When the Pope’s visit was announced some time ago, the HSS debated long and hard about how we should respond, and eventually decided that while we agree with all the arguments put forward by the Protest the Pope campaign, because of where we live and Scotland’s sectarian history, we’d have to do something different. So … Continue Reading
I’ve been a bit busy this week; not so much with ceremonies as with my volunteer job as Media Officer for the HSS. It’s taken us quite a while to get round to campaigning again, but as luck would have it we have not one but two new campaigns – Let Me Choose being the … Continue Reading
I said in my last post that I was about to conduct a wedding on a beach – well this is it! Sometimes you get lucky with the weather in Scotland, and John and Wendy certainly did. Most of their friends had come up from England, and they’d never been to a Humanist wedding before. … Continue Reading
hardly a day goes by without someone in public life deploring the soaring cost of weddings. Canon Giles Fraser was moaning about it on Thought for The Day, with Andrew Brown lining up behind him in The Guardian. One of their complaints is that wedding ceremonies focus on the egos of the individuals, rather than … Continue Reading
We had such an amazing day and everyone commented on how special our ceremony was. In fact most people have said it’s the best wedding they have ever been to! I think the barometer for success is also that at least three different people asked for your details for their wedding/funeral(!)/naming ceremony!
Victoria and Will’s wedding was a very international affair. They met while working in Japan, and their guests came all the way from Alaska at one end of the world and New Zealand at the other to join in a very happy and joyous ceremony. This was the first time that I’ve ever had a … Continue Reading
I’ve just had a call from a lady whose daughter is marrying her French boyfriend, and it occurred to me that I haven’t written anything yet specifically about ceremonies in other languages than English.In the first place, the whole ceremony could be conducted in a different language (including Gaelic or old Scots) as long as … Continue Reading
A humanist wedding is a wonderful privilege. It’s the only form of legal marriage ceremony where you are free to say in your own words why you’re getting married, what your hopes are for the future and what you want to promise to one another. It’s also a terrifying responsibility. Where do we start, what … Continue Reading
Some people like to plan their weddings far in advance. Today for example, I was asked to hold a date for a wedding in three years time, which is some kind of a record – for me, anyway. George and Momo did it the other way round. They got in touch at the end of … Continue Reading
There’s something about this photograph that makes me think of 60’s TV series like ‘The Avengers’, or ‘Man From Uncle’. Maybe it’s the haircuts. Or the strange costumes. Or the location – a rather spectacular country house not too far from Edinburgh, called Broxmouth Park. It was my first visit and I hope I have … Continue Reading