Part of my job is to help couples through the legalities of getting married in Ireland. Even though there isn’t a lot of choice on how you can get married here, it can still be a minefield.
Things are changing though and it is getting easier to get married in the way that you want to because {drum roll??..}
Humanist weddings will have legal status sometime this year following the passage of legislation by the Oireachtas just this past December.
I’ll repeat that in more detail, the Bill was passed allowing members of the Humanist Association of Ireland to perform legal civil wedding ceremonies. It now just needs to be signed by the President of Ireland then the Humanist Association will apply to the Registrar and the HAI-accredited celebrants will have their names added to the General Register Office list of solemnisers.
Ok, what does this mean to you? Well, if you are newly engaged, it means simply that you have more options of locations and dates for your wedding. Choices other than just a church ceremony on a weekend or civil ceremony on a Monday to Friday. You will have more choice on locations for your ceremony and you can help create the ceremony more specific to you, adding elements of spirituality if you wish or not if that’s really not you. It means wedding ceremonies are not just black or white anymore {really no pun intended there!}.
Kelly & Dan’s Humanist blessing, Photo by Adam Lerner
Let’s not get too carried away though. Don’t start planning your wedding ceremony at the top of a mountain or on a secluded beach, there will still be requirements to a legal marriage for whoever performs it for you and certainly there will be some restrictions. We’ll have to wait to find out, but personally I think this is great news to start the New Year!
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