I see my role as a wedding celebrant as enabling you to have the perfect ceremony for you and whether you know what that is at the start is not important. I will provide you with lots of ideas, advice, tips and often this also prompts couples to sometimes come up with their own ideas, which I always encourage. One of my favourite parts of being a wedding celebrant is when couples first come to me
and are unsure of what exactly they want, then we chat through all the ideas and then getting the email back from writing the script saying that they love it and they are so excited for their day!. In terms of how I do things once you have contacted me quite often couples book right away but also happy to do video calls first. (I used to live abroad so I am very used to dealing with couples abroad too). Once we confirm the booking I will send you lots of information and examples. My approach is to firstly find out all about you and your partner (usually over a cup of tea and a biscuit) and then discuss ideas and styles with you. The ceremony is all about you and what is right and meaningful for both of you and that is different for every couple. I try to remind couples that aside from a few legal declarations and the ceremony being humanist in content, the rest is entirely up to you. If there are other ceremonies you have been to that you liked, think about why and if there are specific reasons you wanted a humanist wedding in particular I will also make sure they are part of the ceremony. Doing this job is a constant reminder of how important love is and how much joy that relationship can bring not only to the two people involved but also to their family and friends. In a humanist wedding there is the opportunity to include family and friends whether it be through poems and readings or symbolic gestures such as wedding band warming and hand fasting (an ever increasing popular tradition of ‘tying the knot’).Or just asking them to join in at parts – it’s often one of the nicest parts of the ceremony that the people most special to you are also part of the most important day of your life. And it’s my job to make sure that your day is everything you dreamed it would be!. In terms of practicalities, once a couple have secured the booking I usually meet them about 3 months before the big day to make sure you are also on track with your legal paperwork. This timing can be adapted to each couple and I am also happy to do this over skype for couples who are abroad or long distance. I would then send you your personalised wedding script within 2 weeks of our final meeting and a month before the special day you let me know any changes. Then all you have to do is relax and enjoy all the excitement in the run up to the big day ! PRICES
Prices for a humanist wedding ceremony are -
£450 (including HSS membership and the HSS promise)
www.humanism.scot
