Blessings in the UK

Do you actually mean a blessing? A blessing is a religious rite condicted by a minister after a civil wedding. The C of E call it a "service of prayer and dedication". I had this after my first wedding - we couldn't marry in church due to ex-H's divorce, but had a blessing afterwards instead. The vicar certainly wouldn't have gone to a riverbank. If you want a humanist ceremony, that isn't a blessing. Humanists would not entertain the concept of "blessing" a couple due to the religious connotations.

It's perfectly possible, however, to have a registry do, then a humanist ceremony afterwards, anywhere you want. Just contact the BHA for your nearest people.

Mrs H to be, it certainly would be of a Humanist nature rather than a blessing in a church. I'm sorry for the confusion.

MrsStobe13

I think it's a lovely idea.

If you think about where you're allowed to take your family for a picnic, you can pitch up and hold a 'wedding.' You just need somewhere that you are legally allowed to be i.e. no trespassing! Unless you are on private property, you shouldn't need permission.

There are people who conduct non-religious naming ceremonies that would perhaps conduct your 'commitment ceremony' (I just decided to call it that). Or if you had a confident friend with a bit of 'presence' they could also do the job.

With regards to location, you could choose anywhere. Personally I would prefer it somewhere easy to access (pretty shoes don't fair well off the beaten track) and also with nearby amenities such as loos and electricity (if you want to play music) within walking distance. But if you are willing to go without amenities then the world is your oyster.

I just hope it doesn't rain Good luck with your planning.

We are doing the very same - having a small registry office thing purely to do the legal bit - and we are having an outdoor ceremony.

We are having a handfasting as a blessing of our vows , and are inviting all of our guests to this instead.

It can be as religious or non religious as you want it to be, and encorporate as much traditional or non traditional stuff as you'd like.

Wow, thanks. You know, this morning I got up and I thought I didn't have a hope in hell of this wedding, but so far today it's flown together! I've just found out the name of the very location we'd like, it is Saltford Marina. I'm going to find out about the conditions in the area just in case, but I can't see it being a problem!

It looks a lovely place!

Maybe you could ring them and say 'I have a family day out planned on the Day of the Month of the Year, and I was wondering if your loos, electricity, amenities will be available for us to use?' If they confirm that's great. If they say 'Sorry it our annual boat race that day so the facilities will be used' you might want to pick another day! lol.

A gezebo is easy to pop up, often used by families for days at the park, and also provides a nice 'atler' area for the commitment ceremony. They are cheap too, they are sold in The Range for £14.99. You could sprinkle real petals to mark an 'aisle' for you to walk down (they will degrade so no littering). And you could bring loads of picnic blankets and cushions either side of the petal 'aisle' as the 'pew area' for people to sit. Serve homemade lemonade too!

Keep us updated with your plans. It sounds fantastic.

Seriously Sammi... you should think about the planning business! You're full of ideas! I didn't think I had a hope of my dream day but you've got thought bubbls popping all over the place now! I found a chair hire company which hires chairs at £1.60 each, our guest numbers are probably about 40-50 tops, so even chair hire will only be about £100. I've emailed the marina, waiting for Matt to finish washing the dishes then we're going to have a good think about the budget! As we don't plan to have the ceremony up by the moorings (probably on a grass bank somewhere nearby) I can't see us interfering with anyone, I will keep you informed on our progress though!

MrsStobe13

We found we were having the exact problem you encountered, not being allowed to be married outdoors in uk, and facing huge cost for something we didnt want anyway, so we are going to registry office to deal with paperwork, and having a humanist blessing done, outdoors, having picnic blankets for seating and loving the idea of serving homemade lemonade! we are putting on invites if any of our guests really require a chair then let us know so we can provide one, go for what you want and dont let anyone stand in your way, wedding da should be special to you and your partner not just how everyone elses expects it, xx

Hmm, depending on costs I may just hire a bunch of chairs and be done with it. We wanted a non religious ceremony but we wanted Corinthians 1.13 read at our wedding in memory of those not with us (who sadly includes Matt's Mum) and a scenic setting. it's true what they say, if you want something enough you can have whatever you set your heart on!

MrsStobe13