

And Marry Me Ireland, the country’s only professionally accredited celebrant organisation, said they have already taken bookings for 400 weddings next year — double the number they provided this year.

Lorraine Mancey O’Brien, who runs the service, said she hopes to have 60 celebrants trained and on her books by the end of this year to cater for demand— more than four times the number she had last May.

Eighty trainee celebrants are currently enrolled with Marry Me Ireland on a year-long course with the Irish Institute of Celebrants to cater for both the increasing number of couples who don’t want to exchange their vows in a church and same-sex couples, who are now legally entitled to marry following the introduction of the Marriage Equality Act in recent days.

Ms Mancey O’Brien said: “Fortunately we pre-empted the rise in demand for celebrants and we’ve already 400 booked for weddings next year, which is double the amount this year.

“Of those weddings, about 20% are for gay couples, but I think that number will rise. Couples are increasingly looking for bespoke, intimate ceremonies, something that reflects them personally.”

It’s been estimated that more than 300 same-sex marriages will take place by the end of this month, fuelling a boom for hoteliers and wedding suppliers.

On Tuesday barrister Cormac Gollogly, 35, from Terenure in Dublin, and banker Richard Dowling, 35, from Athlone made history when they became the first gay couple in Ireland to legally tie the knot.

Under the new legislation, same-sex couples who were already married abroad automatically had their unions recognised in Ireland from midnight last Sunday.

Those who had applied for a civil partnership since the May referendum are being given the option of getting married instead, while others will have to give the usual three months notice of intention to marry.

With Catholic Church weddings not an option for same-sex couples, the demand for solemnisers — the legal term for the 5,600-plus people licensed by the State to conduct weddings — is also expected to surge dramatically.