Humanism & Christianity: friends or foes?

I was delighted to join the reverend Richard Holloway and others as part of this conversation at St Andrew’s and St George’s church last month, and Liam Fraser who also spoke, pointed me towards this video of the event. It’s long, but if you want to know why I think people choose to have humanist … Continue Reading

10 years of legal Humanist marriage

It’s amazing what’s changed since June 18th 2005, when Karen Watts and Martin Reijns were married by Ivan Middleton at Edinburgh Zoo. Then there were only 12 celebrants authorised to conduct marriage. Now the HSS has ten times that number. Then the society could have counted its membership in the hundreds. Today there are more than 10,000 … Continue Reading

Ramona’s Naming Ceremony

A naming ceremony is very like a wedding but much more relaxed, and Ramona’s welcome to the world was very laid back indeed. The house was packed with friends and their children as Claire, Bob and I talked about her journey into existence and the way her character has developed over the year she’s been … Continue Reading

My New Portrait

Rhona and Paul are getting married at the beautiful Amisfield Walled Garden in Haddington this August in August, and they kindly sent me a snap of their wedding cake topper: an uncanny resemblance wouldn’t you say?

Same Sex Marriage

Last weekend I conducted my second legal same sex marriage since the introduction of new legislation at the end of 2014, and it was a hoot: fantastic music, wonderful ceremony, heightened emotion: everything I’ve come to associate with same sex ceremonies since I first started to conduct them almost ten years ago now.In all that … Continue Reading