Where can I get married?

Humanist celebrants are authorised by the Registrar General of Scotland to solemnise marriages in accordance with the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977. The law says that we can conduct marriage ceremonies anywhere that is safe and dignified. We are not restricted to places that have a licence for a Civil ceremony, nor are we restricted as to the time of day or day of the week.

Some venues confuse us with a 'Civil' ceremony because we do not include any religious content. We do not conduct civil ceremonies - only registrars can perform these and only in places that are properly licenced. The rules that apply to a civil ceremony do not apply to Humanist ceremonies. We are regarded by the law in the same way as ministers of religion in that there are only two types of wedding in Scotland: Civil or religious. As we do not conduct civil ceremonies we must ergo technically conduct 'religious' ones but this encompasses 'other belief systems' of which we are definitely one. Confused - I know what you mean!


The important thing in all this is that we can conduct a totally legal wedding ceremony anywhere on Scottish soil that is safe and dignified and at any time of day on any day of the week.

So, the options are endless......

• Get married in your own house or garden
• Get married at a favourite local landmark
• Get married at the top of your favourite mountain
• Get married on the beach
• Get married on a boat on a loch (some specific conditions have to be adhered to!)
• Get married on a boat at sea (again some specific conditions apply)
• Of course you may prefer a more traditional venue like a local hotel or village hall...

Not one of mine - but what a setting!!

When you fill out your M10 forms for the  registrar prior to the wedding, you must state where the ceremony is to take place. If your intended venue is at all out of the ordinary, you should speak to the local registrar to ask what he/she wants you to put. For instance, in the case of a beach wedding, is it OK to just put 'East beach Lossiemouth' or do you need to be much more specific - perhaps an ordnance survey grid reference? Be aware that the ceremony must be conducted at the specific place designated on the marriage schedule. It can only be changed after consultation with the registrar.

If it says 'The Newton Hotel' then the ceremony can take place anywhere within the buildings or the grounds of the Newton Hotel.

If it says the 'the summit of Ben Nevis' then it must take place at the summit - not half way up!

So use your imagination but consider your guests too. You may want to trail up to the top of Stac Pollaidh to get married but the chances of great auntie Ethel making it up there are slim! The same goes for public spaces - remember that everybody loves a wedding and so they will want to stop and watch and there's not a thing you can do about it except enjoy the attention. It is almost obligatory for a busload of Japanese/Italian/American tourists to arrive at the exact same moment as the bride whenever I go to Elgin Cathedral or Spynie Palace! They always make a bee line for the men in kilts of course as well as the piper but usually keep a respectful distance once the ceremony starts.

Warn your guests too about suitable clothing and footwear for your venue. Ladies in particular do love to get dressed up for a wedding but those five inch stilettoes may not be the best footwear for Clava Cairns in the pouring rain.