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.

Niall and Sarah married at Spynie Palace on 7th July 2010

Sarah and Niall travelled from Canada to get married at Spynie Palace last summer. They have made their home in Canada but chose to return to Niall's hometown to get married. He and Sarah met when they both worked at the same summer camp in Maine. Sarah is Canadian and she brought family and friends with her from Canada to help her and Niall celebrate. For most (if not all) of them it was their first taste of Scottish hospitality.

We did all of the planning and composing of the ceremony by email and Sarah was a delight to work with as she knew exactly what she wanted. We met for the first time for a rehearsal the day before the wedding. Sarah is a talented and dynamic businesswoman who just happens to be a professional wedding photographer so imagine the pressure on whoever she chose to take her own wedding photographs! She chose somebody who she could trust - her good friend Hope Hanson who is a successful and accomplished photographer in her own right.

Now, sometimes wedding photographers can get a bad press because some people feel that they can hold things up and get in the way a bit. Well, I have to say that I have never had this experience. Your wedding photographs will be with you for the rest of your life and they capture those precious moments in a day that can fly by in a blur. It is so important to choose your photographer carefully and to let them know exactly what you want.

Hope was a pleasure to work with, very relaxed and informal and not at all intrusive. She got some fabulous shots and her style is a little different to other photographers that I have worked with. Perhaps it is the Canadian influence or perhaps she is just incredibly talented but the joy and happiness that we all felt on the day really radiates from her work. Her approach was the perfect complement to a Humanist ceremony - all about the people and the joy!

Of course it helps to have a beautiful backdrop for the wedding and Niall and Sarah couldn't have chosen better. Spynie Palace is owned by Historic Scotland and is just a few minutes drive from Elgin on the way to Lossiemouth. The setting is stunning and the only drawback is that it is open to the elements so we were keeping everything crossed for good weather. We were in luck. It was a little bit blowy but the rain stayed away.

For the eagle eyed amongst you, you may notice that Niall and Sarah are standing on the opposite sides to where a bride and groom would normally stand. There's a reason for this.

A bride would usually enter and walk down the aisle on her fathers right arm. This is traditionally the only time that a gentleman would have a lady on his right because usually she would be on his left so that he had his right (sword) hand free to defend her honour! On her wedding day though, a bride's honour didn't need to be defended and so she would be on her fathers right.

However, the layout of Spynie Palace means that the bride enters from a door in the corner and I wanted Niall to be able to relax and watch for her arriving without having to twist his neck. There is a very special moment when a groom first catches a glimpse of his bride and I wanted everyone to be able to see his face so I moved Niall to the other side from usual. It worked perfectly so remember, don't feel tied to doing things the 'traditional' way. It is your day so don't be afraid to think outside the box a little!

One of the things that Niall and Sarah chose to include in their ceremony was the Celtic ritual of Handfasting. There are many stories about the origins of a handfasting but in times gone by, a couple were symbolically bound together at the wrist. The obligation lasted for a year and a day. After this they could choose to go their own separate ways or choose to be officially regarded as married and the union was then binding. Nowadays a handfasting is more of a symbolic joining of a couple and Niall and Sarah really entered into the spirit of things.

The whole day was wonderfully warm and intimate and I hope that Niall and Sarah returned to their home in Canada with some very happy memories of their special day. They worked incredibly hard to make all of their guests welcome and the Canadian contingent seemed to enjoy the 'kilt' experience. Judging from the evening photographs, they wholeheartedly embraced the 'ceilidh' experience as well!

Thinking outside the box also applies to your photos. Don't feel obliged to stick to traditional poses or groupings. Sometimes the most off the wall and unusual ideas work best!

Photos on this page are by Hope Hanson. She is based in Mississauga, Ontario and you can find more details about her here Hope Hanson