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Humanist Weddings

Weddings and affirmations, often referred to as blessings, are celebrated according to the individual wishes of the Humanist couple.

The ceremony is usually conducted by an experienced Celebrant and arranged with a Humanist society. For societies in Great Britain see Menu 2 for the EVENTS, CONTACTS AND LINKS section. Families can, of course, arrange the whole event themselves.

Since 1st June 2005 Humanist wedding ceremonies have been legally recognised in the UK, but only in Scotland. Elsewhere in the UK and in most countries the marriage must be legally registered separately, but a Humanist ceremony can be held in addition before or after the official registration.

The first couple to have their Humanist marriage legally recognised in Scotland on 18th June 2005 is shown in the picture. The couple, who posed briefly for photographers following the wedding at the Royal Zoological Gardens, have been together for six years. Ms Watts and Mr Reijns sealed their love by exchanging vows they had written themselves. The couple did not want to marry in a civil ceremony because they felt them to be too impersonal.

The wedding did not reject tradition entirely - the bride wore a white dress while the groom wore a morning suit. The ceremony was conducted by Ivan Middleton of the Humanist Society of Scotland, who is among 12 of its members granted the right to conduct marriages legally by the country's registrar general.

Books

A useful guide is Sharing the Future by Jane Wynne Willson which covers Humanist wedding and affirmation ceremonies. The foreword is by Claire Rayner and the ISBN number 0-901825-11-5. For the book send e-mail to info@humanism.org.uk

Seasons of Life is a book of prose and poetry for secular ceremonies and private reflection compiled by Nigel Collins with a preface by Tony Harrison, co-editors Jim Herrick and John Pearce. ISBN: 0 301 00001 8. It costs £9.99 plus £1 for postage and packing from the Rationalist Press Association, 1 Gower Street, London, WC1E 6HD, United Kingdom. E-mail editor@newhumanist.org.uk

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