Frequently Asked Questions

In Scotland and Northern Ireland they are however unfortunately in England and Wales, Humanist wedding ceremonies are not yet legally recognised. 

Humanists UK are actively campaigning to change that however until that happens, you will need to have both a legal ceremony as well as your Humanist one. 

Couples usually attend a registry office a few days before or after their Humanist ceremony to legally get married. The process is inexpensive, simple and essentially consists of signing the marriage register. Couples usually then treat their Humanist ceremony as their wedding day. 

It is possible but unusual for both the legally binding and Humanist ceremonies to be combined. Guidance can be provided here if this is your preferred option on request. 

A registrar is a government authorised official who can legally marry a couple. They will conduct a ceremony, only in licensed premises to guidelines that include specific legal wording and a strict time limit. 

A humanist wedding celebrant, on the other hand, will work with you to create a bespoke ceremony that specifically includes everything you want to share with your family and friends on your special day. You can choose any location and include pretty much anything you want to in order to make your day special and meaningful to you as a couple. 

My fee for weddings starts at £850. This includes meetings, drafting of a totally bespoke wedding script (including amendments as required) and of course delivering your special ceremony on the day. Additional travel and accommodation fees will be detailed in the contract if required.   

When considering your options, it is worth noting the price of booking a registrar to come out to your venue for the ceremony. The price is often not dissimilar to working with a celebrant (depending on your location).

Before the day

• a no-obligation zoom chat before you book, so we can check we are a good fit to work with each other
• a ceremony planning questionnaire for the initial planning stages
• any online or in person planning meetings required to deliver a wonderful ceremony
• A WhatsApp group chat for the three of us from the script/planning stage up to your wedding day
• Support with writing wedding vows, choosing readings, poems etc as required.  
• writing a totally unique script for your ceremony, and working with you to make any edits or tweaks needed until you are completely happy with it
• a video call 'rehearsal' a few days before your wedding to run through any last minute tips or questions

On the day

• exclusive use! I only ever book one wedding a day, so that I can give you my full attention
• travel to and from your venue
• Helping out for an hour before and 30 mins after the ceremony e.g. helping to arrange the ceremony space, shepherding guests, or dealing with unexpected issues
• conducting a heartfelt ceremony which has you and your guests loving every single second
• including any alternative wedding rituals or symbolic actions you would like to include
• provision of a certificate to sign as part of the ceremony (if you would like that as a photo opportunity - not everyone does!)

Afterwards

• a presentation copy of your ceremony script (printed and digital) as a keepsake

This entirely depends on what you want to include. From experience an ideal ceremony length will be 30 to 35 minutes in duration. 

Yes, providing you have permission and it's safe of course. That's the great thing about Humanist ceremonies. 

You can absolutely have a humanist ceremony whether you not or choose to define yourself as one. Humanism is not religious in any way. Humanists celebrate the fact that everyone is an individual, having one life to live and as such try to live a happy and fulfilling life while at the same time supporting others to do the same. Many of us hold Humanist beliefs without even recognising the fact that we do. 

I’m a Humanist wedding celebrant accredited by Humanist’s UK. I have been trained to a high standard to deliver high quality wedding ceremonies. Humanist UK accredited celebrants are regularly peer assessed to ensure standards are maintained. Humanists UK provide continuous personal development opportunities which are mandatory in order to maintain my accreditations. In addition, Humanist’s UK provide me with full Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance via the Humanists UK network.

Absolutely!! 

As a celebrant, I spend a lot of time in advance of the ceremony getting to know the couple so that I understand how they want the wedding to feel for both themselves and their guests. 

The ceremony itself is not formal as per a standard registry office wedding. I will lead the ceremony from beginning to end ensuring the words and content are special and bespoke to the couple. 

The ceremony itself can contain music, songs, poems and readings that truly reflect the couple and their love for each other. It can also include symbolic gestures such as ring warming and hand fasting if required. 

I can provide guidance of suitable poems, readings and music if required. 

Yes, absolutely. You can either share these before the ceremony or keep them secret so it's a complete surprise to your partner on the day. Nothing is more special than declaring your love, hopes and dreams for each other in your own words. Again I can provide guidance on what to include here if required.  

The earlier you book the better. Developing a truly unique ceremony takes time so the earlier you can get in contact and secure your date the better. 

I'm based in Maidstone in Kent but happy to travel to London or anywhere in the South of England. Travel and accommodation expenses may be charged if ceremony is more than 2 hours drive from my home location. If travel and accommodation expenses are required this will be fully detailed in the contract agreed on booking. 

First, get in touch so that I can make sure I am available for your date and location. From there we can arrange a video call chat to discuss options and check that we are a good fit to work together. 

I'll never book you in without speaking to you on a video call first, but I won't put you on the spot and ask for a decision then and there. It's a big decision, so I will send over all the information you need via email and give you the time and space to discuss it between you.

If you decide you would like a Remarkable Ceremony, I’ll then send over the booking forms and contract.
To help spread the cost, a 50% deposit will secure your date. The remaining balance is then payable 1 month before the ceremony date. 

A weekday wedding can be a great way to reduce costs: suppliers such as venues, caterers and hire companies can offer savings on days which aren't as in demand as key weekend dates.

That doesn't quite work for celebrants. I don't have unlimited availability: I'm a one man business, and cap the number of ceremonies I conduct each year to ensure that all my couples get the best possible service. Planning, writing and delivering a wedding ceremony takes the same amount of time, care and attention regardless of which day of the week the big day actually falls on, so the price doesn't vary depending on the day of the week or the time of the year.

That's what I'm here for! I can have as much or as little contribution to the content of the ceremony as you would like. If you already have a really clear vision of what you would like to say and include, then I can just offer tweaks and help with the overall structure. If you are totally clueless and already feel overwhelmed at the thought of deciding what to include (or not include!) in your ceremony, then I will offer guidance and suggestions until we have come up with something truly special which reflects you as a couple or family.