Humanist weddings
With Humanist Ceremonies, it’s your wedding, your way. A humanist wedding is non-religious, inclusive, and personally tailored to you.
If you want to have your wedding outside – from intimate garden gatherings and wonderful woodland weddings to beautiful beach ceremonies – you name it, we can do it! Humanist weddings offer bespoke and meaningful ceremonies, led by trained and accredited celebrants. They are incredibly flexible in terms of location, style, length and content, giving you the chance to have the wedding you’ve always wanted.
Humanist wedding celebrants
Your celebrant will spend time getting to know you so that on your big day, they can tell your unique love story in a meaningful way.
They will help you choose the order of the ceremony, the words, music, and any rituals you would like, such as a handfasting or candle ceremony – or something of specific cultural significance to you.
Why choose us?
The Humanist Ceremonies Celebrant Network is the most experienced network of professional celebrants in the UK. Our members pioneered non-religious ceremonies in 1896 and have been conducting award-winning, inclusive, love-filled weddings in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands ever since.
Each of our celebrants is trained to the same high standards and all are members of our Celebrant Network. This means that if your celebrant were to experience an accident or illness on the day of your wedding, a colleague will step in to seamlessly deliver your ceremony.
We support marriage equality, and all our celebrants are proud to conduct same-sex weddings.
Legal status of humanist weddings in the UK
In the UK, marriage is a devolved issue: humanist marriages enjoy legal recognition in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey, but not yet in England and Wales. Couples who have a humanist wedding in England or Wales will also need to attend a register office for the marriage to be legally recognised. This can be done before or after your humanist wedding ceremony and can take as little as thirty minutes.
Find a celebrant
If you’re planning your wedding now, then contact a celebrant as early as possible. Not only will they be excited to meet you and discover your love story, they can also share their expertise and experience with you. Use our map to find your local celebrant who will be happy to discuss your ideas and answer any questions you may have.
Find out more about humanist weddings
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our wedding blog for features ideas and inspiration, top tips, and real-life wedding stories. Also check out our frequently asked questions.
The Little Book of Humanist Weddings is full of inspirational quotes and poetry, perfect for a humanist wedding.
Your wedding
We’d love to hear about your wedding! Please share your wedding photos with us via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
We also welcome feedback via Google, Facebook, and Hitched.
If you would like your wedding to be featured on our blog or in the media, please contact us.
Humanist Ceremonies in the media
Photo credits
Alex Miller, Alexander Crane, Roo Stain, Sawyer and Sawyer Photography, and Ross Holkham.
