Tell the UK Government:
humanist marriages – the time is now
Please take a minute to help us bring about inclusive reform of marriage law in England and Wales. We think everyone should be able to have a legally recognised marriage in a ceremony that is personal, sincere, and meaningful to them.
The UK Government is consulting on introducing outdoor civil and religious marriages in England and Wales. We welcome this. But we also think the Government must act on behalf of the thousands of couples who have long been waiting for humanist marriages to be legally recognised, too.
Will you respond to the consultation today? You can start by just filling in your postcode on the right.
Humanist weddings are non-religious wedding ceremonies that are fully customised to match the deepest-held values and beliefs of the couple getting married. They are conducted by a humanist celebrant, someone guaranteed to share their beliefs, who creates an entirely personal, sincere, and meaningful ceremony just for them.
Legally recognising humanist marriages would bring marriage law in England and Wales more into line with Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and the Channel Islands, where personal, meaningful, non-religious humanist ceremonies are already recognised. In Scotland they are now more popular even than religious ceremonies.
How to personalise your response (it really helps)
We’ve suggested some text you can use, but please, if you are able, do edit it to make it more personal – we know that the Government is more likely to take notice of personalised responses.
If you are someone who is planning, or has had, a humanist wedding – please explain this, and the difference legal recognition would make or would have made to your special day.
If you are someone who has friends or family who have had a humanist wedding – please describe what the experience was like, and how it differed to other weddings you have been to.
If you are LGBT – you could emphasise that LGBT people are disproportionately likely to be non-religious and humanists. So the lack of legally recognised humanist marriages puts LGBT people at a particular disadvantage.
If you are a Humanists UK wedding celebrant – emphasise this, and identify what makes these ceremonies distinct and special.
Photo credit: Jackson & Co Photography