Fees / Legal Requirements

Fees

My fee for a legal marriage ceremony is £410 and you should expect to pay a similar amount irrespective of which HSS celebrant conducts your ceremony.

I do not charge travel expenses unless my journey to your venue is more than 30 miles.

Legal Requirements

Scotland is one of only ten countries in the world where Humanist marriage ceremonies are legally conducted. It is also the only part of the UK where you can have a Humanist ceremony.

The good news is that you only have two forms to fill in ( unless either of you is not a UK citizen in which case the local registrar will guide you through what documents you will need to submit ) – one of these two forms is a booking form which I would send you – the other is an M10 form which you can download from the internet at

http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/registration/getting-married-in-scotland

Humanist weddings have exactly the same legal status as registrar and religious weddings  and are recognised throughout the world ( including countries where having a Humanist wedding ceremony is not possible

To have a Humanist Marriage in Scotland here’s what you need to do.

• Contact the Registrar in the district where the marriage is to take place to submit the Marriage Notice forms (M10).  This can be done 3 months before the date of the wedding (but no earlier) and you are advised to do it as soon as possible within that time. You cannot submit your M10 forms less than a month before the date of the marriage.  (Note: If either of you is not a British citizen, you should contact the Registrar immediately to check what documentation you will require in order to be married in Scotland.)
• Inform the Registrar that the marriage will be solemnised by a Celebrant of the Humanist Society Scotland, by completing Section F of the M10 forms.
• Collect the Marriage Schedule from the Registrar during the week prior to the marriage. One of the couple being married must personally collect it- no one else can do this for you.
• Give the Marriage Schedule to the Celebrant on the day of the ceremony. Don’t leave this to the bride – she more than likely won’t have pockets in her dress and anyway, your celebrant will need to see this before the ceremony can begin… so it’s better if either the groom or the best man looks after it.  Please note that the marriage cannot be legally conducted without the Marriage Schedule.
• Take care of the signed Marriage Schedule and to return it to the Registrar within 3 days of the wedding taking place, so that the marriage can be registered. Please note that it can be returned to the Registrar by anyone.

Humanist Wedding Booking Form and Agreement

This is the Agreement between the Humanist Society Scotland Celebrant and the client couple ( you will get a copy of this with the booking  form )

This Agreement outlines the responsibilities  of the celebrant and those of the couple being married.

Don’t worry – its really straightforward and will take only a few minutes to read . ( Honest !! )

 The Responsibilities of The Humanist Celebrant

For a Wedding, the responsibilities of the Celebrant are as follows:

• To provide a professional level of service at all times, ensuring that the ceremony is dignified, meaningful and personal within a broad Humanist framework and in accordance with the HSS Standards for Celebrants.
• To arrive at the venue at least 30 minutes before the agreed time for the ceremony.
• To ensure that the marriage is solemnised in accordance with the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 and in a location that is safe and dignified.
• To ensure that the Marriage takes place on the date and at the place specified on the Marriage Schedule.
• To obtain the Marriage Schedule from the parties before the ceremony can commence.
• To ensure that the Marriage Schedule is correctly signed in permanent black liquid ink, by both parties (using the names shown on the Marriage Schedule), two witnesses and the Celebrant.
• To ensure that any amendments to the Marriage Schedule are made in permanent liquid black ink. Material changes such as the date and place of marriage however, should not be altered without the express permission of the Registrar.
• To ensure the parties to the marriage join, or renew their membership of, the Humanist Society Scotland
• If in the unlikely event of the Celebrant not being able to conduct the ceremony for some reason (e.g. illness), he/she will notify the HSS and  where possible another authorised HSS Registered Celebrant will be arranged to conduct the ceremony instead (with the approval of the Registrar).

 The responsibilities of the Clients are as follows:

• To communicate fully the information required for the writing of your ceremony within the timescales agreed with your chosen Celebrant.
• To join the Humanist Society Scotland or to provide proof of membership of a similar affiliated Humanist Organisation.
• To contact the Registrar in the district where the marriage / civil partnership is to take place, at least 6-12 weeks before the date of the wedding, to submit the Marriage Notice forms (M10) / Civil Partnership Notice forms (CP10) along with the requisite fee and required documents. This can be done 3 months before the date of the ceremony (but no earlier) and you are advised to do it as soon as possible within that time.
• If either of you is not a British citizen, you should contact the Registrar immediately to check what documentation you will require in order to be married / enter into a civil partnership in Scotland.
• To collect the Marriage Schedule from the Registrar during the week prior to the ceremony. One of the parties to the marriage / partnership must personally collect it.
• To arrive at the venue fit and competent and at the agreed time, and to make every effort to ensure that the ceremony starts within 30 minutes of the time agreed.
• To deliver the Marriage Schedule to the Celebrant on the day of the ceremony. Please note that the marriage cannot be legally conducted without this.
• To advise the Celebrant and the Registrar in advance if there is any possibility of the marriage not taking place on the date or in the place specified (for example in the case of an outdoor ceremony being rained off).
• To ensure the signed Marriage Schedule is returned to the Registrar within 3 days of the ceremony taking place. Please note that it can be returned to the Registrar by anyone.
• To pay the agreed fee and expenses for preparation and delivery of ceremony, by an agreed date which has been agreed with your Celebrant.