The Humanist is Here! – Your Guide to Celebrants in Scotland

Despite the playful title, I’m not a Humanist Celebrant! I called it that because the word Humanist is often applied to anybody who is not a religious minister or registrar. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve gone to visit a family to  organise a funeral, and while I’m there the phone will ring and the person of the house will answer and say, “Can I call you back?…. the Humanist is here!” (or sometimes “The Humarist is here!… which is more apt!)

So, let’s try to clear things up a little… 

Let’s begin with demystifying the word Celebrant. Some people think a Humanist & a Celebrant are two different things. They’re not. Celebrant is an umbrella term to describe anyone who conducts ceremonies. The Registrar General of Scotland defines everyone who is not clergy (religious) as ‘Celebrants’. 

In Scotland, there are only 2 groups of people who can marry you:

1) Registrars

2) Religious or Belief Group

1) Most people will likely be familiar with the first group. If you are getting married by a registrar, you will either attend the registry office, or a registrar will come out to the venue of your choice. These ceremonies are usually concise, and although many registrars will try to personalise your ceremony, they do not work with couples to create a very bespoke and unique ceremony the way Celebrants do. There are often restrictions on what content (particularly religious content) that can be included in your ceremony.

2) This is the group that tends to cause all the confusion! In a nutshell, every Celebrant who has authorisation to conduct legal marriages in Scotland must be affiliated with a ‘Religious or Belief Group’, and be acting on their behalf whenever they conduct marriage ceremonies. In other words, it is NOT the individual Celebrant who has the authorisation, it is the Religious or Belief group they belong to.

There are a number of Religious or Belief groups in Scotland, including:

Rites & Rituals Scotland (my group)
Interfaith Foundation
Agnostic Scotland
Humanist Organisations
Clergy
Scottish Pagan Federation
Independent Celebrants

Each of these organisations has their own beliefs. If a couple who are getting married also hold the beliefs of that group, then they could be married by a Celebrant who is acting on behalf of that organisation. But what exactly do the different groups believe? Well, that’s the biggest question of all! It’s a bit way out there, but below I’ve tried to explain the philosophy of each group in a way that makes sense to me, by asking you to imagine who/what will be present in your ceremony space on the day of your wedding/ceremony. Not so very long ago, you would rarely have gone to a wedding without hearing the words “In the presence of God…” but today (as it should be) a couple gets to decide who/what will be present during their ceremony.

RITES & RITUALS SCOTLAND.

INTERFAITH FOUNDATION

Interfaith Ministers (or Celebrants) believe that at the heart of every religion lies the same idea…. that we are all connected to something greater than ourselves. Interfaith Celebrants, like me, are ordained ministers trained to conduct ceremonies for people of all faiths and none. We respect individual beliefs and work with couples to create ceremonies that are deeply personal and meaningful, even when different faith paths are involved, or a non-religious ceremony is preferred. Most Interfaith Celebrants would describe themselves as “spiritual” in some way, in that that they believe in something beyond our everyday sensory experience. Some folks would call that “God”, others would call it “the Universe”, and some would describe it as a “Higher Power”, and if you are a Star Wars, you would call it “The Force”. We don’t mind what you call it, or how you describe it, but just the idea we are all connected to something bigger than ourselves.

Who/What is present in the ceremony space?

The God of Your Understanding

AGNOSTIC SCOTLAND
Agnostic Celebrants officiate marriages for couples who identify with Agnostic beliefs, acknowledging the unknown or unknowable nature of God/ the divine/ the sacred. In other words, Agnostic Celebrants believe you can’t prove one way or the other whether a higher power exists and so they focus on the here and now. For me, this means there would be no spiritual content or traditions within the ceremony.

Who/What is present in the ceremony space?

Agnostics maintain the conviction that humans cannot definitively prove the existence or non-existence of God or the supernatural realm. Consequently, in the ceremony space, they recognise only the tangible presence of those individuals who are physically gathered, emphasising the significance of human connection and shared experiences.

HUMANIST ORGANISATIONS

Humanists emphasise the importance of living a fulfilling life in the present, without belief in an afterlife or supernatural entities. They strive to be ethical and compassionate human beings, focusing on the here and now. Again this means no spiritual/religious content within the ceremony.

Who/What is present in the ceremony space?

Humanists adhere to the belief that in the context of a ceremony, the sole presence in the room is that of the individuals physically present. According to their Humanist principles, the focus lies solely on the tangible, real-life connections and interactions among the people gathered, underscoring the value of human relationships and shared moments.

CLERGY

If you’re an active member of a religious institution, your faith leader would typically officiate your wedding ceremony in alignment with your faith beliefs. These ceremonies would usually have religious content as standard.

Who/What is present in the ceremony space?
The God of that particular faith.

SCOTTISH PAGAN FEDERATION

Pagans celebrate their connection to nature and the divine. Pagan Celebrants are authorised to conduct marriage ceremonies for couples sharing these beliefs. These ceremonies will often be spiritual/animist in nature

Who/What is present in the ceremony space?

Pagans emphasise the significance of earthly connections, communal energies, and the tangible presence of those who are gathered. In their rituals, the focus is on the living beings, the natural elements, and the unseen forces that bind them together, creating a harmonious synergy among the participants and the environment.

INDEPENDENT CELEBRANTS
I wanted to include Independent Celebrants because they are an important group. Independent Celebrants, as the name suggests are independent of any organisation or belief group. This means they don’t affiliate themselves with any particular group and are (usually) happy to include or exclude any religious/spiritual content. However, because they are not members of any Religious or Belief group, this also means they are not authorised by the Registrar General to solemnise marriages in Scotland. This can mean they are dismissed by couples who don’t want to make a separate visit to the registrar, but if I were you, I would speak to someone from all the different groups to find the Celebrant right for you. 

So, a good way of deciding what type of Celebrant is right for you is to ask yourselves Who/What do you think will be present during your Ceremony.

If you believe God, your great great grannie, your late mum or just a sense of “something” will be present, then an Interfaith Celebrant (or your own minister etc) would be appropriate. However, if you believe the only presence in the room will be those who are physically present, and that nothing exists beyond what we can see and hear, then perhaps a Humanist Celebrant would be the right choice. If you don’t know either way, then an Agnostic Celebrant might be the best choice. And if your beliefs are rooted in Animism or Earth Based Spirituality, then a Pagan Celebrant would probably be your first choice. And if you care more about getting the right person rather than making it legal on the day, you may well prefer an Independent Celebrant.