Humanist Ceremonies

22/01/2025

The House of Commons’ Justice Select Committee has pressed the UK Government to legally recognise humanist marriages without further delay. It's great to see this support behind our marriage campaign.

Couples in England & Wales want to have legally recognised humanist marriages. There's no good reason to keep them waiting!

The House of Commons’ Justice Select Committee has pressed the UK Government to legally recognise humanist marriages without further delay. Committee Chair Andy Slaughter MP has written to Marriage Minister Lord Ponsonby to highlight that ‘humanist couples across England and Wales have been wait...

21/01/2025

It's never too late to have the ceremony you always wanted! ❤

Celebrate everything you have achieved together with a joyful humanist vow renewal!

20/01/2025

Are you curious about the difference between a christening and a naming ceremony? 🤔
If you're looking for a non-religious way to welcome your little one or simply exploring your options, this blog has the answers you might be looking for! 💛

Discover how humanist naming ceremonies focus on love, community, and personal meaning.

Humanist naming ceremonies and christenings are both symbolic occasions which have no legal status. And while both types of ceremony provide a way of introducing a new child to a wider network of family and friends, their content, style, and the meaning of these events is very different.

20/01/2025

A humanist funeral offers a non-religious, highly personal way to say goodbye. Each ceremony is crafted by a highly trained humanist celebrant, who will take the time to learn about the person’s personality and relationships, ensuring that the ceremony reflects them in an authentic way.

These ceremonies provide an inclusive space to remember and celebrate, focusing entirely on the individual’s life and legacy without including religious content.

Our map is a simple way to find accredited humanist celebrants local to you. 👇

To find a funeral celebrant near you, just click on your location on our map or add your postcode to the search bar.

19/01/2025

'why don’t we just elope?'
Elopements can be practical and incredibly romantic! Lewis and Imanina chose to elope for their big day and loved every moment.

Lewis and Imanina knew they wanted to get married, what they didn't know was how stressful it would get. Their solution? A beautiful outdoor elopement in Derbyshire.

17/01/2025

It's wonderful to see all the different places couples choose to have their humanist weddings!
One of the many great things about a humanist wedding ceremony is that you can say "I do" anywhere that’s special to you. Whether it’s:
🌊 A beach at sunset,
🌿 A forest,
🏡 Your own garden,
🏰 A historic venue,..anywhere that's meaningful to you as a couple can become a beautiful location for your ceremony!

16/01/2025

Every year, Sun Life publishes their research into funerals: The Cost of Dying report. Looking at costs but also at wider funeral trends

This report shows that when people were asked directly about their own funeral plans, 92% expressed some preferences. With 16% of them saying that they would like to have a humanist funeral — that's an increase of 7% compared to 2023.

Here are a few more interesting stats from the report:

20% of people described the funeral they organised as a direct cremation — that's the same as in 2023.

Only 33% of people knew whether their loved one wanted a religious or non-religious service.

Less than 1% of those surveyed said they knew all of their loved one’s funeral wishes.

See the full report linked below.

In 2024, the average cost of dying increased to £9,797. The cost of a simple funeral in the UK also rose to £4,285. Read the report.

14/01/2025

“During the ceremony, we did a sand-blending. Each guide parent and each child had a different colour of sand and their own bottle. After each guide parent spoke, they put a little bit of their sand into each bottle. This was the stand-out moment of the day for me – listening to our friends talk about our children, and about their relationship with us. It really strengthened those relationships – it was an extra thread that connected us.”

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

13/01/2025

We love a handfasting ceremony!

Handfasting is a ritual that is said to date back over 2,000 years. It's also known as a hand tying or hand binding ceremony and is popular in humanist weddings as a beautiful symbolic moment during the ceremony. ❤

Photograph: Lisa and Kayleigh by Sawyer and Sawyer Photography

11/01/2025

Are you in your wedding planning era?
Speak with one of our highly trained humanist celebrants about making your ceremony the most meaningful part of the day!

Here are just a few of our favourite reasons to choose a humanist wedding ceremony! ❤️💍

10/01/2025

Sir David Attenborough has spoken about how he found consolation from grief in the natural world following the death of his wife. Here is a quote as seen in The Little Book of Humanist Funerals.

"In moments of great grief, that's where you look and immerse yourself. You realize you are not immortal, you are not a god, you are part of the natural world and you come to accept that".

10/01/2025

Do you have a favourite poem or reading for a humanist naming ceremony?

A humanist naming ceremony is a non-religious celebration for welcoming a child into the family and giving them their name. Families often choose to include the reading of a favourite poem at a naming ceremony. Here are some of our celebrants’ favourite poems for naming ceremonies.

09/01/2025

Humanist wedding ceremonies, with their beautiful vows, are becoming popular with couples seeking a non-religious yet meaningful celebration of their love and commitment.

09/01/2025

Great news! President of the Nigerian Humanist Association Mubarak Bala is now free after nearly four-and-a-half years of imprisonment for ‘blasphemous’ posts on Facebook.

President of the Nigerian Humanist Association Mubarak Bala is finally free after nearly four-and-a-half years of imprisonment for ‘blasphemous’ posts on Facebook. Mubarak was jailed in 2020 and convicted in 2022 by the High Court in Kano. Initially he was sentenced to 24 years but in May his se...

09/01/2025

A humanist naming ceremony gives you the chance to celebrate the arrival of your child surrounded by friends and family, and make heartfelt promises to them for their future!

Is this meaningful non-religious 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. For families who aren’t religious, a humanist naming ceremony offers a wonderfully personal alternative to a religious ceremony, allow...

08/01/2025

Steve's friends and family gathered on his farm to celebrate his life with a memorable humanist ceremony, led by Humanist Ceremonies celebrant Rachel Narkiewicz.

“The nicest thing about what we did was that it was so uplifting and so relaxed. It almost felt like a party. People kept saying how much they enjoyed it, and you don’t often hear that after a funeral!”

08/01/2025

Whether you're planning a funeral for a loved one or you've been asked to say a few words, we know that writing a eulogy can feel like an overwhelming task!

In our blog post we explain what a eulogy is and share some simple tips on how to write one.

A eulogy is a speech given at a funeral in commemoration of someone's life. Humanist funeral celebrant Alex Collis shares her top tips about how to write a eulogy for a loved one.

07/01/2025

Would you like a wedding ceremony that truly reflects you as a couple and leaves out traditions that might not suit you? Choosing a humanist wedding celebrant gives you the freedom to create a ceremony as unique as you are.

Ready to start planning your special day? Find your local celebrant today: https://humanists.uk/ceremonies/find-a-celebrant/weddings/