If you want a warm, meaningful but non-religious wedding: a humanist ceremony could be the perfect option for you. Humanist wedding ceremonies are personal and bespoke. They are built around the love between you and your partner and the commitment you’re making to each other. I craft ceremonies that reflect the things that matter most to each couple: the values that shape and define their relationship, why they want to get married, and their hopes for married life together. Humanist ceremonies are also very popular for outdoor weddings – and there are some beautiful options in the Orchard at Munsley for you to explore! Your ceremony, your way A humanist ceremony is completely flexible.
Whatever the atmosphere you’re looking to create for your big day, be it relaxed, romantic, or quirky and fun – as your celebrant it’s my job to deliver exactly that in your ceremony! As unique as you are Humanist wedding celebrants take the time to get to know their couples. No two couples are the same, no two love stories are the same, so no two humanist weddings are ever the same either! A big focus of a humanist wedding ceremony is often telling the story of a couple: how they met and fell for each other, and what experiences have led them to their wedding day. Full of personality I believe you shouldn’t have to settle for a bland or boring ceremony. There are so many ways to make your ceremony sparkle with personality from the choice of readings, including a sing-along to a favourite song, to the fun ways we can include your passions and interests. For example, a couple that loves rock-climbing could have a handfasting using climbing rope. Or I can include references that are meaningful to you in the words, themes and allegories that I write for your ceremony. Inclusive The best wedding ceremonies unite friends and families.
They sweep up everyone present to share the moment with you. Humanist weddings are non-religious but designed to be inclusive and meaningful for everyone there, whatever their beliefs. There are plenty of ways to actively include family and friends in the ceremony. Your guests will feel involved and invested, and you’ll feel the love and support radiating back from them in return. All the feels There will be heartfelt, thoughtful moments but most importantly, your ceremony will share the love – with lots of smiles, laughter and joy. What’s involved? Humanist ceremonies can be short or long, follow a traditional structure or break with convention. You can include readings or poems read by family and friends, and you can have music if you like too. You then make your promises to each other, choosing the words that fit best, and mark the wedding with a symbolic action – usually exchanging rings, but additional elements can also be included, such as hand-fasting, or other types of unity ceremonies.
The legal bit Humanist Ceremonies are not yet legal in England and Wales (unlike enlightened Scotland, and more recently Northern Ireland). So, you’ll need to legally register your marriage at a Register Office. Most couples do this in quite a low-key way during the week before or after their ‘real’ humanist wedding ceremony.
A celebration of your marriage Humanist wedding ceremonies are a wonderfully personal and meaningful way to mark and celebrate a marriage. In sharing the love with friends and family, they create an over-riding sense of joy that will power-up your celebrations for the entire rest of the day and long into the night! ABOUT Jennie Hermolle: A Humanists UK accredited wedding celebrant, Jennie is passionate about bring real meaning and warmth to non-religious, personal wedding ceremonies. She knows from personal experience how special it feels to have a humanist wedding, having had a humanist ceremony as the cornerstone of her own wedding day in 2005. She lives in Herefordshire – not far from The Orchard at Munsley – with her husband and two energetic boys. Jennie conducts humanist weddings across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Monmouthshire and across the Welsh Marches.
www.humanist.org.uk/jenniehermolle
Humanists are people who shape their own lives in the her and now, because they believe it is the only life we have. Humanists UK is a charity that exists to advance free thinking and promotes humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. They have been the leading provider of meaningful, personalised, non-religious ceremonies for over 120 years. https://humanism.org.uk/ceremonies/