Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Humanist Wedding?

They are personalised, legal ceremonies giving you choice in what, when and how your ceremony goes. You have the choice of what is included in the ceremony, with the backing and support of an experienced celebrant who can offer ideas, energy and objective calm to help you have a ceremony that is the key to your whole wedding day.

Is a Humanist Ceremony legal?

Yes. Humanist UK went to court in 2017 and won the right for legally recognised Humanist marriages. I am proud to be accredited by Humanist UK who invested and committed to champion this right. Having the choice to have the wedding you want gives so much choice and variety as well as supporting the individual right to live their life. Humanists UK want a tolerant world where rational thinking and kindness prevail. The work to support lasting change for a better society is ongoing.

How long are Humanist Wedding ceremonies?

How long would you like yours to be? The ‘Must Dos’ are simply your agreement and the paperwork. Add in the ‘it would be good to includes’ and the ‘here’s an idea ‘ and ‘what abouts’ and you can have a ceremony from 5 minutes to…

Commonly, ceremonies last 20-30 minutes.

We are a same sex couple – is that an issue?

Not in the slightest. Your love, your story, your connection and your lives are what is important in this.

I have questions about visa, divorce papers, language barriers, deed poll name change, birth certificates…

Don’t stress – Pop me a message over with the specifics and I will help all I can, or find someone who
can.

Can we include our dog?

Yes. Dog, cat, donkey, hamster …we will find a way. Check with your venue on their policy too – that might be the bigger challenge. If your pet is Samson the Spider – I might need a bit of distance, but I will commit to the cause. Eek.

Can we cut our cake during the ceremony?

Sure. Often couples cut it in or just after the ceremony and serve cake with tea and coffee straight away.

What are these symbolic gestures? Is it all a bit ‘alternative’?

A humanist ceremony means you can mould every morsel to suit you. Exchanging rings is a symbolic gesture. There are lots of other popular ones: handfasting, unity candle, sand blending, warming of the rings. Each and all can be moulded to your tastes and levels of romance, tradition and ‘alternative’. Once I get to know you, I can suggest versions and utterly bespoke gestures to absolutely resonate with you and sit beautifully with your guests.

We are eloping to Ireland – how does that work?

As smoothly and as enjoyably as possible! Depending on where you are traveling from, elopements have nuances. Let’s have a call to chat things through. I can offer you ideas, options and local knowledge.

Is there any restriction on the places you can do ceremonies?

The licence is attached to me as celebrant rather than the venue. Whether it is in your garden, at the beach, at a hotel, museum, art gallery, park, field… as long as you have an accredited celebrant, two witnesses, are legally allowed to get married and have the completed paperwork, we are good to go.

What is the paperwork?

1. In Northern Ireland, you each submit a marriage notice form to the registrar at the council local to your venue. This needs to be done within the timeframe and accompanied with the relevant documents. This needs to be signed by your celebrant and submitted
That sets the legal paperwork in motion.
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-07/gro-446-marriage-notice-form-v04.23_0.PDF
(the council charges you’re a fee for this – 2024 price is £40 per form For overseas weddings – this will vary – please get in touch with your specifics and I will help.

2. I log your ceremony with Humanist UK. They charge – direct to you – a processing fee of £40.

What is the fee for the ceremony? And what does that pay for?

Please drop me a message with your date and venue for fees.

Generally I charge an all inclusive fee but you may be travelling abroad for your wedding, it might be waaaay down the line, you may have specific things you’d like to check – so please just get in touch,

I take my steer from you. Some prefer virtual contact right until the wedding day. Others prefer to meet and chat things through at each stage. Others ask me to help with speech writing, coordination, symbolic gesture props…

Common Steps are
– Likely we will have had an initial meeting – virtual or in person and then you book me,
– I then do a wee dance of joy in my kitchen with Lottie my Jack Russell.
– I send you paperwork and a questionnaire
– I combine my notes from our first call and the questionnaire to draft a skeleton script
– I send you tailored to you samples of vows, readings, gestures, and ideas – which you mull on
– Once you’ve come back to me with some decisions, I begin the word smithing on the script
– I tweak, overhaul and nudge the wording – taking wee breaks to garden and meander in life
– Fresh and energised I get the script to a stage I can send to you
– From your feedback – we then polish the script to final stage – of rehearsal / BIG DAY