What made you want a personal/humanist ceremony for your wedding ceremony?
Although we didn't know much about Humanism beforehand, once we discovered the existence of humanist ceremonies we realised that a humanist ceremony was exactly what we were hoping and looking for. A registery office or registrar led ceremony felt impersonal and too quick. Since neither of us have had a religious upbringing, we were worried that if we had a church wedding, part of us would feel hypocritical, and parts of the religious vows would not have rung true.
With the humanist ceremony, we could express our feelings in a unique and personal way, and most importantly we could make vows to each other that we meant with all our heart and soul. We could also include in the ceremony an expression of our shared values, and how important our family and friends were to us.
We could also add some humour, and have the ceremony in a very special setting, which for us was outdoors on a jetty on Coniston, reached by boat, accompanied by music and champagne, and surrounded by the view of beautiful Cumbrian fells (and, luckily for us, glorious sunshine!). It was extremely special, and everything that we'd hoped it would be.
What did your guests say about your ceremony?
Many people said to us that it was one of the most meaningful and moving ceremonies they had been to. One friend from work, having been to our wedding ceremony realised that a humanist wedding was what he was looking for. It could make the marriage ceremony meaningful for him in a way that a religious ceremony or Register Office couldn't and he proposed to his girlfriend a couple of weeks later!
What will you remember most from your ceremony?
Standing on the jetty in the sunshine, with the beautiful fells and Coniston behind us and making the vows we had written for each other, in front of our family and friends. It was also very special to be able to express in the ceremony how important our family and friends were to us. It made it feel as though everyone was involved in this special moment. The ceremony brought a lot of people close together. |
