Bride and boom in humanist weddings

THEY are a rejection of God and officialdom at a time when marriages are at their lowest level since Victorian times.

While traditional religious and civil weddings in Scotland declined by nearly 1,000 last year, the number of couples opting for a humanist ceremony surged by 45 per cent, official figures showed yesterday.

The Humanist Society of Scotland performed 1,026 marriages in 2008, compared with 710 the previous year and 434 in 2007.

The Church of Scotland accounted for 7,007.

The rise, recorded by the General Register Office for Scotland, illustrates the remarkable growth of a type of marriage first authorised north of the Border only four years ago.

The rapidly increasing popularity of the humanist approach left the Scottish Episcopal Church far in its wake with 727 ceremonies, and it is fast approaching the Roman Catholic Church, which held 1,873 weddings last year.

The latest rise came despite 963 fewer weddings last year, with the total dipping to 28,903.

Juliet Wilson, an Edinburgh-based humanist celebrant, said couples wanted to make their ceremonies more meaningful and relevant, because marriage had become a far more significant step than in the past.

Ms Wilson, who expects to perform 70 ceremonies this year, said: "People want a wedding that represents who they are in today's secular times.

"It is hypocritical and meaningless for couples to be married in sight of a God they do not believe in and in a church they do not attend.

"Many people also want a ceremony more about emotions and feelings than a civil wedding can provide, including composing their own marriage vows.

"Marriage is a bigger deal than ever because it's no longer a requirement for living together or having children – no-one raises an eyebrow any more."

The official figures also showed couples are getting married later, with the average of 32.5 for men and 30.6 for women about two-and-a-half years later than a decade ago.

Women are also waiting longer to have babies, with those over 30 accounting for almost half of births last year.

The average age of mothers reached 29.4 – two years older than in 1991. In the same period, the average age of fathers increased by slightly more to 32.3.

The figures also showed Scotland's population rose by 24,300 to 5.17 million in June last year – its highest level since 1981.

The rise came from increasing numbers of births and more people moving from England.

There were more than 60,000 births – the highest for 13 years. Of these, 3 per cent were to mothers from Poland and new EU member states.

There were 55,700 deaths, the second lowest since registration began in 1855.

Happy couple penned their own vows

IT WAS "very joyful, refreshing and a bit different" – the guests' verdict on Amy and Benjamin Morgan's humanist marriage ceremony.

The Edinburgh couple said they had wanted to script their own wedding and the humanist option was the natural choice.

They exchanged vows they had written themselves in front of 80 friends and relatives at The Hub in the capital in April.

Mrs Morgan, 29, an artist, explained: "Neither of us is religious, so we wanted our wedding to be secular, but a more interesting ceremony than a church or civil ceremony.

"We wanted to write it ourselves – it was important the words came from us, rather than a church or civil representative."

To increase the personal touch, they exchanged rings and vows at the same time.

Mr Morgan 32, composed a poem about the couple, which was read by a friend.

They retained traditional elements of the ceremony, including a best man and three bridesmaids.

However, their celebrant played a key role. "She was fabulous and really brought it alive for us," Mrs Morgan said.

"We made it our ceremony – for us. It was such fun I would like to do it again."

Free choice

HUMANIST wedding ceremonies are "unique, dignified and deeply personal", according to the Humanist Society of Scotland.

The couple choose the location, readings, music and the wording of their promises to each other.

Ceremonies can be carried out anywhere deemed to be "safe and dignified". Venues have included Edinburgh Zoo and the summit of Ben Nevis.

Different marriage laws have enabled Scotland to be the only part of the UK – and one of only six countries in the world – to authorise them.