Hi, I'm Nick

Image of Nick Phillips

Many thanks for considering a humanist Naming ceremony. I offer non-religious ceremonies that are made especially for you, and which reflect your story, values and beliefs.

Many people opt for a humanist naming ceremony after rejecting the idea of a traditional religious event, yet wanting some way to mark a significant moment in the lives of themselves and their family. Whilst humanist ceremonies are non-religious in view, they are not anti-religion. I aim to make all my naming ceremonies inclusive, happy, relaxed and memorable occasions for all involved.

As a gay celebrant and member of LGBT Humanists, as well as a father of 7 year old twin boys , I am of course committed to serving our community, but more especially ensuring all my ceremonies embrace the specific notions of family and name identity unique to each occasion.

NAMINGS are a special part of many people’s family rituals, signifying the coming into the family of a new baby or child, or alternatively serving to mark a new identity or a welcoming into a new ‘family’ at key moments in our lives.

WHAT DOES A CEREMONY CONSIST OF?

My ceremony will tell your family's story with warmth, sincerity and humour and I will design, write and deliver the whole thing by listening to your wishes and desires for this special day in your lives. At every step you will have direct input into making an occasion to treasure. It will live long in the memories of all present and moreover ensure that it is unique to you, something which formal religious ceremonies do not offer.

To that end a ceremony can take place when and wherever you decide, and may include readings, symbolic acts, and music chosen by you. If however, you feel a bit lost as to where to start, I have plenty of examples and suggestions to share with you as part of making your day.

MY BACKGROUND

I am thrilled to be able use my professional background as director/writer/actor in the performing arts, along with my experience as head of vocational actor and musical theatre training programmes at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Liverpool John Moores University to aid in making and delivering your ceremony.

I have been taking ceremonies of one sort or another since 1985 when I conducted my first funerals/memorials for friends during the AIDS crisis, and becamnemaccredite fro Namings with Humanists UK in 2016

Please feel free to contact me direct with any queries'

Namings......“Nick was truly wonderful at every stage of the planning for our daughter’s naming day. He executed the ceremony itself perfectly with warmth and laughter, to an audience of guests who had not ever experienced a humanist ceremony before. He blew everyone away and we were inundated with comments on how great the whole thing was. We would recommend him to anyone and will be using Nick’s services again if we’re lucky enough to have another child!” “Thank you very much for a wonderful ceremony for our baby naming. From the information we provided you developed a wonderful and personal script, and the additional readings and words that you chose fitted perfectly with our personality and style. Everybody commented on what a wonderful ceremony it was to celebrate our little girl’s arrival in to our family. Thank you for all your efforts both on the day and making sure all the necessary preparations were in place beforehand. We would not hesitate to recommend you to our friends and family.” “It was absolutely brilliant and we have had nothing but compliments from our guests, saying how wonderful and personal the ceremony was and how great you were at leading it. Quite a few have mentioned that they would like to do something similar for their own little ones. Thank you for making it all so easy in the run up as well. You took the limited information we told you and turned it in to a beautiful story so personal to our daughter and all that we want for her. Also the way you handled any changes that were thrown at you last minute was brilliant, so thank you so much. ” Weddings......“Dear Nick, we had THE best of days! And the positive comments and love for you have been flowing. I have a feeling you’ll have a few bookings in the future off the back of yesterday. We cannot thank you enough…everything was just perfect.” "We cannot thank you enough for making our wedding day so special - from the start of the process right through to delivery on the day we felt in safe hands and it was an occasion full of joy, love and laughter - a moment we will always treasure as will our friends and family. Having you as a gay celebrant also put the cherry on the cake for us, and we cannot thank you enough for sharing parts of youor story with us. It meant we felt we could be the same with you, resulting in the whole thing being a true reflection of us, our hopes, dreams and love for each other. It was like our story told by a friend!"

— Various respondents

Image of Nick Phillips

Nick Phillips

Where I work

I am based in Liverpool and work mostly in Mereyside and the surrounding areas. With family in Hull, I also conduct ceremonies in East Yorskhire. I am also happy to undertake a number of distance/overseas ceremonies each year by negotiation.

Fees from...

£300

How to contact me
Email

nickpcelebrant@gmail.com

Website

humanist.org.uk/nickphillips

HUMANIST CEREMONIES™ is the network of more than 550 celebrants, trained by national charity Humanists UK to a gold standard to provide memorable and meaningful humanist ceremonies to non-religious people. Operating throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, we deliver authentic, tailor-made and heartfelt ceremonies for life’s key moments. They are always inclusive and welcoming, regardless of the beliefs of those attending.

You can trust Humanist Ceremonies celebrants: We are DBS-checked, fully insured, and regularly peer reviewed for quality assurance. We are committed to a code of conduct, and have a transparent and robust complaints process in the rare case of a problem. We all pay a monthly fee to Humanists UK to further support the work of the charity, and are part of a regional network for like-minded celebrants for support and learning.

Humanist naming ceremonies

A humanist naming ceremony is a joyous event, and the perfect opportunity to gather friends and family to welcome your child into the world, with no reference to religion. It focuses on the child, their future and the circle of love and support around them, offering a sincere and personal alternative to a christening or other religious ceremony.