Love, marriage, is brilliant and beautiful and brings meaning to life itself but sometimes, you just need to know how much the feckin’ thing costs
Claire the Humanist, 2019
Can you legally marry us?
Are you both human? Do you fit the criteria listed here? Do you want a Humanist wedding ceremony? Are you sure? Then aye.
NB: Note for readers from Englandshire- your wedding will be legally binding when you go home, regardless of what your aunt says.
How much do you cost?
This blog post covers it all. Have a read and yell if you’ve any questions. Please note, full payment of my fee will be required to secure any weddings booked with less than 60 days notice.
How do I know if you’re available?
I have a booking calendar on my profile page on the Humanist Society Scotland website. It’s a good place to start. If your chosen date looks unavailable and your wedding is not at a standard time, get in touch.
Do you do more than one wedding in a day?
Yes. Not often and I have to be confident I can get to both with time to spare but if I can, I will.
How far in advance do you take bookings?
Two years to the day. Honestly, you try planning every weekend in your life two years in advance. It’s bonkers.The only exception are dates that fall in the school holidays. I am possibly the only wedding celebrant on the planet that doesn’t really work in the summer so I’m not taking bookings for July/early August. Once my child decides they no longer want to hang out with me, I’ll be more available but, in the meantime, I’ll review this every January and announce any changes on Facebook/IG.
How come it says you’re available on your HSS profile but you can’t do my wedding?
Aye, I can see why that might be confusing. There are various reasons:
- The main one is that every wedding I do is written from scratch and that’s a huge chunk of time. HUGE. Hundreds of hours, millions of words. I cap the number of weddings per month to allow enough time to write them all, have the meetings, do the admin etc.
- I’ve met another couple for your same date and their booking is awaiting confirmation.
- Your wedding is too far away/in a week where I’m already travelling a lot/I can’t spare the extended travel time.
- Your wedding is on my day off or in time set aside for a bit of a recovery before/after peak wedding mayhem.
- Family stuff. Usually on Sundays and in the school holidays.
It would be impossible (and impractical) to put all that into my online diary so my apologies if it looks like I’m free and I come back and say I’m not. I have lots of lovely Humanist Society Colleagues who may be better placed and you can read more about them here.
Who are you authorised by?
Humanist Society Scotland. We have prescribed status which basically means the Scottish Government has written us into law as being the only Humanist and non-religious organisation who can authorise our own celebrants *hi-fives permanently authorised self*
What if you fall ill/are hit by a bus/kidnapped?
When you join the Humanist Society Scotland, you are covered by the HSS Promise in case of emergencies. Read more about it here.
How far do you travel?
I’ll go anywhere but I am usually found lurking within 2 hours of the Central Belt, especially at the weekend. Experience has taught me that I don’t deliver the best ceremonies after a three hour drive so you might have to fork out for a night in a cheap hotel so I’m bright and breezy for your wedding.
I like an adventure though, so sell it to me. Make me do it. We’re still talking about weddings, right?
How do we book you?
Here’s the process:
- You enquire.
- I answer.
- We meet, usually by Zoom.
- You decide and let me know
If you’re going ahead, it’s very straightforward; join Humanist Society Scotland with a two year wedding couple membership (£98) and that secures your date. I don’t require an additional deposit.
What if I need to cancel our booking?
Let me know as soon as you’re sure. I’ll talk you through what to do next.
What if we’ve met you and don’t want to book you?
Then you are clearly mad. Or very sensible. Part of the reason I insist on meeting before you confirm your booking is to make sure you are as engaged with my process as I am. If you haven’t felt a connection, I’m not the right celebrant for you. No hard feelings.
I want to be a celebrant. Can I pick your brains?
There’s a lot of information kicking about on the internet about becoming a celebrant. If you’re still brimming with unanswered questions, I’m happy to chat and charge £50 for a half hour Zoom call. You can book one here.