SPOTLIGHT ON HUMANIST SOCIETY SCOTLAND

Today we’re excited to take you behind-the-scenes at Humanist Society Scotland. HSS is a registered charity and an experienced and trusted provider of humanist ceremonies in Scotland.

Their celebrants love nothing more than creating a beautiful, bespoke ceremony, in a location you love, in a way that is just right for you.

And it’s thanks to the campaigning efforts of HSS that couples can have a legal humanist wedding in Scotland.

Tell us more about HSS. How did it all begin?

The charity, Humanist Society Scotland was established in 1989, to represent the voice of Humanism in Scotland. Humanist Society celebrants have been conducting legal weddings in Scotland since 2005.

It is thanks to our campaigning efforts that couples can have a legal humanist wedding in Scotland. With this history, it is not surprising that we are the most trusted provider of humanist ceremonies, with a well-deserved reputation for delivering amazingly heartfelt and personal ceremonies.

And what do you love most about your work?

If you look across the profiles of our celebrants, there is overwhelming agreement about what they all love about their work as a wedding celebrant. They truly feel it is a great honour to play such an important part in what is such a meaningful day for the couple involved. It’s a joy for them to help couples celebrate their love for one another in a way that is unique and meaningful to them. It’s a constant reminder for our celebrants of what love is all about and they get to witness happy faces and tears of joy. What other ‘job’ could be richer and more uplifting? Our celebrants love it all!

Who/what inspires you?

Many of our celebrants became celebrants because they were inspired by others that conducted a humanist ceremony for them, or for friends and family that they witnessed.

And what inspires them to keep doing what they do now? Witnessing the joy and happiness that they have been able to share with and for couples, inspires them to do the same for others. And the icing on the proverbial wedding cake? When couples and their guests take the time to give them fantastic feedback.

Where does HSS see itself in five years’ time?

Humanist Society Scotland Ceremonies has grown exponentially since 2005, and now has over 130 active registered celebrants across Scotland. In five years time, we expect to have grown even further to keep up with the continuing growth in demand for humanist ceremonies, and we will have expanded our reach and diversity even more.

Tell us more about your celebrants…

With so many celebrants to choose from, all with different styles and personalities, we have someone who will be the perfect ‘fit’ for most, if not all, couples.

Some of our celebrants still have ‘day jobs’, others are ‘retired’. Some still have young families, others have no children. Ages range between twenties to seventies. Some are single, some married, some widowed. Their days off will be equally diverse.

Any wee secrets you can share? 

Not a secret but perhaps a little known fact – we have Humanist Society Scotland to thank for humanist weddings being legally recognised in Scotland since 2005.

Humanist Society has been training celebrants since the early 1990s, at a time when demand for secular ceremonies continued to grow. Until 2005 though, it was still necessary for the couple to attend a Register Office to have a civil ceremony, to make the wedding legal.

Believe it or not, this is still the case in England and Wales today, with no indication that it will change anytime soon! We continue to support Humanists UK to campaign for humanist weddings to be legal across all four nations of the UK.

What HSS couples say:

“Maureen was so helpful when planning our day. She brought lots of information to the table and gave us lots of really great advice to help make decisions that really personalised our big day. We were both quite emotional on the day, and Maureen really helped us to remain calm and collected, and to really enjoy the experience of marriage. I know people often say they had the best day of their lives but we honestly did. The whole day was amazing and the ceremony was delivered by Maureen beautifully and clearly to all our guests. We had so many comments about the ceremony being very ‘us’ afterwards and that was down to Maureen who got to know us, and helped us plan a very personal and fun wedding. I would say to anyone who wants a very professional, personal and light hearted experience to give Maureen a call. She is simply wonderful.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Rebecca for conducting an amazing wedding ceremony! From the very first emails she was so accommodating and really wanted to get to know Brady and I. Since we arranged our wedding from Australia, we communicated through emails and Skype – emails were replied to quickly and Skype calls were great! She sent the script for the day and we tweaked it until it was just perfect! Once we landed in the UK, we met up with Rebecca to run through last minute questions and rehearse. She was amazing! Everyone at the wedding said it was the best ceremony they had been to! Would highly recommend her, you won’t be disappointed!

“We have just watched our ceremony footage and can’t thank Ross enough for the amazing job he did with it, and all the support he gave us both in the lead up to the big day and on the day itself. It’s hard not getting emotional looking back on such an important day in our lives together and we are so grateful that Ross was there to share it with us. It honestly wouldn’t have been the same without him. Ross helped capture us both as individuals and as a couple, and he truly has a very special gift.

 

If you’re considering a Humanist ceremony for your special day, head on over to their website to see more.