The challenges of having a Humanist wedding in the UK (from an officiant’s perspective!)
In the UK, it isn’t easy to have a secular wedding. Religious weddings have a section focusing on the couple, but there’s also a big focus on their religion. With 71% of young people in Britain describing themselves as non-religious, this isn’t preferred for a lot of couples.
Here are the challenges of having a Humanist wedding in the UK…
Dad’s religious and I’m not: How can I include him without giving him a platform?
How do I include my religious dad in my wedding day without giving him a platform? I’m afraid if I ask him to read, or allow him to do a speech that he will bring religion into it and I really don’t want that at all. I’m also not sure if I’m going to have a father/daughter dance due to our slowly healing relationship. Help!
How we’re talking to religious guests unsure if they want to attend our lesbian wedding
Now, you and I both know that it’s the same as any other wedding (or as different as every other wedding, as the case may be). But within our community, it’s kind of a rare thing. I mean, this will be MY first two-bride wedding! We have specific people who have issues with our relationship for religious reasons and I wanted to offer a non-confrontational way to talk about that subject and maybe squeeze out a few “yeses” from those who are on the fence.
My wedding is changing my relationship with religion
I’m Jewish, but I’m not very observant. My fiancé is agnostic and was raised Christian. Before we got engaged, I didn’t think much about the specifics of a ceremony. When we got engaged, I was surprised by how important it became to me to have at least some elements of a Jewish ceremony incorporated into our wedding.
Offbeat Bride’s guide to pagan weddings (Part 1 everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask!)
So you’ve been invited to a Pagan wedding. Modern Paganism is a recreation of the indigenous spiritual traditions of Europe. It has been heavily influenced by modern values and ethics, such as feminism and environmentalism. So please don’t fear that you may witness an animal sacrifice at a Pagan ritual; many of us are vegan and are strong supporters of animal rights! But it might help to give you an overview on what to expect…
I’m Jewish, he’s an atheist: Intermarriage, and what I have to leave behind
I’m the daughter of a rabbi and a cantor (and the stepdaughter of yet another rabbi!), sent to Jewish day school as a child, raised Conservative, and while I’m unsure about my personal beliefs, my identity as a Jew has always and will always be super important to me. Just my luck the love of my life turned out to be an atheist…