A breath of fresh air

It’s wonderful being married properly outdoors (not just under a licensed gazebo in hotel grounds), and where I don’t need to ask guests to turn off their mobile phones, because there’s no signal anyway!

Rural settings, for nature lovers, or family gardens with associations of happy times, will always have a draw.

More couples than ever are choosing venues at which there is no option but to have an alternative ceremony, as is the case with the Great Outdoors. This is where humanist ceremonies come into their own, enabling you to plan an event where the focus is entirely on you and the things that are important to you. And unlike registrars, we adapt to the surroundings, building a ceremony that fits in with and enhances the setting.

Three such Surrey venues – very different to each other – and new to me this summer are: The Old Greens Barn in Newdigate. Holmbury St Mary Village Hall and The Green Escape at Leith Hill, near Dorking.

As an added bonus, I’m told they let you do pretty much what you want! Give them a try…

Holmbury St Mary Village Hall

Getting merrily lost, trying to FIND the Green Escape

a seven year old took this…don’t be too critical

Tucked away…the Green Escape

Outdoor marquee ceremony venue in Surrey – Busbridge Lakes

This looks lovely! Busbridge Lakes in Godalming has now made its beautiful grounds available for marriage ceremonies and receptions, using its outdoor wedding marquee.

Currently only ceremonies conducted by celebrants – see British Humanist Association – are permitted, but this offers a wealth of possibilities for an individualised, personal and moving ceremony.

The team at Busbridge lakes is really friendly and can answer any questions about how it works, or you can talk directly to me!   

Gazebo at Denbies used for Humanist marriage ceremony

For the very first time in its history Denbies’ Vineyard allowed its courtyard and gazebo to be the setting for a marriage ceremony. This was possible because Humanist ceremonies can take place anywhere, including outside, and in non-licensed locations.  [The marriage was conducted by Ginny Collins, British Humanist Association wedding celebrant, in June 2014. Denbies is a winery and vineyard set in the Surrey Hills in between Box Hill and Dorking. ]

Children as ring-bearers in humanist wedding ceremonies

 

Photo by Allister Freeman

 

Where family is very important to you loved ones can be given a role to perform in the ceremony; where they are young children an obvious role is that of ring-bearer. This happy couple’s nephews are only five but carried out their ring-bearing duties to perfection, while looking adorable.

Another formality frequently included in humanist wedding ceremonies is signing a BHA certificate of marriage. This isn’t a legally-recognised document but it does give your guests a chance to take some photos and listen to music. As this photo shows, it’s also a moment when you can relax with your witnesses.

Photo by Allister Freeman

 

All photographs copyright Allister Freeman.
Wedding took place at Bookham Manor House School, Little Bookham, Surrey

Under a canopy of trees: humanist wedding ceremony at Ridge Farm

Photo by Andrew Dobell

On a warm, sunny day in September the orchard at Ridge Farm provided a quite beautiful setting for this outdoor humanist wedding ceremony.
(Ridge Farm, Rusper, Surrey)

David and Amanda signed the register the day before at their local registry office, and the formal nuptials took place the following day when all their loved ones witnessed their deeply personal humanist wedding ceremony.

Thank you to the happy couple for kind permission to reproduce these photographs. All photographs copyright Andrew Dobell.

Photo by Andrew Dobell

Photo by Andrew Dobell

Photo by Andrew Dobell

Photo by Andrew Dobell

The best of both worlds

If a venue can offer a choice between holding your wedding ceremony inside or outside, at relatively short notice, it’s so useful. You then have the best of both worlds.

I’ve led humanist ceremonies at two such venues this summer.

As well as offering its cosy, welcoming barn Swallows Oast in Kent has an enchanting woodland clearing outside, very close to all the barn’s amenities. This ceremony featured on Love My Dress blog. (Also see a photo of inside the barn)

Ghyll Manor in Surrey is also happy to accommodate couples inside or outside given a bit of notice.

Thank you to newlyweds Claire and Dave and their photographer Eddie Judd for kind permission to publish this photo.

“We chose a humanist ceremony, partly because we weren’t able to have a legal ceremony outside, but mainly because we realised that a  humanist sentiment reflected exactly what we wanted for our big day.  We really enjoyed the process of constructing our own ceremony with our  Humanist celebrant Ginny Collins.  The ceremony was very personal, and  reflected Dave and I so well, together with Ginny we wrote our own vows, and the ceremony told our story and how we see marriage, what we love  about each other, with plenty of laughs along the way.  Our guests  commented on how lovely and unique the ceremony was.

We married legally a couple of days before at Brighton registry office  witnessed by my Dad and Dave’s Mum only (we didn’t want to have two wedding days!), followed by a curry lunch and a beer!”

Wedding, whatever the weather: Getting married outdoors, the humanist way

Here’s to not letting bad weather get in the way of your nuptials, as demonstrated by each of my undaunted outdoor wedding couples this summer.

Guests must bring umbrellas and you can hand out ponchos a la the festivals. The ceremony can be planned around the potential for falling rain with any of the following fall-backs: a quick dash under the nearest shelter, whizzing through to the important parts of the ceremony, or ending up inside and not caring one bit because when all’s said and done – it’s your wedding day, and nothing can spoil that.