Rachael Meyer - Wedding celebrant in Harrogate, Yorkshire

19/08/2024

Nawwww - shucks. Thanks Rachel and Tom. What an utterly fabulous wedding.

18/08/2024

Huge smiles after Thursday’s wedding ceremony at Sandburn Hall Golf Club, near York. Hannah and Miles had a totally unique humanist ceremony complete with oath stone vows, wishes cast into pebbles by family and friends, beautiful poetry, a great story and an epic singalong as a finale. Hankies well used for happy tears, and big grins all round… congratulations Hannah and Miles - what a joy! Lovely to work with Steven Heath on music and James Thrner on video again.

24/07/2024

Just going to leave these here. Just beautiful. If you want a meaningful and memorable wedding ceremony, with laughs, tears and 100 per cent connection and care, give me a shout. This is exactly how wedding ceremonies should be. Just look at their faces. So amazing to be part of life's journey for my couples. Humanist Ceremonies The Tithe Barn, Bolton Abbey. Photos by courtneymariephotography

21/07/2024

Racha and James came over from their home in Tennessee to James’ home town in North Yorkshire for a gorgeous multicultural wedding day at Ripley Castle. A Moroccan / English / American melting pot of cultures, languages, style and traditions. Absolutely gorgeous. Top team of suppliers and an absolute joy to be their celebrant. Congratulations Racha and James.

16/07/2024

A completely unique wedding ceremony for Jono and Rach at the fabulous Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts . Zero wedding traditions followed. Just 100% J and R vibes. My absolute pleasure.

Now super happy to be a recommended supplier at this very cool venue in Newcastle-Gateshead.

Congratulations J and R x

14/07/2024

What a beautiful wedding in every way! Congratulations to the gorgeous Paige and Giorgio, two world class professional ballet dancers, who gave me free rein to write a romantic, lyrical and very poetic wedding ceremony that referenced all kinds of things not normally associated with humanist ceremonies.

Every ceremony is lovingly crafted for the upmost individuality following an in-depth planning meeting ❤️ ❤️ The magic certainly happened with these lovelies. A visual dream with an overload of emotions. Pure joy.

Always a pleasure to work at The Tithe Barn, Bolton Abbey. Top team of suppliers too. A wonderful wedding.

05/07/2024

A little reccie yesterday for next weekend’’s wedding ceremony at The Baltic in Newcastle/Gateshead. Fab event team. Amazing venue for anyone looking in the North East.

22/06/2024

Congratulations Olivia and Philipp - what a fab wedding! I’ve know Olivia since she was 4 years old, so it was extra lovely to be the celebrant - and I got to stay on for the party too! An incredible day!

01/06/2024

Congratulations Kayte and George! What a wedding! English country garden feels - at their very best. Just amazing! Humanist Ceremonies

25/05/2024

Congratulations Lauren and Tom - what a fabulous couple - with a love story that started at school, when they were just 15! Live music and a family and friends warming of the wedding rings to “all you need is love” were the icing on the cake - laughs and beaming smiles and tears of pride and meaning - an absolute joy!

20/05/2024

Congratulations to Beth and Aaron - what a beautiful couple! And such a good ceremony singalong…. Rudding Park Hotel

12/05/2024

09/05/2024

Congratulations to the lovely Lorna and Jim, who had a fabulously classic wedding ceremony last weekend at The Tithe Barn, Bolton Abbey. Live music for entrance and exit, their story told, their promises and a ring exchange. No readings. No symbolic rituals. No surprise vows. Just big beaming smiles.
Sometimes, less is more…. 💕

12/04/2024

Head down for some serious script writing in Newcastle this weekend…

30/03/2024

This weekend’s fabulous wedding in the Yorkshire Dales. All the feels….

25/02/2024

This week…..

22/01/2024

Fancy tying the knot? Whether you wow your guests with a handfasting, and literally tie the knot at the end of your ceremony, or go super simple with just a ring exchange, your story and promises, each wedding ceremony is different - crafted with care, especially for you.

Thank you for the truly lovely review. Lots of love to you both. Xx

19/01/2024

Just back from a lovely meeting with a very nice chap who’s decided to get his funeral sorted way ahead of time. What a nice thing to do, to sit, in calm and happy times, and gather someone’s memories in their senior years, and get a real flavour of their personality, thoughts, memories, philosophy and life story. And then write a script for them,have it approved and keep it on file.

Telling your own story, having it written up for you, choosing your own celebrant and sorting your logistics can really take the stress and financial worry away from your loved ones when the time comes.

It’s not at all weird. We should talk about these things more often. Feel free to give me a shout, or contact your nearest Humanist UK celebrant. Humanist Ceremonies

Check out my funeral website at

Rachael Meyer is a humanist funeral celebrant in North Yorkshire, planning, writing and delivering personalised, non-religious, relaxed and alternative funeral and celibration of life ceremonies in Harrogate, Leeds, York and the accross the Yorkshire Dales.

18/01/2024

A fab wedding ceremony planning meeting today for a cosy North East wedding in March. And look how pretty….

Things are warming up already (sorry…) as I begin planning meetings for spring weddings. Cannot wait for the 2024 love fest to begin with the 1st one at Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom….

29/12/2023

With two very festive, sparkly (and Scottish themed) weddings twixt Christmas and New Year now completed (bar the printing and mailing of the presentation copy of the ceremony scripts)….. just like that, it’s a wrap!

Thank you to all my amazing 2023 couples - it’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to share your stories, have some fun and create meaningful ceremonies to kickstart a host of marriages.

It’s been brilliant to work with some pretty awesome fellow humanist celebrants (especially Hannah, Linda, Christine and Roger, who’ve been massively collaborative and supportive). And it’s been delightful to work with fab and extremely talented and hard working wedding suppliers, and wedding coordinators at a whole range of very cool wedding venues (old and new). I couldn’t be more proud - there have been 30 truly magical wedding ceremonies.

I’ve also worked with many different families on 30 incredible funerals and celebrations of life ceremonies this year.

All in all, I’ve met some of the most interesting, upliftingng, enlightening people and have heard some astoundingly beautiful and harrowing stories that never fail to amaze me, encourage me to have more fun, be kind, brave, more curious, and more adventurous.

I’ve been blown away again by the lovely reviews I’ve had (if you haven’t left one, please do so - as this is what means the most to couples shopping around (and also I love to hear what you and your guests thought of the whole process!!)

It’s been a particularly poignant year for me this year, which culminated in writing and conducting a celebration of life ceremony for my mum, who died at the end of November. So it’s time for me to turn off my computer for a couple of weeks and have a well-earned holiday doing some DIY with my fabulous husband, before I start work on wedding and funeral ceremonies again, mid Jan.

Of course, as someone who is self-employed, my phone is always on - so at any time over the next 2 weeks and beyond - please do feel free to get in touch if you want a chat or want to book me for your 2024 or 2025 wedding ceremony (please note I only have 5 spaces left in 2024 so please don’t hang around!)

Meetings for 2024 wedding ceremonies in Yorkshire and Newcastle start mid-Jan! If your wedding is in March, you’ll be hearing from me really soon! Everyone else - I’ll be in touch shortly!

Have a fabulous New Year, all. I can’t wait to meet everyone and hear more stories of life and love ❤️

23/11/2023

Congratulations to Hiroto and Rachel whose Japanese/English fusion wedding ceremony I created and conducted at Gisborough Hall yesterday.

It was the most beautiful, inclusive do, with readings by both mums in Japanese and English, a blending of the sands of time from Rachel and Hiroto’s home in Japan and the Yorkshire coast and harp music adding to the elegance. Rachel said her vows in Japanese. Hiroto said his vows in English. And their story was told to everyone, so that all guests left the ceremony knowing exactly what they were celebrating.

The whole script was translated into Japanese for Hiroto’s family, Hiroto’s mum’s reading “Chopsticks” was translated into English for Rachel’s family and their friends, and I was over the moon to see a translation of my poem “Marriage from a cat’s perspective” which Rachel and Hiroto chose from all the readings on my website, translated into Japanese . What an honour!

A truly beautiful wedding, followed by a post-ceremony bracing walk on the beach - with obligatory fish n chips. Brilliant!

16/11/2023

I am swooning over this amazing highlights video of one of my weddings this summer, kindly shared by the wonderful Faye, Lucas and their photographers/videographers, Alt Wedding Co.

This was SUCH a beautiful wedding. And it was a real privilege to be a little part of it.

If you'd like a little help putting your own wedding promises, or secret letters together, do head over to read the blog post on my website, about writing wedding vows.

In the meantime, enjoy watching this beautiful, beautiful video.... (and thank you for the amazing review on my business Google page, F and L)

11/11/2023

It’s been a bit of a week. So to get this photo through on email tonight was a complete joy. Thank you and . Many more fab photos from this amazing couple’s wedding to appear on my grid soon.

Right now - I’m just embracing those truly heartfelt smiles, 5 mins post wedding ceremony at

01/11/2023

Thank you Humanist Ceremonies for featuring the blogpost I wrote on inclusivity a little while ago on Facebook today. :-)

Love is love, everyone - no matter what your story! And every love story deserves to be told on your wedding day!

A little update: my diary is almost fully booked in 2024 now. Summer Saturdays are all gone! Availability is still good in April and autumn 2024, but if you're thinking of getting in touch, please do so soon as enquiries for 2024 and 2025 are coming in fast and thick at the moment!

Humanist Ceremonies celebrant Rachael Meyer tells how integral to the beauty of the vows, the rituals, the celebration, the emotions, and the story-telling is one hundred percent inclusivity.

31/10/2023

Awwww. So lovely to receive this message from my bride half way through her wedding day!

“Thank you so much!!! We've had so many compliments on the ceremony, it was absolutely amazing ❤️ couldn't have asked for a better day x”

Congratulations Emma and Arvin. My absolute pleasure. Just gorgeous!

29/10/2023

Always a pleasure to try and match the wedding colour theme as much as possible - amazing bright orange loveliness for Emma and Arvin’s wedding ceremony today - which took place with drama, multicultural style, stories, secret vows, meaning, humour…. and a shot of rum - at . It was lovely to be told by one of the groom team “wow - you seem to know them better than we do!” Yep - that’ll be the three hour meeting we had in the bar and my weird ability to turn pages of scribbles into a ceremony that captures the very essence of my couples. More photos to follow….

21/10/2023

Most of you know that I write and conduct original story-led, relaxed, meaningful and joyous non- religious wedding ceremonies. But I also do funeral ceremonies - or celebrations of life, as I like to call them.

I don’t do many - maybe 25 a year. But they are so life-affirming. I often hear love stories that span 40/50/60 years. It’s such a privilege to be asked to re-tell these stories at the end of a life.

I specialise in disrupting the norm. I cannot bear the rules usually associated with funerals. Yesterday, for example, was particularly poignant and just amazing to be a part of. It was for the father of one of my brides. A real honour to be asked.

There were no restrictions on time. We journeyed through K’s life with a beautiful blend of stories and poetry read by his family, and I wove it all together with a script that centred around everything that several of his family had told me about his life, in a 2 hour Zoom call.

Then a handful of us went to the cemetery and said a final goodbye to K with the howling wind and horizontal rain adding to the memories. An Irish song was the last thing I heard as I walked away. Just beautiful.

Normally, families are not really given a choice as funeral directors tend to stick to the norm, and then we end up in a crematorium chapel with a strict 20 minute slot.

If you’re in the unfortunate position of organising a funeral, memorial or celebration of life for a loved one, and you want something religion-free and beautiful, please speak to a humanist celebrant before arranging anything with the funeral director. There are more options than you think. Give your loved one the send-off the deserve.

My website is grandgoodbyes.com should anyone need it at any time. (I hope you don’t, but just in case….)

14/10/2023

No happy couple pics from today’s wedding at in Central York. They didn’t want to be on the socials. Damn shame, as my bride was wearing the most beautiful green dress, my groom was in a green kilt, the brides folk were in purple and my new green velvet suit with purple top was so goddam on point!

So y’all just get a pic of me outside this lovely building today.

Twas a splendid do though. “The best ceremony I think I’ve ever seen” said the venue coordinator. Awwww. And “Yey” in equal measures.