As the media officer for the HSS, I was delighted to see the response to the new statistics released by the Registrar General for Scotland last week about the rise in the number of Humanist Weddings. Although not as huge a leap as 2006, when they went up five-fold, it shows that although marriage itself may be in decline as an institution, when people do choose to wed, they increasingly want to do so in a Humanist ceremony where they can say for themselves why they’re doing it, what they feel about one another and what their hopes are for the future.

One of the best stories was in The Press & Journal, where Morag Lindsay wrote about a ceremony performed by Turriff based celebrant Marion Richardson. Karolyn, the bride said, “It was all very calm, and a much more intimate occasion,” said Mrs Wheatley. “Our vows felt like something we believed in, rather than words we were repeating because that’s the way it’s always done. And all our guests stood around us, not lined up in pews at our back, so it felt like we were all taking part together.”

There were lots of stories, many of which can be found on the HSS media scan, so it’s all very encouraging. I wonder how many we’ll do in 2009?