Mrs2Be

Alternative Wedding - Humanist Wedding Ceremonies

The laws governing where you can and cannot marry are fairly rigid and whilst there is some flexibility on what you can use as wedding vows in a civil ceremony, there little flexibility in a religious one.

Alternative to Religious Ceremonies

Not everyone feels comfortable getting married within a religious ceremony as perhaps their own beliefs and views on life do not fit in with those preached by various faiths.

As an alternative wedding you might want to consider the humanist approach. A Humanist wedding is one that allows a couple complete freedom over where, when and how they get married. In 2005, humanist marriages became legal in Scotland where they are now the fifth most popular form of legal wedding. Elsewhere in the UK, humanist wedding blessings are not yet binding in the eyes of the law and a couple would have to go through a civil ceremony in order to obtain a legal marriage certificate. The most common practice is to do this a couple of days prior to the humanist ceremony.

Involve friends, family & children

A humanist ceremony is different in many ways, including the fact that a couple can involve other friends and family and even their children in their ceremony in a way that they could not in a civil ceremony or a religious one.

In this day and age people seem to be taking more of an interest in what is tagged 'Mind Body & Spirit', humanist wedding ceremonies are becoming more and more popular.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has a list of accredited celebrants that can help couples to put together the 'vows' and prepare the ceremony which can be as creative as you like, or as formal or informal.

For more information on humanist wedding ceremonies and to find an accredited celebrant via the BHA, see their website. For more information about humanist wedding ceremonies in Scotland visit the Humanist Society of Scotland.