Weddings

Humanists believe that, as human beings, we have the inherent desire and power to grow, to create, to love and to direct our own lives. We respect and celebrate marriage as a way to achieve that. A Humanist wedding is a personal and genuine ceremony, individually written especially for you, and, as such, a joyful and meaningful celebration of commitment for any couple. It makes your wedding day a day to remember for all the best reasons!

Sadly our weddings do not, at present, have legal status. You may, therefore, choose to register your marriage separately at a register office before or after your Humanist ceremony. This leaves you free to make choices that are not determined by the requirements of the law or the restraints of religion for your wedding ceremony.

You can, therefore, choose to hold your ceremony anywhere you wish and many of our weddings are conducted in a place that has significance for the couple. The westcountry is blessed with thousands of beautiful locations and couples who live in cities are increasingly choosing to marry here. Our wedding celebrants have experience of many venues and may be able to advise you about the suitability of a number of different choices.

It is possible, of course, to marry outside if that is attractive or important to you. If you wish to marry on a beach, on a clifftop, on the moors, in a garden, on a boat or even in a balloon, then we can help make that possible for you.

What you want to say and do in your wedding is of paramount importance and in this way the ceremony has sincerity and relevance. However, our ceremonies are co-created, often over several months, between the couple and the celebrant - who will write and conduct the ceremony - so you are never alone in your preparations.

All our wedding celebrants are highly trained; they have a wealth of ideas and can give you sound advice about music, poetry and readings, symbolic acts and the structure of your wedding ceremony. In addition, the BHA publish an excellent booklet called, "Sharing the Future" which can inspire you with wording for your ceremony, especially for the vows.

wedding book A Humanist celebrant will be happy to use material drawn from a wide range of different sources and cultural backgrounds but our ceremonies are always essentially non-religious. However, your celebrant will understand that your guests are likely to hold certain religious beliefs and will aim to acknowledge that and be inclusive. As such, a Humanist ceremony can be an ideal wedding for a couple from different cultural or religious origins.

As your wedding day approaches, you can meet with your celebrant for a rehearsal to ensure that the ceremony runs smoothly.

All in all, a humanist wedding will be the ceremony that you want. beautiful? .... formal? .... romantic? .... simple? Your celebration, your choices. please contact any of the celebrants listed on this website to discuss our weddings further.

To contact your nearest celebrant click here or contact the Administrator