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Weddings, Namings and Funerals

Unitarians are able to offer people an individual approach to all of life's rites of passages.  The main ceremonies are listed below but if you would like to discuss other celebrations then do contact us.

BIRTH - A Celebration of Life

A ceremony to celebrate, give thanks for, or name a child (often newborn).  Ceremony may be called Baptism, Christening, Blessing, Naming, Welcoming or Dedication. Birth and naming celebrations may commonly contain the use of symbols such as water (symbolising the purity of a newborn child), or flowers (symbolising growth, life and beauty). Such ceremonies may take place in a Meeting House or in the family home.

MARRIAGE - A Celebration of Union

Unitarians attempt to impart beauty and meaning to these celebrations, and are not restricted to traditional words or forms. Michael will discuss in depth with the couple the form and content of their Service, and is happy to accommodate personal requests. Unitarians recognise that no two marriages are ever exactly alike.  Unitarians were among the first to recognise the right of divorced persons to remarry in a place of worship, and to seek forms of service to meet the varying needs of couples. 

In England there are certain legal requirements on venue, ceremony content and conduction.  Apart from these minimal legal requirements, Unitarians conduct ceremonies free from traditional limitations if desired, although traditional forms are often chosen. The over-riding concerns of Unitarians are the wishes and ideas of the couple.

DEATH - A Celebration of Worth

Unitarians recognise the deep sense of loss many wish to express in funeral or memorial services. They seek to reflect a sense of the life and beliefs of the deceased person, and to be sensitive to the needs and wishes of the bereaved. Such ceremonies may often, therefore, be more than mourning: a celebration of the deceased person's life, and a thanksgiving. They may take place in the home, a place of worship, a crematorium, or by a graveside, or other appropriate place. The forms and content of the ceremony are freely adaptable, but above all, it is hoped, spiritual and memorable.