Hi, I'm Rachel

Image of Rachel Buchanan

Anyone who has been to a humanist wedding ceremony knows just how personal, touching and lovely they can be.

Your wedding ceremony should not be a boring bit of the day to just get through, but the heart of your celebrations. I love meeting couples and hearing your stories and your plans, and making sure that your ceremony is at least as joyful and memorable as the rest of the day.

Each ceremony is special and unique, and I will work with you to include whatever you want to, and help you to fill in the gaps for those bits you are not sure of.

Think of me as your guide, with lots of suggestions to hand, but also there to work for you - you are in control, and on the day you should feel safe and relaxed (well, as much as possible on your wedding day!), knowing that I am there to look after the ceremony and make sure everything goes smoothly.

I have done ceremonies in fields, gardens, hotels, grand houses, barns, castles and on a (windy!) Welsh beach.

My ceremonies have involved dogs, ring bearers of all ages (and dog ringbearers!), children, ring warmings, handfasting, jumping the broom, candles, drinks, gifts, a groom arriving in a canoe, a ring exchange featuring a fork, different languages, songs, surprises and even marriage advice from a couple's children.

From sweet and simple to grand and complicated, whatever your ideas, let's try to make them happen.

My favourite comment to hear after one of my ceremonies? A sceptical guest coming up to me afterwards to say 'well, I didn't know what to expect, but that was lovely.' Job done!

We would like to say a huge thank you to Rachel for a wonderful wedding ceremony. It was so easy to work with Rachel ahead of the wedding, and it was lovely to meet up and talk through our history to help construct a personal wedding script. Rachel was very happy to work with our vision for the day and delivered a beautiful ceremony. Guests commented during the day, and after, on how great it was. 

— H & I

The wedding service was everything we could have wanted and more. Thank you so much for all your help and support leading up to it. In the moment it felt perfect, I know it's cheesy to say. The setting was beautiful, it was so relaxed, you made everyone feel at ease. It was certainly the best service I've ever been to, even if I am a bit biased. We'd like to have children so can you do their naming ceremony... please?

I echo everything I has said (we're still newly weds after all!) your guidance, encouragement, flexibility and humour were delivered with both thoughtful sentiment and straight forward gravity! This was a perfect cocktail for us and it really felt so special - I loved the whole process and cannot thank you enough for the energy you brought to our day!

— I & V

We just wanted to send you a message of thanks for being our celebrant at our wedding last weekend. Words can’t really express how grateful we are to you for making our ceremony feel so special - it was everything we hoped for and more.

The process of meeting you and telling you our story was part of this magic. You put us at such ease, and we really felt like you understood us and our feelings towards each other. You coordinated the whole process with such professionalism and organisation, and made us feel in very safe hands.

We have had so many comments from our friends and families about how incredible you were, and how the ceremony felt so special and unlike anything they had been to before. You led the ceremony with such warmth and set the tone - joyful and tearful! - for the rest of the day.

Thank you so much again, and please do feel free to share our comments online if you would like to include it in a review.

— Mrs and Mrs Askins

Image of Rachel Buchanan

Rachel Buchanan

Where I work

I mostly work in beautiful Shropshire, Herefordshire and the Welsh Marches, however I am happy to travel further afield

Fees from...

£750

How to contact me
Email

rachelonthehill@gmail.com

Website

humanist.org.uk/rachelbuchanan

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 weddings

A humanist wedding ceremony is a wonderful option to celebrate your wedding in the way you choose: without religion but with meaning, and totally true to the two of you. They are uplifting and heartwarming occasions, personal to each couple to reflect your personalities and interests, and your love story. Sincere and significant, your ceremony will be crafted to create an occasion which is unique and fitting to you both.