About Me
My name is Siân and I live in Edinburgh with my partner and our young son. I'm legally authorised to conduct marriages across Scotland as part of the guild of Independent Humanist Ceremonies, which was created to provide unique and heartfelt celebrations with fewer restrictions, enabling everyone to have the ceremony they want.
I started on this path following many years in science education and event hosting after more than one person asked why I wasn't doing it already. Storytelling is my first love, and I can think of no greater honour than being tasked with crafting a personal ceremony to sit at the heart of your special day.
For me, ceremonies are vitally important as a way of marking time, honouring a person, or celebrating key moments in a life’s journey. A humanist ceremony creates a space in which to gather together and share these thoughts and emotions with those important to us.
Photo Credit: White Tree Photography
Why Wyrd?
The word wyrd comes from the Old English verb weorþan, ‘to come to pass’. It is a rather wonderful and somewhat untranslatable concept that I first came across as a devoted undergraduate student many years ago.
It is the root of both our modern English ”worth” and “weird”, though the meaning has shifted through various beautiful forms over the centuries, encompassing ‘honour’, ‘dignity’ and ‘respect’, from the Proto-Indo-European root 'wert' via the Latin vertere, to turn or twist.
The concept of wyrd as inescapable fate was fundamental to Anglo-Saxon culture as a kind of vast, shimmering, inexorable tapestry of possibilities in a constant state of flux - not a pre-ordained fate, but one that is woven by our own hands in the moment of knowing and doing.
Wyrd is that which shall come to be, a turning towards another with honour and an understanding of their worth. It’s your destiny…
FAQs
Can you legally marry us?
Yes! I’m a licensed celebrant, meaning that I not only conduct but officiate the ceremony, under license from the National Records of Scotland.
Can we do our own vows?
Yes, of course you can. It’s your day and I’ll support you to have it your way. You can write your own vows and read them to one another, exchange letters, or sit back and let me do the work - it’s entirely up to you.
Do you do handfasting?
Yes, I do handfasting, quaich ceremonies, and other symbolic rituals. I can also work with you to design a personal symbolic gesture that will be entirely unique to your wedding. Just tell me what you want and I’ll make it so.
How far do you travel?
I’m based in Edinburgh and East Lothian, but am happy to travel anywhere in Scotland. (I’m happy to travel to the rest of the UK, although unfortunately, celebrants aren’t legally able to marry people outside of Scotland - for now!)
My travel to and from the ceremony costs 50p per mile, and if I need to stay overnight there will be an additional cost. Travel to and from meetings is free.
Do we need a location license?
No - I can legally marry you anywhere in the country as long as you have the landowner’s permission. Beaches, moutaintops and the back room of your favourite cosy pub included!
How much will it cost?
The fee for a legal marriage is £500, which includes everything except travel (see above). The fee for a naming ceremony is £250.
