Ideas and inspiration
Couples and celebrants share stories of non-religious weddings that resonate deeply, intertwining unique love stories with timeless human values.
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...
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...
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,...
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...
A cross-cultural humanist wedding: Mercedes and Nurkanat’s story
City girl Mercedes is from Atlanta in the USA. Her husband Nurkanat is from rural Kyrgyzstan. They met in the UK and – with help from their humanist celebrant Roxy...
Tips for planning a romantic humanist wedding
Choosing a humanist ceremony means that you can add unique and personal touches to your wedding, so that your special day is as full of romance as you would like!...
Tips for an affordable wedding ceremony
There are many decisions to be made when planning a wedding, from location to wedding venue to the size of the event. Each of these choices will have an impact...
We had a humanist wedding after 22 years together
Christine and Nij went on their first date on 4 March 2001 and have been together ever since. Twenty-two years later, to the day, they tied the knot in a...
Planning an elopement wedding, humanist style
Planning a wedding can be a joyous thing, looking forward to your big day and making it everything you’ve dreamed of. Lists, binders, schedules and budgets are a bride and...
Humanist wedding: Nic and Stéphane’s untraditional wedding party
Nic and Stéphane wanted their wedding to be creative, quirky, fun and joyful. They wanted to avoid stuffy rituals, put their own twist on tradition and to infuse the event...
Suzanne and Neil’s story – a wedding with all the family involved
With six adult children between them, Neil and Suzanne knew they wanted to find special ways to involve them in their ceremony. Read all about their romantic humanist wedding, complete...
Lucia, Amit and Baby Arti: A wedding and a welcome to the world
A wedding ceremony with a special welcome included. A great example of how to blend different traditions and make a ceremony that suits you perfectly.
Lauren and Chris chose to tie the knot outdoors in Northern Ireland in November. Read about how hiking poles and hand fasting were part of their special day.
Our Celebrant Network: Meet Holly Austin-Davies – Wedding celebrant and librarian
Holly takes us through how she discovered she was a humanist and shares her favourite things about weddings.
Thinking you'd like to get married outdoors in the forest or a woodland? Check out our guide to humanist woodland weddings.
Humanist wedding: Lewis and Imanina’s outdoor elopement in the Peak District
Lewis and Imanina knew they wanted to get married, what they didn't know was how stressful it would get. Their solution? A beautiful and simple outdoor elopement in Derbyshire.
Our Celebrant Network: Meet Hannah Bryant – Wedding Celebrant and Registered Nurse
Hannah is a member of our network of humanist celebrants. Learn more about her story and how she came to be part of Humanists UK.
5 Tips for planning an accessible wedding
Make sure your wedding is welcoming to all by checking out these tips for making it inclusive and accessible.
Read about this beautiful wedding in the Derbyshire countryside and how a humanist ceremony chimed with the brides' values.
A Christmas engagement | Next steps for wedding planning
If you want to get married in 2022, you'll need to get your skates on! Most wedding venues and celebrants take the majority of bookings between January and March.
In recent years, you might have found yourself hearing more and more about ‘humanist weddings’. But what are they? Why are they more popular than religious weddings in Scotland? And...
What’s the most inclusive type of wedding ceremony?
Humanist weddings are on the rise. And it’s little wonder. People fall in love all over the world and despite our differences, love wins. Focusing the entire wedding day on...
Humanist wedding | James and Amie’s garden wedding
A gorgeous garden wedding can include both spectacular daytime elements such as flowers, fragrance, and far-reaching views — and romantic mood lighting with twinkling lights and candles - and a...
Five romantic poems for humanist weddings
A humanist wedding ceremony tells the personal love story of a couple, and so each one is unique. Some couples have favourite poems that they’d like to read or have...
A Guide to Handfasting | Symbolic Acts at a Humanist Wedding
Handfasting is a symbolic act that takes place during a wedding ceremony, where the hands of the happy couple are bound together with ribbon or cord, to represent their commitment...
Tying the knot in a humanist wedding ceremony
As part of our series on symbolic acts chosen by couples who’ve had humanist weddings, we’re looking at the act of ‘tying the knot’. To many people, the expression ‘tying...
A Guide to Unity Candle Ceremonies | Symbolic Acts at a Humanist Wedding
Lighting a unity candle symbolises two becoming one. Bringing a moment of ritual into your wedding can add depth and emotion to the ceremony.
Symbolic Acts at a Humanist Wedding | The Cut-out Heart Race
With a humanist wedding from Humanist Ceremonies, you can have your wedding ceremony wherever you choose – even in a woodland glade. You can also write your own vows and...
Humanist wedding ceremonies are flexible and can incorporate a range of wedding traditions from around the world - and that includes the throwing of confetti.
Humanist wedding | Jaspal and Lucy’s fusion wedding
Humanist ceremonies are a popular choice for couples planning a fusion wedding — a multicultural wedding ceremony marrying together elements of each of the couple’s cultures and traditions. If, like Jaspal...
Humanist wedding | Paul and Mark
When couples aren't religious and don’t want a traditional church wedding, preferring instead something that reflects them and their values, a humanist ceremony is often the perfect fit. That was...
Introducing wedding celebrant and BSL interpreter Audrey Simmons
British Sign Language interpreter and humanist wedding celebrant Audrey Simmons tell us how she hopes to bring these roles together to conduct the first Humanist Ceremonies wedding ceremony entirely using...
Humanist wedding | Sinead and Hayley-Jane’s non-traditional wedding
Sinead and Hayley-Jane wanted a non-traditional wedding, so they chose a humanist ceremony, which meant they could have their wedding their way: non-religious, personally tailored to telling their love story,...
What happens if your wedding celebrant is ill?
What happens if your wedding celebrant is too ill to conduct your ceremony?
Pets at weddings | Can I include my dog in my humanist wedding ceremony?
Humanist weddings are all about individuality. At Humanist Ceremonies, we say, ‘It’s your wedding, your way’, and if your dog is a huge part of your life and you want...
Can we have a humanist wedding?
Humanist weddings are personal, meaningful, and unique. Each ceremony is individually created specifically for the couple to tell their love story. No two ceremonies are ever the same!
As you’d imagine, here at Humanist Ceremonies, we love a good wedding so we were delighted when Bekka and Gareth agreed to share their story with us. Getting together We...
Will and Katie’s humanist wedding
We love a good wedding story, so we were delighted when Katie offered to tell us all about her weddings to Will – both of them! Getting together We met...
Are humanist marriages legally recognised in the UK?
Marriage law is different in parts of the UK and crown dependencies. Let’s take a look at each region: Humanist marriage in Scotland Humanist marriages have been legally recognised in...
Humanist weddings in Northern Ireland: everything you need to know
Humanist weddings are legally recognised in Northern Ireland.
Same-sex weddings are no different to opposite-sex weddings in that both are about the love two people have for one another and involve making a public commitment in front of...
Why you need a wedding arch | Using an arbour or bower to add a touch of magic to your wedding day
If you're having an outdoor wedding, you'll need a focal point — somewhere to stand to say your vows — and nothing says 'focal point' like a beautifully decorated wedding...
Humanist wedding | Rachel and Harvey’s rustic wedding
Creative couple Rachel and Harvey wanted a rustic wedding on the family farm and the freedom to make their vows personal and sentimental. As a non-religious couple, a humanist ceremony...
An outdoor wedding – 10 top tips from a humanist celebrant
Humanist wedding celebrant Ginny Collins shares her top ten tips for an outdoor wedding, to help make sure your big day goes smoothly.
On 17 May 2021, England moves into Step 3 of the lifting of restrictions. But what does that mean for you and your wedding? And what further restrictions will be...
Janice and Darren’s humanist wedding by the sea
Oh, we do love to be beside the seaside — and so do Janice and Darren! They like being by the sea so much, that they chose a beachside hotel...
How to have an intimate outdoor wedding at home
Many couples are trying to future-proof their wedding plans as much as possible by opting for a small, intimate, outdoor wedding which adheres to social distancing rules — and the...
A winter wedding, humanist style
Stars of our billboard campaign in Northern Ireland, Danny and Andy had plans for a Winter Wonderland humanist wedding, but the weather had other ideas. Danny McKeown tells us all...
In early December, celebrant Julie Watkins had a phone call asking if she would conduct a surprise wedding on Christmas Eve. Here was a groom with a dream! And Julie...
The flexibility of a humanist wedding meant Alba and Steve's outdoor ceremony could be safe, socially distanced - and beamed live to guests in Spain.
