Humanism
Humanism is a non-religious belief system that is built upon the idea that we each have one life to live and that the universe was created as a naturally occurring (though amazing) phenomenon. You may not have previously thought of yourself as ‘humanist’ before planning your wedding and that is totally fine. Essentially, Humanism is about being guided by compassion and reason with a respect for the natural world. The word humanist has come to mean someone who:
Trusts science and fact when seeking to understand how the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural (Sometimes called atheist or agnostic)
makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other living things, including animals and the environment
believes that, in the absence of an afterlife and any discernible purpose to the universe, human beings can act to give their own lives meaning by seeking happiness in this life and helping others to do the same. (adapted from Humanists UK where you can find out more about Humanism)
What is a Humanist Wedding?
A Humanist wedding ceremony is different to both faith based and civil ceremonies as it puts everyone involved at the centre of it. When you choose to get married in a religious setting, the wedding ceremony is centred on your faith, when you choose a civil ceremony, it's about meeting the requirements of the law of the land. A Humanist wedding is centred on you and those who are important to you.
A Humanist wedding ceremony is a unique wedding ceremony written, crafted and curated only for you
Every humanist wedding ceremony I create is completely bespoke, I work with you both to get to know you and story, I listen to what’s important to you about marriage, what your values are, what makes you both laugh out loud and what drives you up the wall about each other. I then use all of this insight to create you a meaningful, personalised wedding ceremony unique to you.
A Humanist ceremony reflects the fact that your story has already begun
A humanist wedding truly centres and celebrates your story so far as equally important to the chapters you are about to write. In fact, a lot of the wedding ceremony that I write as your humanist wedding celebrant actually tells your story and shares that path with your guests. It’s often the bit that guests comment on most positively, because it really shows that the ceremony is entirely yours.
A Humanist wedding ceremony truly reflects and celebrates the diversity of real life!
A humanist wedding celebrates your relationship while at the same time can reflect and honour the family and or community that you are part of. It also doesn’t make any assumptions about what a community looks like, it doesn’t rely on patriarchal tropes of cis-gendered, hetero-normative families only. It will celebrate friends and chosen families as enthusiastically. A Humanist wedding ceremony is crafted entirely uniquely just for you. It will reflect your values and what matters to you!
A humanist wedding ceremony will feel different, because it will feel entirely authentic to you both. It will celebrate and be centred purely on the people involved and the love between you - That's what makes them so feel-good.