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Recommend a Humanist celebrant

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  • 03-03-2015 5:27pm
    #1
    Shybride2016
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭


    Hi everyone,

    Starting to research our celebrant for our wedding next year and wondering if any of you who had a humanist celebrant could pm me with your experiences and recommendations please?

    We've been looking at the website but it's difficult to get a feel for someone from a short biography so would appreciate any advice.

    Thanks as always :-)


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Comments

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    #2
    pooch90
    Registered Users Posts: 2,371 ✭✭✭pooch90


    You don't get to pick and choose who you get,you email the Humanist society and they assign whoever is available.


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    #3
    fits
    Registered Users Posts: 13,270 ✭✭✭✭fits


    pooch90 wrote: »
    You don't get to pick and choose who you get,you email the Humanist society and they assign whoever is available.

    Eh yeah you do. I contacted our celebrant directly. She was the most local and we just went with a date she had available.


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    #4
    Shybride2016
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭Shybride2016


    Oh really? I've just been contacting a few via email and have had a couple of replies so far. They didn't mention contacting a general email address. Now I'm confused!


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    #5
    Shybride2016
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭Shybride2016


    fits wrote: »
    Eh yeah you do. I contacted our celebrant directly. She was the most local and we just went with a date she had available.

    Have you had your wedding yet fits? I've never been to a humanist ceremony and would love to hear what it's like if you wouldn't mind?


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    #6
    fits
    Registered Users Posts: 13,270 ✭✭✭✭fits


    Shybride2016 wrote: »
    Oh really? I've just been contacting a few via email and have had a couple of replies so far. They didn't mention contacting a general email address. Now I'm confused!

    You dont have to use a general address. Dont mind that post.

    We havent had our ceremony yet but all good so far with bridget carlin.


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    #7
    lazygal
    Registered Users Posts: 12,644 ✭✭✭✭lazygal


    Shybride2016 wrote: »
    Have you had your wedding yet fits? I've never been to a humanist ceremony and would love to hear what it's like if you wouldn't mind?
    We had a humanist wedding a few years ago, and it was a very good experience. We had Brian Whiteside and would recommend him. He really made the ceremony very memorable.


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    #8
    Shybride2016
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭Shybride2016


    Delighted to hear that lazygal thanks for the reply. Unfortunately Brian isnt available for our date but great to hear it went well!


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    #9
    stinkle
    Registered Users Posts: 1,159 ✭✭✭stinkle


    We had Billy Hutchinson, who was really wonderful on the day and in the lead-up and is just a lovely person in general. He's Dublin/Leinster.


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    #10
    almorris
    Registered Users Posts: 206 ✭✭almorris


    Elaine Morris. Lovely, professional.


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    #11
    A2LUE42
    Registered Users Posts: 2,533 ✭✭✭A2LUE42


    almorris wrote: »
    Elaine Morris. Lovely, professional.

    Tina Storey did our wedding and she was brilliant to deal with.


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    #12
    pooch90
    Registered Users Posts: 2,371 ✭✭✭pooch90


    fits wrote: »
    You dont have to use a general address. Dont mind that post.

    We havent had our ceremony yet but all good so far with bridget carlin.

    When we booked, that was how you had to do it, maybe they have changed it since.


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    #13
    Sugar Free
    Registered Users Posts: 1,639 ✭✭✭Sugar Free


    As a general comment and not aimed at any one person - perhaps it would be worthwhile creating a sticky for the general process involved in organising a humanist or civil ceremony.

    There often seems to be confusion around the differences between the two and the criteria that must be met. E.g. (though I too could be wrong!) that civil ceremonies can't be held outdoors generally or that they can only be performed Monday to Friday.

    A simple, experience based stickied thread may help.
    Just a thought.


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    #14
    rainbow kirby
    Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 26,928 Mod ✭✭✭✭rainbow kirby


    A2LUE42 wrote: »
    Tina Storey did our wedding and she was brilliant to deal with.

    She's doing ours in May. Limited choices for Limerick due to the fact that there are quite a few of them who have geographical restrictions (Dublin area only or Cork/Kerry only).


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    #15
    irlrobins
    Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭irlrobins


    Emma Sides performed our ceremony. Extremely helpful in assisting us in deciding the content of the ceremony, advising what elements would work and what wouldn't, timings etc. Very easy going and personable. We got a lot of compliments about our ceremony afterwards and how Emma performed it. Couldn't have been happier really.


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    #16
    fjon
    Registered Users Posts: 2,084 ✭✭✭fjon


    I would probably answer "whoever you can get". There is a huge demand for humanist celebrants now, and even if your wedding is next year you may find it hard to find someone. If you are having a Saturday wedding, or are in the greater Dublin area, it's going to be even more difficult.
    We have someone booked for this year, and only got this because she's a "new" celebrant. Otherwise we would not have been able to get anyone.


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    #17
    westernlass
    Registered Users Posts: 598 ✭✭✭westernlass


    We have Eithne Dempsey booked. I love her. She was so nice when we met. She also said she would ask everyone not to post on social media and for us to not have to be the bad guys.

    I'm really looking forward to having her


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    #18
    lainycool
    Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭lainycool


    We had Emma Sides here too and she was just great, She made our day so special!


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    #19
    snoopy29
    Registered Users Posts: 176 ✭✭snoopy29


    We had Susie Kennedy and she was a lovely woman to talk with and she performed a beautiful ceremony. We were all in tears at the end of it, including her!


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    #20
    Shybride2016
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭Shybride2016


    Thanks for all the replies everyone. All sorted now, having spoken to Emma Sides this morning I'm delighted that she's available as she sounds so lovely and exactly what we want for our ceremony.

    I will say to anyone interested in having a Humanist celebrant to get booking asap as they are booking up fast for next year already.

    Thanks again for all your help & advice. I'd be lost without this forum!


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    #21
    Skittlebrau
    Registered Users Posts: 559 ✭✭✭Skittlebrau


    westernlass wrote: »
    We have Eithne Dempsey booked. I love her. She was so nice when we met. She also said she would ask everyone not to post on social media and for us to not have to be the bad guys.

    I'm really looking forward to having her

    +1 for Eithne. Lovely and easy to deal with. Only downside is she's a Man Utd fan ☺


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    #22
    westernlass
    Registered Users Posts: 598 ✭✭✭westernlass


    Skittlebrau wrote: »
    +1 for Eithne. Lovely and easy to deal with. Only downside is she's a Man Utd fan ☺

    Ha ha that's a plus for us. My fiancée will be delighted


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    #23
    Cainer
    Registered Users Posts: 90 ✭✭Cainer


    We had Emma Sides too, she was wonderful from beginning to end so you're very lucky she was available. Good luck with your wedding!


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    #24
    fannymagee
    Registered Users Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭fannymagee


    Can a Humanist celebrant legally solemnise, or do you do that part seperately?


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    #25
    snoopy29
    Registered Users Posts: 176 ✭✭snoopy29


    Humanist ceremonies are legal in Ireland so now separate legalities to take care of.


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    #26
    fannymagee
    Registered Users Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭fannymagee


    snoopy29 wrote: »
    Humanist ceremonies are legal in Ireland so now separate legalities to take care of.

    Ah brilliant, great to see the scope of options widening so much!

    I'll be able to legally solemnise from July 2016. Bring it on!! ;-)


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    #27
    kmmh58
    Registered Users Posts: 90 ✭✭kmmh58


    Sorry to hijack your post OP. We intend to marry in September 2016, tonight I started to contact people for Humanist ceremony. It feels a little extreme so far in advance but we shall push on :)
    fannymagee wrote: »
    Ah brilliant, great to see the scope of options widening so much!

    I'll be able to legally solemnise from July 2016. Bring it on!! ;-)

    how do you become a solemniser?


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    #28
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    kmmh58 wrote: »
    Sorry to hijack your post OP. We intend to marry in September 2016, tonight I started to contact people for Humanist ceremony. It feels a little extreme so far in advance but we shall push on :)



    how do you become a solemniser?

    You will be lucky to get one even this far ahead. I contacted several celebrants about 3 weeks for August 2016 and only one available. That was Billy Hutchinson who we are meeting in a couple of weeks, so Def get contacting asap!!


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    #29
    kmmh58
    Registered Users Posts: 90 ✭✭kmmh58


    andreac wrote: »
    You will be lucky to get one even this far ahead. I contacted several celebrants about 3 weeks for August 2016 and only one available. That was Billy Hutchinson who we are meeting in a couple of weeks, so Def get contacting asap!!

    I only contacted 2 people, should I contact more?


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    #30
    Shybride2016
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭Shybride2016


    kmmh58 wrote: »
    I only contacted 2 people, should I contact more?

    Hiya,

    I would contact as many as possible if I was you. We're getting married on a Saturday in April next year and out of 8 we contacted only three were available on our date.

    Best of luck with your search!


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    #31
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    kmmh58 wrote: »
    I only contacted 2 people, should I contact more?

    Definitely. I contacted 7 or 8 I think and only One was free. Thank god as I was starting to panic.


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