Celebrating 5,000 legal Humanist Weddings in Northern Ireland

5,000 legal humanist wedding ceremonies that have taken place in Northern Ireland since they were introduced in 2018!

Aimee and Stewart Clawson married at Altahammond Barn on October 4th 2025

Humanists UK obtained official figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) which revealed that the 5,000th marriage took place on 4 October 2025.

The marriage ceremony celebrated the gorgeous Aimee and Stewart (aka The Clawsons!) and was officiated by me!!!!!! It's amazing that Aimee and Stewart can add this to their already beautiful wedding memories. I feel so privileged to have shared it with them.

Aimee and Stewart shared....

‘Our wedding day was something amazing, and now we are delighted all over again to find out it happened to be a historic milestone.

Although we were taught that love, respect, and social justice are rooted in religious teachings growing up, we’ve come to realise that these values are fundamentally human, stemming from our shared capacity to care for and respect others. A humanist wedding felt like the best fit for us from the beginning, as it aligns with our beliefs and values. We wanted the day to be a celebration of our love story, not focused on any religious aspects, or legally required statements. That’s why we chose a humanist marriage.’

I became a wedding celebrant before humanist marriages were legally recognised in Northern Ireland in 2018. Every humanist marriage I have conducted has been a joy, yet when I found out that I was the celebrant for the 5,000th I was so excited! I am so glad Aimee, Stewart, and I could share this. That 5,000 have been conducted in just seven years shows how popular they have become since legal recognition, how much non-religious people value being able to craft a ceremony reflecting their beliefs, and how the landscape of weddings here in Northern Ireland is forever changed.

In fact the number of people identifying as non-religious in Northern Ireland has been growing significantly over the last few years. In the 2021 Northern Ireland Census, 330,983 people identified as having no religion, which is about 19% of the population. This was a significant rise from 183,164 (10.1%) in 2011, showing an almost doubling over 10 years.

The Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey (2024) shows an even larger share of adults identifying as non-religious or no religion, with over a quarter of adults saying they have no religion.

"Following the publication late 2025 of the General Register Office’s 2024 annual report. The report officially confirmed what Northern Ireland Humanists had earlier predicted – that in that year there were more legal humanist marriages than religious marriages conducted by the three big Protestant churches. There were 1,112 humanist marriages in 2024. NISRA has now also confirmed to NI Humanists how many humanist marriages took place between January and October 2025 – enabling the date of the 5,000th to be identified.

This landmark moment was made possible by the successful legal case brought by Laura Lacole and Eunan O’Kane, which secured equal recognition for non-religious couples. Their marriage took place in June 2017, following victory in the High Court. After that, a legal hold was put in place by the Court of Appeal. As a result, humanist marriages did not otherwise occur until August 2017. " - Humanists UK

Aimee and Stewart's wedding ceremony represents the growing number of couples choosing to celebrate their marriage in an intentional and meaningful way focusing on their love and their family. This growth in popularity also indicates the desire for couples to have a connection with the celebrant who will be marrying them on the day. The collaborative and supportive relationship only add to the enjoyment of planning and the poignancy of the ceremony on the day.

Aimee and Stewart had this to say about working with me:

"You were a calming presence for both of us before the ceremony when things were feeling suddenly hectic for me and while Stewart was waiting. We appreciated that you provided reassurance to us both about the other and it kept our stress levels down. The ceremony was more than we could have dreamed of and lots of people have said they'd never attended a ceremony so personal. You just exude warmth and professionalism and your expertise is evident in all interactions, culminating in the day itself. Just wow. A thousand thank yous."

The Clawsons!!

Thank you so much for sharing this experience with me! Here's to the next 5,000 humanist wedding ceremonies!!!

Photography: Peter Mackey Photography

Venue: Altahammond Wedding Barn

Quotes from Humanists UK