Ewan Main: humanist wedding and naming ceremonies

24/04/2025

21 years ago today, I got married. And 21 years later I still love this photo entirely.

(oh go on then. And my wife, I suppose)

11/04/2025

Aw - lovely to see this again! I still stand by every word :-) Thank you, Humanist Ceremonies!

There are real life wedding stories and thoughts about wedding ceremonies from some of our Humanist Ceremonies celebrants in the Little Book of Humanist Weddings, like this one about having a wedding in front of your community of guests by humanist celebrant Ewan Main: humanist wedding and naming ceremonies.
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The book reads: 'A legal arrangement can be changed by means of another legal arrangement. But an agreement in front of, and involving, the community around you - that makes you accountable.

Guests at a wedding - if they're valued, trusted guests - really do care about what's happening at the front, because it's a little bit about them too.

I like to comment in weddings, sometimes, on the fact that everyone sitting in this room together now has one thing in common that they didn't before. A marriage grows from and reflects connections, and it makes new ones too.

Humanist celebrant Ewan Main'

06/04/2025

York is bursting with blossoms at the moment!

It brings back strong memories - this time last year I was just about to live and work in Japan for a month. It changed my life entirely.

To all those who are on the verge of an exciting new stage of life - かんぱい！

27/03/2025

Spotted on a pavement in Soho yesterday. I like it.

24/03/2025

I get asked quite often about the best, daftest or most unexpected things that have happened in weddings.

This one was right up there on all three counts. A chicken appeared at the end of the aisle and slowly, nonchalantly, processed all the way along and met us at the front. All we could do was stop and let it finish.

(I wondered if it was planning a show-stopping declaration that the groom was in love with someone else. I’m happy to report it wasn’t.)

But this picture went down in history… and a little while later the photographers, the excellent , contacted me to conduct their wedding too 🥰

So, I’m grateful to that chicken. 🐓🥂

19/03/2025

Probably my favourite thank you card from all the years. You might see it on the wall behind me if we meet on Zoom or something.

This was from a couple who invited me to conduct their vow renewal. Apparently they had got the idea from Gavin and Stacey!

(At the time, I’d never seen it. I have now - and good grief, it’s a bold move to base your life choices on Dawn and Pete’s relationship…)

17/03/2025

‘Tis the season for daffodils all over lovely .

For a few years, you could sponsor the planting of a patch of daffodils on the city walls in someone’s memory. Near the station there are 1,000 of them in honour of my late brother ♥️

(I had hoped to get a picture from the walls, but alas the rain appeared and my camera isn’t waterproof. These are in front of the Elm Bank Hotel.)

25/12/2024

The best of the season to you all. I hope you like this - it’s 4 years old now but I thought it was time to bust it out again.

(It’s my own house, kitchen, hands, and musical arrangement. I’m entirely comfortable with not being religious but finding this one of the most beautiful tunes I’ve ever heard. I like to think I did it justice in this version.)

08/12/2024

December’s here! The season of joy and… engagements! With festive cheer and cosy moments all around, it’s no wonder this is the most popular time of year to pop the question.

If you’ve recently said yes or are planning to propose, congratulations! 🎉

It’s time to start dreaming of a wedding that’s as unique and personal as your love story. Visit our website for inspiring wedding ideas and to find out more about our highly trained Humanist Ceremonies celebrants who can help make your day truly unforgettable.

08/12/2024

After nearly a quarter of a century together, Sarah and Ravi knew exactly what they wanted: to celebrate their two cultures with a wedding that was family-orientated and that told the story of their relationship. With the help of their Humanist Ceremonies celebrant they create a fun wedding ceremony

08/12/2024

I love living in Yorkshire. There’s such a delightful occult/gothic side that adds so much magic to things!

Huge congratulations to whichever genius put together this incredible goth/folk/sinister/horror-themed Christmas fair at York Medical Society on Stonegate today. Costumes, lighting, music, vintage medical equipment, and sinister-themed products of all kinds.

18/11/2024

12 years ago, my first ever wedding. (Actually 12 years and two days ago, but I posted the photo 12 years ago so Facebook has only just reminded me.)

First observation: my suit looks too big. Makes a change from it usually looking too small these days.

The wedding was a corker. I'd only met them a couple of months previously but between us we put together something detailed, personal, in some parts supremely serious and in other parts supremely daft. Lots of guests got involved with readings and speeches. After the ceremony, I admitted to them that it had been my first ever—and they got all the guests to give me a round of applause.

I drank champagne with them and their families the evening before, and we met up for a meal a few weeks later.

Since then, there have been 150+ weddings, vow renewals, namings and funerals. It remains brilliant. But I'll *always* remember this first one.

17/11/2024

13/11/2024

Over my 12 (and counting) years in this gig, some of the most poignant moments and profoundest honours have been when people have trusted me to embrace, nurture, celebrate, tell the story of, or just quietly and supportively respect, who they are—or indeed who their guests or special people are.

I’m cis, straight, white, male, married, British, middle class, mid-forties… the world has always celebrated who I am. The best way I can repay that fortune is by doing the same for others.

And furthermore, I LOVE it.

Bring on life’s rich tapestry. Looking forward to meeting you! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🥂

This week is Trans Awareness Week. November 13 – 19.

As humanists, we cherish empathy and care about the rights of all!

Our celebrants take the time to get to know you and will work with you to ensure your ceremony is authentic to who you are.🏳️‍⚧️❤

13/11/2024

It was suggested to me that maybe I should look more wedding-y in the photo on my celebrant profile page. Fair enough - the polo-shirt-and-no-glasses vibe wasn’t really cutting it. I used to be a photographer and have got loads of old gear lying around - how hard can this be?

Cue over TWO HOURS of finding tripod connectors, charging batteries, almost figuring out how to work a 10-year-old camera, fiddling with autofocus settings, swapping lenses due to ominous grinding noises, looking up error messages on the internet, moving furniture, positioning lanterns, ironing a shirt, realising I hadn’t shaved… Anyway, behold my studio for the afternoon.

Now wading through 100ish attempts to select a winner, to be unveiled shortly!

04/11/2024

This is such an important part of being a celebrant - or working in the ceremonies world at all. It's heartbreaking to have to step away from a ceremony because you're ill (as I did once this year, for the first time in 12 years) but worth its weight in gold to know there's a network of kind and expert colleagues who can and will step in.

I'm not sure this would have occurred to me as a risk back when I was planning my wedding. But it definitely would now!

What happens if your celebrant is ill on the day of your ceremony?
Our celebrants, although amazing, are still only human and at this time of year, with viruses in the air, it's an important question. And one we can answer!

Humanist Ceremonies is a network of celebrants who are all trained to the same high standards to deliver personal non-religious ceremonies. If your chosen celebrant is unable to deliver a ceremony, another of our trained and accredited humanist celebrants will be able to step in to make sure that the ceremony is delivered as planned!

29/10/2024

Yes indeed. Some of my very favourite weddings have been in the middle of winter.

One on the very shortest day of the year - what better way to mark the gradual returning of the light?

One where the outside was covered in thick snow

Several surrounded by Christmas decorations.

I love it.

We're looking forward to the beautiful humanist winter weddings!

Outside in the crisp air with the chance of snow or the cosy indoor winter weddings filled with candles, twinkling lights, friends, and family. We love them all.

❤