Humanist Weddings: A Unique, Personalized Celebration

A humanist wedding is a non-religious ceremony that is welcoming, inclusive, and tailored to the couple. It is conducted by a trained humanist celebrant who shares the couple's humanist beliefs and values. The ceremony can take place anywhere and at any time of day, and couples can be as creative as they like. It can include unique vows, readings, poems, music, and rituals such as handfasting, drinking from a quaich, or lighting a unity candle. The celebrant will help the couple craft a personalised ceremony that reflects their love story, shared values, and hopes for the future.

Humanist weddings are non-religious and focus on the couple's love and values

A humanist wedding is a non-religious ceremony that is welcoming, inclusive, and personally tailored to the couple. It is conducted by a trained humanist celebrant and focuses on the couple's love story and the things that are important to them.

Humanist weddings are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to civil ceremonies. They are free from the traditional rules associated with weddings and can take place anywhere and at any time of day. The ceremony is led by a humanist celebrant who writes a unique script for each couple, focusing on their love and shared values. The celebrant will spend time getting to know the couple so that they can tell the story of their relationship in an authentic and meaningful way.

Humanist weddings are all about reflecting who the couple is and what they find meaningful. The ceremony intertwines their unique love story with timeless human values. It is an opportunity for the couple to publicly pronounce their commitment to each other and celebrate their love. The marriage vows are intensely personal and can incorporate everything from poetry and music to book excerpts and their own unique script. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to crafting the vows, and the couple can work with their celebrant to create a ceremony that reflects their love and values.

The celebrant will guide the couple through the process and discuss the ceremony up until the wedding day. On the day, the celebrant will arrive early to prepare and may even dress to match the wedding theme. The ceremony can be small and intimate or large and elaborate—the choice is entirely up to the couple.

Humanist weddings are led by a celebrant who writes a unique script for the couple

A humanist wedding ceremony is led by a celebrant who writes a unique script for the couple. This script is crafted after the celebrant has spent time getting to know the couple, learning about their relationship, their values, and their story so far. The ceremony is then centred on this story, celebrating their love and shared values.

The celebrant will create a personalised, non-religious ceremony that is unique to the couple. It will be reflective of their humanist beliefs and values and will be conducted by a celebrant who shares them. The script will be meaningful, focusing on the couple's love and their public pronouncement of commitment to each other.

The couple's story will be woven throughout the ceremony, with an introduction and welcome, followed by words about love and commitment from a non-religious perspective. The ceremony will then delve into the couple's story, including how they met, their shared values, and their hopes for the future. The script will also explore what marriage means to the couple, with the opportunity to include readings, poems, songs, and any rituals they choose, such as handfasting or lighting a unity candle.

The celebrant will guide the couple through the process of creating the script, offering advice on how to lay out the ceremony and what to include. The ceremony can be as short as 25 minutes or last over an hour, depending on the couple's preference. It can also take place anywhere and at any time of day, allowing the couple to choose a location that is meaningful to them.

Humanist weddings can take place anywhere and at any time

Humanist weddings are non-religious ceremonies that can be held anywhere and at any time. They are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with over 1,000 taking place in England and Wales each year.

Humanist weddings can be held anywhere that has meaning to the couple. They are not bound by the restrictions of a licensed venue, and can take place in a forest, a garden, on a cliff by the sea, or even on a ski slope. The time of day is also flexible, allowing couples to choose a time that suits them.

The ceremony will be led by a humanist celebrant, who will work with the couple to create a personalised and meaningful script that reflects their love, shared values, and story. The celebrant will spend time getting to know the couple so that they can tell their story in an authentic way.

Humanist weddings are all about celebrating the couple and what is important to them. The ceremony will focus on their love story, their unique values, and what marriage means to them. The couple can choose to include unique vows, readings, poems, and music, and rituals such as handfasting or lighting a unity candle.

While humanist weddings are not legally recognised in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man, couples can register their marriage separately at a registry office before or after their wedding day. This allows them to have the wedding of their dreams while still taking care of the legal requirements.

Humanist weddings are legally recognised in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey and Guernsey

Humanist weddings are legally recognised in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey. In these places, couples can have their humanist wedding recognised as their official marriage ceremony, without needing to have a separate civil ceremony.

Humanist weddings gained legal recognition in Scotland in 2005, and since then, the number of humanist weddings has risen year on year. In 2019, there were more humanist weddings than Christian weddings, with Humanist Society Scotland providing more marriage ceremonies than any other religion or belief group.

In Northern Ireland, humanist weddings gained legal recognition in 2018 after a Court of Appeal judgment on a human rights challenge. This was a significant step forward, and since then, the number of humanist weddings in the region has skyrocketed. The region's natural beauty and stunning architecture also make it a popular destination for couples from across the UK.

The Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey legalised humanist weddings in 2019 and 2021, respectively. The legalisation of humanist weddings in these islands not only benefits locals but also makes them ideal destinations for couples seeking a legally recognised humanist wedding.

While humanist weddings are not yet legally recognised in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man, couples can still have a humanist ceremony. However, they must separately complete the legal 'signing of the register' at a local register office before or after their humanist ceremony. Despite the additional step, couples often consider the humanist ceremony as their 'real' wedding, as it is the one attended by their loved ones and where they exchange personal vows.

Humanist weddings can include rituals such as handfasting, unity candles and ring exchanges

Humanist weddings are non-religious ceremonies that are free from many of the traditional rules surrounding weddings. They can take place anywhere, at any time of day, and couples are free to be as creative as they like.

Handfasting

Handfasting is a symbolic act where the hands of the couple are bound together with ribbon, lace, cord, or other materials with significance to the couple. This ritual is said to date back over 2,000 years and has Celtic roots. The couple's hands are wrapped together, with words, poetry or music accompanying the ritual. The handfasting knot symbolises the couple's union and the phrase 'tying the knot' originates from this ritual.

Unity Candles

Lighting a unity candle is a newer wedding tradition, used in secular ceremonies to symbolise the union of two people. The couple each takes a lit candle and together they light a larger, third candle, to signify 'two becoming one'. This ritual creates a peaceful moment in the ceremony, allowing the couple and their guests to take in the emotion of the day.

Ring Exchanges

The simple exchange of rings is a powerful ritual in ceremonies binding people's lives together.

Frequently asked questions