Humanist Celebrants
The Humanist Celebrant Network in the UK consists of more than 500 Humanist Celebrants. Humanists pioneered the first non-religious marriage ceremonies in 1896. Humanists work towards the creation of a more humane, just, compassionate, and democratic society.
‘Humanists reject the idea or belief in a supernatural being such as God. This means that humanists class themselves as agnostic or atheist.
Humanists have no belief in an afterlife, and so they focus on seeking happiness in this life. They rely on science for the answers to questions such as creation, and base their moral and ethical decision-making on reason, empathy and compassion for others.’
bbc.co.uk
Humanist Celebrants undergo thorough and top quality training to qualify as a Celebrant. Each Humanist Celebrant are very much a ‘people’s person’ who loves their work and for Weddings, they want to provide couples with a ceremony that will fittingly mark one of the most important days in their lives. A Humanist Celebrant provides an alternative to religious ceremonies for people wishing to celebrate their Wedding in a non-religious way.
Humanist Wedding Ceremonies
Humanist Celebrants create, write, and conduct a range of ceremonies to mark all the key moments in life including Weddings, Funerals, Vow Renewals & Naming Ceremonies. The Wedding ceremony is warm, fun and very genuine. It is non-religious and focuses on the two people getting married and tells their love story to all their family and friends present. The Humanist Celebrant encourages the couple to choose the readings and music that mean something special to them and to involve special family members and friends in the ceremony. A Humanist Wedding ceremony can be between a heterosexual couple, same sex couple or divorcées.
Are Humanist Weddings Legal?
At present, Humanist Wedding ceremonies are only legally recognised in certain parts of the United Kingdom. They are legally recognised in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey and also the Republic of Ireland. As of yet, Humanist Wedding ceremonies are not legally recognised in England, Wales or the Isle of Man and couples must also have a civil marriage in a registry office, performed by a licensed registrar.
In 2019, Humanists UK made a request to the Department of Justice to allow Weddings conducted by a Humanist Celebrant to be legalised. More than 1,000 Humanist Weddings now take place every year in the UK, but still without legal recognition in England, Wales and the Isle of Man, so couples must have a civil Wedding performed by a licensed registrar either side of their Humanist Wedding celebration. If they prefer, they can save their Wedding vows and the exchanging of Wedding rings until their Wedding ceremony with their Humanist Celebrant.
