Gemma wore a red dress at her wedding. The bridesmaids were all in black. Ruth came down the aisle with her four-year-old daughter and Anna with her mother. Paul was followed by two “groomsmaids” as he approached Ricardo, who played the guitar and serenaded his love.

People who choose a humanist wedding really value the freedom to create their own, original ceremony without having to follow any rules. More and more people are reflecting seriously upon their beliefs when they come to arrange a wedding. And when deciding whether or not they want or need a religious aspect to the ceremony many come to the conclusion that they’d no longer feel it appropriate to have a religious wedding.

Although I’ve found that however radically atheist they may be, the couples I marry always want some elements of a traditional ceremony. Even staunch feminists will appear on the arms of their fathers, despite rejecting the idea that they’re being given away by one man to another. “I just don’t want to deprive Dad of that special moment,” is the usual rationale.

But the one marriage symbol that everyone insists on is the ring. Most choose matching rings together. One couple even made their own in a gold jewellery workshop. Simon and Claire decided to follow a custom from his Greek family background, where chosen members of each family take it in turns to slide the rings on the fingers of the bride and groom.

Often, couples will want to adapt traditions from their own religious backgrounds, regardless of their humanism. Laura and John chose a hand-fasting to reflect their Irish heritage. Jesse and Melissa, from two different faiths, liked the Jewish custom where the bride walks seven times round the groom. But, instead, they went round each other three times each, then once together, to emphasise their equality. And they had a Church hymn as well. 

Planning a wedding should be a happy time but it can also be stressful and hard work. Having a good, imaginative and competent wedding celebrant is essential. I will understand and support you and your partner in creating a unique ceremony that is special to you, one that recognises the seriousness of the occasion but which at the same time can be fun and joyful.

Below are some recent testimonials from happy couples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Chris and I would like to say a big thank you for all your work and support in creating the most beautiful and special wedding ceremony! It felt perfect and ‘us’, and so many guests said how much they enjoyed it and how unique and memorable it was – and how great and funny you were! Thank you again.”

Sarah and Chris

Wedding of Sarah and Chris, 5th December 2021, Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire

 

 

“Thank you for a fantastic ceremony. Anj, I and all of our guests really liked how personal it felt and it was great working with you to put it all together!”

Wedding of Mayghal Vijapura and Anjni Thakar, 7th August 2021

 

 

“Thank you so, so much for yesterday. A lot of people told us that they loved the ceremony and how you led it. We were thrilled too. We had so much fun. Our families were pleased too and thought your ceremony was wonderful – as did we.”

Ed and Harriet

Wedding of Ed McGovern and Harriet Armston-Clark, 17th July 2021

 

 

 

“We were so SO happy with the wedding on Saturday. We both loved the ceremony and felt that everything was totally perfect. We can’t thank you enough. 

The secret words section was an absolute stroke of genius, it was a massive highlight for both of us!

We had the ceremony of our dreams. It was perfect; filled with love and laughter. So many people said they had never been to such a personal ceremony, and it really set the tone for the most magical day. We were over the moon. Thank you Sally!!”

Romy (and Rob) x

Wedding of Romy and Rob, 28th September 2019

 

“Thanks again for your huge part in our wedding – it was absolutely wonderful and we continue to get lots of comments on how lovely the ceremony was.”

Chris Kingscombe (groom)

Wedding of Chris and Amy, 3rd August 2019

 

“Sally was a wonderful celebrant for our wedding and was able to put together a ceremony that was personal, warm and funny. It was a pleasure to work with Sally to put the script together as she seemed to easily understand what we wanted and afterwards, we had so many compliments on the ceremony which was down to her!”

Emma Baine (bride)

Wedding of Emma and Alex, 22nd September 2018

 

“We just wanted to say thank you so much for performing our ceremony and for making the day so special. We had so many people telling us it was their favourite ever ceremony. And that’s all down to you.”

Natasha Lunn (Bride)

Wedding of Natasha and Dan, 19th August 2018

“Just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your help and a fantastic ceremony. We had a wonderful day.”

Simon Nicolaides (groom)

Wedding of Simon and Claire on 14th July 2018

 

“Having been raised in different religions we agreed that it would be a secular wedding service, but we were also clear that we didn’t want to turn our back on our backgrounds, preferring instead to draw from both cultures. Sally took the time to meet us as many times as we needed, and was patient with us as we chose hymns, readings, music and rituals. She also met with us individually to hear our personal reflections about each other, using the conversations to form a surprise romantic passage on the day. We enjoyed the process. Meeting with Sally was always a pleasure and it was great to be able to develop a ceremony that felt right for us. Dozens of guests expressed how much they enjoyed the ceremony, the nuances of our backgrounds and the cohesive way it was strung together.”

Melissa and Jesse (bride and groom)

Wedding on 13^th January 2018

 

“Thank you for such a beautiful ceremony, we were so happy with it and had lots of compliments about how brilliant it and you were. Our family were so pleased, too.”

Laura Whately (bride)

Wedding of Laura and Bengt, 9th September 2017

 

 

 

“A big hug from both of us – so many people came up to us and have said best wedding ever and particularly your ceremony! Thanks again for kickstarting and setting the atmosphere for a magical day!”

Michael Cutts (groom)

Wedding of Michael Cutts and Harvey Kohl, 5th August 2017

 

 

 

 

“Just to say a big thanks again for the wonderful service and delivery you gave. All our guests loved the way it was conducted and the special angle you provided. They really appreciated how different this was to other styles of wedding and commented on the beautiful choice of readings including the Apache blessing which they say added a meditative dimension to the ceremony. 

Sarah Farrier (bride)

Wedding of Sarah and Joe, 29th May 2017

Photo: Zyrah Films (facebook.com/zyrahfilms / Instagram @zyrahfilms )

 

 

 

“Brendan and I were bowled over by Sally’s dedication and personal interest into making our wedding as special as it could be. She went above and beyond to get to know us in order to tell our story in the most perfect way. Sally was a huge part of the best day of our lives and made us feel relaxed and safe in her hands. We will forever have fond memories of our experience and thank Sally for all of her effort and support.” Cara Dunking (bride)

Wedding of Cara Dunking and Brendan Sharpe, 14th January 2017 at Crypt On The Green, London

 

 

 

 

 

“Just wanted to say a huge thank you for Friday. You were fantastic and everybody told us it was the best ceremony they’d ever been to because it was so personal.” Louise Patterson (bride)

Wedding of Louise Patterson and Travis Newton, 30th December 2016 at the Globe Theatre, London

 

 

 

 

 

Tying the knot in traditional style!

 

“We really enjoyed working on our wedding ceremony with Sally. She was keen to prepare a thoughtful and very personal ceremony for us, was welcome to all of our ideas, and was very helpful with support and advice. All our guests loved the ceremony, as did we!”

Lorna Sweeney and John Martin, married 2nd July 2016 at The Crypt, Clerkenwell Green.

 

 

 

 

“Sally came to the rescue when your English weather let us down… she conducted our magical ceremony on her own roof terrace! It was the perfect place to declare our love – in the most romantic city in the world. Thank you!”

Fabio and Eleanora, married 26th March 2016 on Sally’s roof terrace in the Barbican!

 

 

 

 

“Sally was a pleasure to work with, she was quick to understand the sort of ceremony that would suit us and happily adapted it to any comments. On the day itself, she was a calm and reassuring presence and conducted the ceremony superbly. We had several people compliment us afterwards on the duration, content and conduct of the ceremony so we are very grateful to Sally.”

Jaroslaw Marek Pominkiewicz and Charu Gandhi, married 23rd January 2016 at One Mayfair, London

Photography by Sarah Gorlov (Parties and Events)

 

“Thank you for the most wonderful wedding ceremony anyone could ask for or dream of. We felt such joy and love from everyone on the day. At the heart of everything was  the ceremony you created with us and for us.  You were with us every step of the way, guiding us towards something that was unique, personal, moving, celebratory and fundamentally right for the two of us and our relationship. Most of the people there had never been to a humanist ceremony of any kind, and they left convinced that it was the most fitting way to mark the important moments in our lives. Most of the people had never been to a gay wedding and some of them perhaps never imagined that they would even want to be part of something like this. But you found a remarkable way to be true to us and at the same time inclusive of everyone in way that made everyone glow with emotion and love. We are lucky indeed to have found you and will always remember this day for the joys you brought to us and to our family and friends.”

Paul and Rodrigo, married 29 December 2014 at The Laundry, Hackney

 

 

“You made our wedding day surpass all our expectations. The message of love, openness, warmth, honesty, blended with Jewish traditions, seduced everybody. We’ve been paid many compliments about your service. Thank you again.”

Angela and Andrew, married 8 November 2014 at Kensington Town Hall

 

 

“Thank you so much for Saturday – we thoroughly enjoyed it and love the personal approach and bringing all our friends and family into the ceremony too. It was a truly special day and lots of people commented on how lovely the ceremony was!”

Peter Eggeling and Sally Meek, married 1 November 2014 at Stoke Newington Town Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We had a wonderful day, and we thought you facilitated the ceremonial parts of it perfectly. You not only orchestrated the public ceremony itself, but helped us articulate for the first time quite what we wanted to promise each other. Thank you so much for your spectacular efforts. Everyone was extremely complimentary about you for the rest of the day. We are glad we held the line on the singing – we also thought it came off pretty well in the end!”

Wedding of Matthew Chapman and Gemma Newby, October 31 2014, at the Asylum Chapel, Peckham

Photography: Assassynation

 

 

 

“Sally was the celebrant at our wedding at the Asylum Chapel in London.  We wanted a ceremony that was unique and personal to us and our friends and family, and Sally delivered with aplomb.  She was always on hand for help and advice from the first meeting, through the rehearsal and to the big day.  Her words were the perfect combination of sincerity and humour, and really captured our thoughts and emotions.  We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our fantastic wedding.  Thank you Sally!”

Alvin Ho and Frances Lane, married August 8 2014 at the Asylum Chapel, Peckham

“Sally recently conducted our wonderful wedding at the Wetlands Centre in Barnes.  We could not have been happier with how the day itself went and what a beautiful ceremony it was.  From when we first met Sally she was incredibly helpful with suggestions for music and readings and she took us through everything we needed to do.  Sally was really supportive, prompting us and drafting vows and the script but was also patient and flexible as we changed our minds and worked on the content to get it just perfect.  It all contributed to an absolutely fabulous day and all our guests commented on what a personal and beautiful ceremony it was. We couldn’t have achieved it without Sally’s help. Thank you so much from us both.”

Paul Betts and Katy Harrington, married 26th October 2013

 

         

“We really were so happy with the ceremony you gave for us. It was  really personal to us and our friends and family, but also so relaxed and fun, which helped set just the right tone for our special day.”

Camilla and Joseph Huckle, married 21st September 2013

 

“Sally conducted our beautiful wedding ceremony in my parents’ garden in Kent.  The ceremony was perfect.  From the moment we met Sally she was keen to know all about us so that she could create a unique and very personal ceremony.  Sally was extremely organised and thought about every aspect of the ceremony – in particular, how to coordinate the different elements (from readings, to music, to our families).  It was the most joyous occasion and Sally was a huge part of making our ceremony so wonderful.”

Caroline and Sandy Phipps, married 10th August 2013

 

“We wanted a wedding with a lot more personality than a standard registry office could provide and a lot less religion than a church would have imposed. Sally somehow worked a little magic and produced a ceremony that was deeply personal, funny at points and sincere without being sentimental. She also got us organised, nudging us gently to get our vows written and offering suggestions to get us started but was completely flexible about the content. On the day there was laughter and warmth and all our guests commented on how different it was and how much they’d enjoyed it. We can’t thank you enough Sally, you made a significant contribution towards making it a very memorable day.”

John and Rachel Oxton-King, married 5th April 2013