So, you're getting married - Congratulations! ... Gratulacje! ... Parabéns! ... Felicitaciones! ... Congratulazioni! ... Gratulálok! ... Gratulace! ... Urime! ... Čestitke! ... おめでとうございます！... 恭喜！

If you're looking for a relaxed, warm and fun feel to your wedding ceremony, but also one which is solemn and sincere at all the appropriate points, I may well be a good match for you, as a couple!I

As an experienced wedding celebrant, I'll help guide you through the entire process - from the very first time we meet, to submitting your paperwork (M10 forms) to the local registrars, to meeting up again before your big day to chat everything over (so everyone knows who'll be doing what, where, when and why on the day)! 

We'll work together to create a ceremony that truly reflects you, as a couple, and ensure your ceremony leaves you wishing you could do the whole thing over again.

Our first step would be to meet up for a chat, (or initially by Zoom/Skype/ Facetime), so we can get to know each other and chat through any ideas you might already have for your special day.

We'll talk through the many options you have - from choosing/writing your vows, maybe including poetry/readings and symbolic gestures like handfasting, quaich, etc ... you can even include some of the things you love most about each other - and even a few things your other half could improve on if you're brave enough!!

I normally send my couples off with a spot of 'homework', which is a great opportunity for you both to sit down and remind yourselves of all the reasons you love each other and why you've chosen to marry ... as often, it can be very easy to lose sight of the important stuff when you have venues, flowers, cars, photographers and even candy carts and photo-booths all occupying your mind)!

From my notes and your 'homework', I'll then draft your ceremony to reflect your personalities and all the things and people who are important to you.

There are no restrictions to where you can marry, or what day or time. HSS celebrants are licensed to legally marry couples anywhere within Scotland - and over the years I've married couples in hotels, castles, on a beach, at a lochside, in my back garden ... and even in a Hawaiian wedding in acouple's own back garden – very much 'your wedding, your way'!

Your wedding day will be a special celebration of your love for each other – it will be unique, relaxed, fun and meaningful – a day which you and your guests will remember and talk of for years to come!

A Humanist Naming & Welcoming ceremony is a wonderful way to celebrate your wee one joining their extended family ... and although I say "wee one", it's also a fantastic way to officially welcome an older child, or an adopted child into your family too.

The ceremony can be held in any location, from the comfort of your own home, to a hotel, or an outdoor location!

It's a lovely chance to bring all friend and family together, and for Parents and Guide Parents (non-religious godparents) to make their formal commitments, and, of course, to have a formal naming for the child too.

My approach to Naming and Welcoming ceremonies:

I love to meet up with parents in advance (and any big brothers or sisters), and we'll have a chat about loads of things - the pregnancy, how the wee one has settled into your family and any characteristics they've already developed. It's always nice to know why/how you chose their name, and also who you have chosen to be Guide Parents and why they were chosen.

We can go through symbolic gestures which can be incorporated into the ceremony such as candle-lighting, a sand ceremony, a balloon release, etc along with music and poetry or readings for the day, with the option of family members and/or friends being involved in these. We'll also discuss the wording of the pledges/promises that will be made.

Once I have the information, I will then draft a script and send it to you for approval, and we can then incorporate any changes or additions you would like to make.

What I love most about conducting Naming and Welcoming Ceremonies:

Above all, they’re fun! You also learn to expect the unexpected, and we have to just go with the flow, as the actual timetable on the day will undoubtedly be set by your own little star of the show!

My advice to you:

Have a think about how formal or informal you’d like the ceremony to be, and who you want to be involved in your wee one’s special day.

Each ceremony is unique. Imagine this day is a destination on a map - each family reaches this day travelling along a different route, with lots of different experiences along the way, making each ceremony individual with its own special stories and adventures.

If you have any questions at all or would like to chat anything over, please just get in touch!

My approach to Funerals:

Although we rightly mourn the death of a loved one, I believe that it is also vitally important that we celebrate their life too.

To enable us to do this, I would make contact with you and arrange a mutually convenient time to meet up with you and your family, normally at your home, where we would have an informal chat through the life history of your loved one. Families often find this to be a really comforting experience as we chat and remember your loved one in happier times.

I’ll be with you for around 1½ or 2 hrs, gathering as much information as possible to enable me to write a very personal and fitting tribute to your loved one. I’ll then head home and compose the tribute and either email or deliver a copy of the entire ceremony to you for checking and approval in advance to ensure you are completely satisfied.

After the ceremony you’ll receive a copy of the ceremony in a presentation folder as a keepsake.

Why I chose to be an Humanist Society Scotland Funeral Celebrant:

It is a real privilege to be able to conduct funeral ceremonies for the families who select me.

I find it absolutely fascinating learning about your loved one - their character, their life history, what they were like as a child, how you would describe them in a sentence ... my main aim being able to capture the character of the person and reflect that within the tribute.

It's a real honour to be able to support families at a time of loss - an extremely humbling experience, which often puts my own life in context.