Ideas and inspiration

Humanist celebrants craft memorable and meaningful funeral ceremonies, intertwining personal memories with timeless human values. These are their stories.

An uplifting celebration of life ceremony: Steve’s humanist memorial ceremony took place on his farm, the perfect goodbye for this unique farmer.

Margaret, Steve’s partner of 60 years, explains how a humanist celebrant helped her remember and celebrate Steve’s life with his friends and family on the farm that he loved, as...

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Scattering ashes in space: Humanist Ceremonies talk to Aura Flights

More and more people are choosing unattended cremations (sometimes called direct cremations), and many families decide to have a ceremony afterwards – in a hall or hotel meeting room,  or...

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24 years together, five children, and the perfect humanist ceremony: Sarah and Ravi’s fun multi-cultural wedding

No one can say that Sarah and Ravi rushed into marriage. After nearly a quarter of a century together, the two of them knew exactly what they wanted: a wedding...

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Is a humanist naming ceremony the right choice for your family?

Welcoming a new child into your family is one of the most important milestones in your life, and many parents seek a special way to mark this profound new chapter....

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How to Support Your Mental Health While Planning a Funeral

Planning a funeral can be one of life’s most emotionally challenging tasks. Whether you’re organising the funeral of a loved one or helping someone else through the process, it’s important...

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Gabrielle and Dearbhaile’s story: A humanist ceremony in Northern Ireland to celebrate converting a civil partnership to a marriage.

When the law changed in Northern Ireland to allow Gabrielle and Dearbhaile to convert their civil partnership into a marriage, they could think of no better time to do it...

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What is a direct cremation and can I still have a ceremony?

Maybe you’ve heard about direct cremations – which are unattended and don’t involve any kind of funeral ceremony – and are wondering if this is the right choice for you...

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A fun and relaxed humanist wedding: Chloe and Paul’s informal wedding at their local pub

Chloe and Paul wanted a relaxed, informal wedding which reflected what matters to them – community, family, and a great night out at the pub. With the help of friend,...

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6 Top Tips for Planning a Summer Naming Ceremony

Welcoming a new child into your family is a momentous occasion, filled with joy and love. A Humanist naming ceremony offers a personal and non-religious way to honour this significant...

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A same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland and a steampunk wedding in England: Rian and Owen’s humanist ceremony

With Rian studying in England, and his boyfriend Owen living in Northern Ireland, their relationship started out as a long distance one. They had to wait until Rian graduated before...

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Friendship, fireworks, and fun – A humanist naming ceremony for older children

Laura and Jason, with help from their celebrant Sue, created a fun and meaningful humanist naming ceremony for their children, Peggy and Ronnie, with music, promises and, of course, cake....

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Remembering a loved one: the Humanist Funeral Tribute Archive

The Humanist Funeral Tribute Archive has been relaunched. This remarkable and valuable resource allows the life stories of ordinary people to be preserved online for posterity, and is the only...

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