Belinda Humanist Celebrant Scotland

Humanism a has an increasing following across the world and Humanist Ceremonies are now available in some sub-Saharan African countries. Kenya has just had its first Humanist wedding earlier in January. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Celebrants' Graduation Ceremony at Pearl Vocational College in Uganda on 20th January. Pearl College trains young single mothers in vocational skills such as hairdressing, IT, tailoring and event management; these young women also g...raduated and many already have found employment.
Each Humanist student was mentored by an HSS Celebrant and was required to undergo a rigorous training programme and examinations for funerals, weddings and namings, led by Kato Mukasa. Such a joyous day, congratulations to all those who graduated, to their mentors here in Scotland and to the inspiring Kato their trainer in Uganda.
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So proud to think that so many HSS Celebrants have mentored trainees in SubSaharan African countries over the last two years. Hoping this is the first of many ceremonies.

Some great ideas here, choose a venue that resonates with how you want your ceremony...

Dramatic scenery for a recent wedding on Skye, conducted by my colleague Penelope Hamilton.

Written by my colleague Gary Smith, I couldn’t express these thoughts better....

As we come towards Autumn I am reflecting on the choices we have when organising a ceremony, I am thinking mainly about weddings but some of these thoughts apply to other ceremonies.
So first photos and photographers:
When meeting wedding couples I always ask their thoughts on guests taking photos during their ceremony. Do you want the arrival down the aisle pictures to include guests with phone cameras leaning over to get their photos?
... A few years back guests would maybe take one or two shots with a camera, now with our ubiquitous phones and technology those wanting to “snap away” might see more of the ceremony via the screen; we can wonder how many of those guests are fully present at such an important time in the couple’s lives?
So, then thinking about leaving those precious photos of the ceremony to the professionals, how do you go about selecting your photographer / videographer?
You take a look at their website and like their work, what next?
Have a chat!
Most favour natural, organic shots rather than posed groups so be aware of this if you hope to have formal photos.
Professional photographers / videographers usually blend in to the ceremony unobtrusively, they are there to capture and record the day for you. The resulting collection is a mix of preparation, ceremony, guests, meal, dancing, party and captured “moments”. Treasured memories to keep.
A few (fortunately just a few!) are more “obvious” as they strive to get the shots they want of the ceremony, examples include blocking the groom’s view as the bride walks down the aisle, shouting (in fashion shoot style) “encouraging” words while getting guest pics, and being dogmatic about where a couple should stand for the ceremony to get the best light.
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Here’s a lovely offer......

Thinking of becoming a Humanist Celebrant?

Some useful suggestions here....... enjoy browsing

We had the absolute pleasure of Belinda marrying us back in February @Balinakill House in Argyll. To be honest, although we had chosen a humanist ceremony for our wedding, we were still a little hazy of what it would entail and also a little nervous. We didn't need to be. From the first time we met Belinda we knew we had made the right choice. She walked us through every part of the process. Supported our ideas for the ceremony and helped us do something that was incredibly important to us.....involve our family. Everyone felt they played a part and weren't just spectating. It was a totally amazing day made all the better for Belinda being a part of it. She has joie de vivre that you don't come across very often. When you meet her..you'll know what we mean :)

Thank you so much our wedding was perfect! You were fantastic helping us plan every detail because at first I had no idea what a humanist ceremony entailed but it was beyond perfect, you made the planning so easy by guiding us through every step. Our guests really enjoyed the service because how personal and relaxed it was. Even with the last minute venue change because of the rain you didn't bat an eyelid and it went ahead as scheduled. Once again thank you so much!

Thank you so much for being our celebrant and for all the hard work you put in for our wedding!



Our wedding ceremony was personal, touching and fun, everyone loved it. You even kept us calm and organised as we moved from outdoors to indoors when the rain came on mid-ceremony.



We would absolutely recommend you to any of our friends or family that may be getting married in the future as you have been a joy to work with!



All the very best and thanks one last time for helping us make our special day perfect!



Best Wishes,

Lauren and Daniel Donnelly

Oh Belinda you were just perfect for our Wedding. We are so grateful for your guidance throughout the planning and you conducted the ceremony in such a personal way it really made it all the more special. So many of our guests said this was the nicest wedding service they'd ever been to and thought you were wonderful. Thank you so so much x

Belinda married us just last week. We had a simply lovely day and Belinda was so great to work with. The ceremony was just what we wanted. Belinda helped us great some ever lasting memories of our big day, a pure joy to work with. Georgie