Losing faith in marriage

Humanist weddings set to outnumber religious-based ceremonies in Scotland

THEY were once a rarity in Scotland, with maybe only a handful taking place each year.

But now humanist weddings look set to overtake religious ceremonies for the first time next year.

The non-religious ceremonies were given legal recognition in Scotland in 2005, but are not legally recognised down south, prompting thousands of couples each year to travel from England to tie the knot.

Four years ago, only 100 humanist ceremonies took place in Scotland, but in 2018 there were around 6,400 – compared to 7,600 faith-based events.

There was a fall of 800 faithbased marriages in Scotland last year, down from 8,400. At the same time, the 500-strong increase in humanist weddings meant there were 6,400 such ceremonies.

A similar shift in numbers next year would mean the current gap of 1,200 is wiped out and humanist ceremonies will overtake traditional church-based weddings. Humanist ceremonies are considered by many to be more ‘hand-crafted’ and ‘deeply personal’, with the celebrant helping to write and edit a script that reflects the couple’s values.

Fraser Sutherland, the chief executive of Humanist Society Scotland, said: ‘Scotland was once a nation where the national church was intertwined with the state at every level.

‘Today, however, more people than ever before are living their lives without a religious outlook and the connection between church and state is loosening.

‘However, in some areas of law, certain faith bodies still have significant specific privilege.

‘Government both nationally and locally has a legal duty to ensure all its citizens are treated equally, no matter what their faith and belief.’

Gretna Green, in Dumfriesshire, was once a hotspot for English couples eloping to get married, but its popularity has fallen.

Figures show that 3,232 couples not living in Scotland married at Gretna Green last year, 200 fewer than the previous year.

In England, anyone wanting a humanist ceremony must then have a civil ceremony to make the marriage legal – prompting many couples to go to Scotland to avoid the extra cost and paperwork.

Scots-based humanist celebrant Mary Wallace said: ‘Loads of people come up here to get married in humanist ceremonies.

‘I’ve married lots of people from down south who specifically want a legal humanist ceremony – and they come specifically to Scotland to get married.’