Category: informational

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Divorce Ceremonies

Humanist Celebrant Orlando Tee Rogers Divorce Ceremony

Can i share something personal with you? I got divorced. It was finalized on January 18, 2007 – yesterday, a million years ago. The sun was out that morning, but all i felt was darkness. alone. broken. lost. unlovable. all the bad feelings. It was a rough day. Even though it was the best decision for us to move on, and i was grateful to have had such a wonderful relationship in my life, i was still wracked with grief. Some days you just need a blankie and a teddy bear and a bottle of scotch, you know?

I was thinking about that day this morning while updating the Divorce Ceremonies page on my website. How would such a ceremony have impacted my life? I think it would have been AMAZING, healing, freeing.

Could it help you or someone you know?

Such a ceremony is a unique, intentional way to honor what has been lost, mark closure, and look forward to a new chapter. A professional celebrant will learn about your unique situation, write a custom ceremony, and officiate a meaningful experience.

Continue reading about what happens at Divorce Ceremonies here:

Divorce Ceremonies
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Humanist Celebrants and End-Of-Life Services

You’ve lost someone you love. And they, and/or your family, are not religious. From ceremony composition and officiation to diverse identity advocacy and safe-space support, please know that secular support and resources are available for you.

A Humanist Funeral honors someone’s life and memory in a way that reflects their Humanist values and beliefs. The focus is often on celebrating the life of the person who has passed away, rather than mourning their loss; however, if a more traditional, somber memorial is preferred by the family, this can be a Humanist service also.

The ceremony is usually conducted by a humanist Celebrant who works closely with you to create a personalized ceremony that reflects your loved one’s beliefs, values, and wishes.

The ceremony may include readings, poetry, music, and personal stories or anecdotes about the deceased. The officiant may also offer reflections on the meaning and purpose of life, the importance of love and human connection, and the enduring legacy of the deceased.

In a Humanist Funeral, there is no religious or supernatural content delivered by the Celebrant, such as prayers or references to an afterlife. Instead, the focus is on the here and now, and on the lasting impact that the deceased has had on the lives of those who knew and loved them. The Humanist Celebrant is ethically restricted from using religious language; if some religious content is desired, they will help incorporate it through readings and reflections delivered by family or friends.

Overall, a Humanist Funeral is a meaningful and respectful way to honor the memory of a loved one and to celebrate their life in a way that reflects their humanist values and beliefs.

Why are funerals Important?

Important for all Religious, Secular, and Spiritual Identities (RSSI), a funeral is a ceremony or service to honor and pay respect to a person who has died. It’s for family and friends to join together to mourn their loss, offer condolences, and celebrate the life of the deceased.

Funerals are important in the grieving process for many people, providing a safe, meaningful space for loved ones to share memories, offer support, and begin to come to terms with their loss – a point of closure. This ceremony can also be an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and purpose of life and to find comfort and solace in the company of others who are going through a similar experience.

Where is a Humanist Funeral Held?

Many of these services happen at the funeral home if there is a congregational venue available there. A funeral home is a wonderful choice for an end-of-life ceremony. Their staff is trained to support grieving families and their facilities are set up for these services; this is what they do. They will take the planning burden off of the family and ensure that things run smoothly.

Some may choose to have only a graveside service or committal, and the entire service happens at the cemetery or place of scattering.

If you want a more traditional, though inclusive and secular, funeral setting, Unitarian Universalist churches are often Humanist-affirming and their congregational center may be a wonderful option.

The service, however, can be done anywhere you would like (with restrictions if the body will be present), such as a home, garden, or restaurant.

What is in the script of a Humanist Funeral?

This can vary widely based on personal preference – there are no required parts or required order of things. In general, the service will include:

  • Opening remarks, Humanist Invocation, welcome
  • Reading of the eulogy
  • Music may be incorporated before, during, or following the ceremony
  • Guests sharing memories or tributes
  • Readings or poetry (usually one or two selections)
  • Closing words of inspiration and support

What is Humanist Advocacy in Deathcare?

Healthcare and Deathcare providers, and some individual professionals, can be faith-biased. This means they have a religious agenda, usually Christian-centric, that is ubiquitously imposed on those they care for even though it may not serve all of the individuals and families that come into their care. In a diverse, pluralistic culture where we have freedom of (and FROM) religion, no one should be forced to pray to or defer to someone else’s G/god(s) at a time of grief. For some minority religious and secular individuals, conversations requesting someone to honor their identity can be anxiety-causing and triggers for other trauma.

A Humanist Celebrant, if willing and qualified, can serve as your advocate, providing non-religious support to you and your family as well as assisting with inclusion-focused conversations with hospital chaplains, hospital and hospice staff, and funeral home staff. Having a Humanist Celebrant with you at the arrangement conference or at other important moments, in person or by phone, can alleviate some of the anxiety about discrimination, faith-bullying, and other very real challenges.

What services can a Humanist Celebrant provide?

A Humanist Celebrant, if certified and ordained through The Humanist Society, is legally recognized as clergy in the United States, being accorded the same rights and privileges granted by law to priests, ministers, and rabbis of traditional theistic religions.

Humanist Celebrants often serve as advocates for the non-religious as well as other marginalized identities. Minority faiths (such as Wiccan) or LGBTQIA+ individuals may engage a Humanist Celebrant for some or all of these services.

End-of-life services may include:

  • The Celebrant may visit the hospice or hospital to provide Humanist support to the dying and their family, as many secular families are frustrated by – even traumatized by – religious predators, at this difficult time, in the faith-biased healthcare industry;
  • The Celebrant can assist with finding an affirming funeral home provider (that will be affirming of a diverse identity such as Humanist, Atheist, minority religion, or LGBTQIA+);
  • The Celebrant may provide Humanist support or presence in communicating with funeral home, cemetery, and other professionals, as secular families may be discriminated against, harassed, Preyed upon, identity washed, and other challenges faced in the faith-biased funeral industry;
  • The Celebrant may attend a religious service or ceremony, and deliver a Humanist invocation or reading only, to honor the deceased or to be inclusive of those attending the service who are of diverse perspectives and/or non-religious identities;
  • The Celebrant can compose a custom ceremony, working with the family to select wording, readings, and invocations;
  • The Celebrant may be asked to write the obituary and/or the eulogy (sometimes a family member chooses to write this part or to closely collaborate with the Celebrant);
  • The Celebrant may serve as the officiant for the funeral service;
  • The eulogy – story of life and tribute to the deceased – is delivered as part of the service. This can be read by the Celebrant, or a family member may elect to do this. The Celebrant stands by to offer support.
  • The Celebrant may be asked to attend, and sometimes deliver a Humanist invocation or reading, at the visitation or viewing, graveside service or committal ceremony, or other ceremony such as a scattering or tree planting.
  • The Celebrant may be asked to attend or make a visit to the reception or repast.

Sample Humanist Readings and other resources can be found here:

Humanist Readings for Funerals

How is a Humanist Celebrant Paid?

The Celebrant usually charges an honorarium for end-of-life services. This style of ceremony and service fee is a “suggested amount”. Some families add gratuity and travel or extra time compensation to the fee, others pay less if they are unable to afford the ceremony fee. No one should be left without clergy representation and support, and Humanist advocacy where needed, at such a difficult time in their life.

Finding Affirming Providers

The best way to ensure that you have selected a funeral home and other professional services that are knowledgeable about and affirming of your identity is to pre-plan. Planning ahead, before there is a crisis, gives you a lower-stress opportunity to interview and research providers. Your Humanist Celebrant can guide and assist you with that process as well.

Humanist Celebrant Orlando’s owner, Tee Rogers, is also a pre-planning advisor in the funeral industry. She would be glad to answer any questions you have about pre-planning.

Humanist Celebrant Orlando Tee Rogers Identity Affirming Deathcare Directives

You can use tools such as the Identity Affirming Deathcare Directives to reflect on your identity-related end-of-life wishes and provide loved ones and professionals the guidance and tools to honor those wishes.

Humanist Celebrant Orlando, funeral service reviews

Humanist Celebrant Orlando Funeral
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Gender Affriming Naming Ceremonies

Naming Ceremony, Humanist Celebrant Orlando

A naming ceremony for gender change – also called a butterfly ceremony – celebrates a new identity, as a culmination of, or an important part of, a long and meaningful journey. When something is important in our lives – a milestone birthday, a wedding, a retirement – those we care about come together in support and celebration. We throw a party.

Naming ceremonies may be held by those who identify as a gender that is different from the one they were assigned at birth. This can include people who identify as transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, and many other gender identities.

Our name is connected to our identity, and the name we received at birth may not always reflect how we identify in the world – yet it informs how others perceive and treat us and how we perceive and treat ourselves. Making a change to a new name is significant, and marks an important moment in our journey.

In the journey of transition and validation of a non-cisgender or gender non-conforming identity, the formal affirmation of a new name in the presence of family and friends can be a meaningful, exciting milestone. It gives a clear message about the usage of the new name and what it means in someone’s life and a community affirmation of one’s new identity.

We hold ceremonies and rituals to create memories, celebrate, and share our important moments with friends and family. Ceremonies promote a sense of belonging and identity among a group, fostering community. Ceremonies can also be healing and mark a point of closure – and renewal – in our lives.

A Butterfly Ceremony is also an opportunity to thank those who have supported and guided you on your journey and share what this transition means for you as a person and for your future.

A professional Celebrant will craft a unique, personalized ceremony and officiate the ceremony portion of the event.

Some elements of the ceremony may include:

  • Welcome and Humanist invocation
  • The story behind your new name, its meaning to you, why you chose it
  • A statement or ritual for letting go of the past identity and honoring that identity and the journey. This can be particularly meaningful when including a parent in the re-naming ceremony and honoring the original given name.
  • Vows of the individual for self-love and acceptance
  • Vows of a trusted friend, selected individuals, or of the whole group to support you in your continued journey
  • Individuals to share readings, affirmations, or words of support
  • A ritual such as a cascade candle lighting, tree planting, or reveal of a name plaque or custom/original name artwork
  • Audience inclusion ritual such as namewarming (a necklace or other jewelry with the new name, passed around for everyone to briefly hold, then placed on you by the celebrant), audience pledges of support (call and repeat, written and collected, or individually spoken), or something fun like everyone doing a shot together during/at the end of the ceremony
  • Presentation of gifts or declarations of gratitude to specific people who have been of great support
  • Volunteer / service engagement (such as a Positive Postcards project to support a local LGBT Youth organization or a gift/food/money collection for them)*
  • A reading (poem, book excerpt, song lyrics)
  • Bewtowance or revealing of the name
  • The ceremony may be followed by a catered reception, dancing, or may be held at a public place with entertainment and food.

*Humanist Celebrant Orlando will host a FREE Positive Postcards project, as part of your Naming Ceremony package, in support of the Zebra Coalition.

Naming Ceremony, Humanist Celebrant Orlando
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Identity Affirming Deathcare Resrouces

Cover art by Armen Silverbach

Diversity & Death: Identity Affirming Deathcare Planning

by Tee Rogers

UPDATE: The workbook has been published. Download your free copy at IADDresource.org.

Every identity should be authentically honored as the person nears death and is cared for after death and everyone deserves identity-affirming professionals to serve them and their families at such a difficult time. In this article, you’ll find Identity Affiming Directives & Workshops, Grief Resources, and more.

Grief for loved ones lost and anxieties about our own mortality are both challenges that each of us faces and understands. We experience them individually and uniquely, yet collectively and together. The time when we lose a loved one – or our loved ones lose us – is often described as a blur of chaos.

Planning ahead gives us peace of mind for ourselves and those we care about. Financially, emotionally, and logistically – we can ensure that when our time comes, things fall into place. There are professionals who can help – estate planning attorneys, financial planners, funeral and cemetery professionals, etc.  If you haven’t yet, you should meet with each of those.

The LGBTQ+ and religious minority & secular identity communities encounter additional stressors such as finding planning professionals who are DEI fluent (or, at the very least, accepting), ensuring identity expression will be honored at the time of their death, finding identity-affirming deathcare providers, and knowing that loved ones can find support at their time of grief.

Honoring Personal Identity: Where do we turn when we have concerns about a diverse identity that requires, say, the use of certain pronouns during a eulogy, specific attire for the viewing, certain blessings or rituals, designating someone other than next of kin to handle final arrangements, or secular-only language at the time of near-death …who helps us with those directives?

Grief Support: When a loss occurs, where do grieving loved ones turn when traditional support systems are not the right fit?

There are resources addressing these concerns. Let’s talk about them.

1. Identity Affirming Deathcare Directives

Thinking about deathcare for ourselves can be difficult – even traumatic. Some face the added stress of wondering whether that identity will be honored as they near death and at their services after. Will the decisions made for us when our voice can no longer be heard affirm or negate our identity?

A daughter who didn’t find out until too late that her father’s religion prohibited embalming; she feels tremendous guilt for not knowing this and honoring his faith. A partner of more than 20 years who lost their loved one, when both had agreed on final arrangements, but the family took over after death and did something different. Transgender and other non-binary presenting individuals who fear being misrepresented in death. Non-religious individuals not wanting religious rituals when approaching, and after, their death. There are so many heartbreaking stories, so much stress and fear, so many families suffering guilt or even estrangement after of the stress of end-of-life decisions.

Planning ahead can alleviate some of the stress of wondering what will happen, as well as providing a guide for those who will be responsible for caring for us – loved ones, hospice & hospital teams, and deathcare professionals. There are many guides, books, and tools out there, but none address issues specific to diverse identities – until now.

The Identity Affirming Deathcare Directives© workbook is a free tool designed to walk you through identity-related concerns and provide you the opportunity to make your own decisions. All LGBTQ+ and Religious, Secular, and Spiritual Identities (RSSI) can use this workbook as a self-exploration as well as a directives document.

Resource Page: http://IADDresource.org

The workbook was created in collaboration by Matthew Rosenthal, Esq., an attorney who helps families with estate planning and Tee Rogers, a Humanist Celebrant and funeral and cemetery planning professional.

Identity Affirming Deathcare Planning Workshops

These free workshops are safe-space discussions where we will explore identity-related challenges that may be faced during end-of-life services and ways that simple planning can mitigate frustration and pain for loved ones.

Groups, organizations, and businesses can schedule these free workshops.

Next Scheduled Workshop

August 11th, 2022, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
The Center (946 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803).
Registration Required: http://IADD-081122.eventbrite.com

Register on Eventbrite

2. LGBTQ+ and Secular Grief Resources

Some diverse identities – specifically, LGBTQ+ and Atheist, Humanist, and other secular / non-religious identities – may be turned away from grief support groups, therapists, and other lifelines. If they are accepted, they may find the situation to be unaffirming and unhelpful – or even harmful.

As a deathcare professional, I’ve worked with bereaved same-sex and/or non-religious spouses or partners and other family members who sought help, but both support groups and professionals turned them away without providing direction for finding more appropriate care. One person shared that they felt like no one could help them after a support group rejected them and when their funeral home could not provide them with any alternatives, they gave up seeking help.

As a Humanist Celebrant, I’ve spoken to families declined service by religious officiants for weddings, funerals, and other support. At important life moments the impact of rejection, compounded by not knowing where to turn next for help, can be difficult to navigate.

It is essential that people know there are identity-affirming resources in our community. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

And for professionals and providers, these wonderful resources in our community are available for you to make referrals for your clients.

Find LGBTQ+ and Secular Grief resources here: https://humanistcelebrantorlando.com/identity-affirming-resources/

Identity Affirming Final Arrangements Planning

There are so many heartbreaking stories of how people of diverse identities experience the funeral industry. DEI Fluent and affirming professionals can help you plan so that your identity-related wishes can be known and honored and your loved ones will not face family rifts and battles over final arrangements.

Matthew Rosenthal, Esq. of Rosenthal Meyer, PLLC provides comprehensive advanced estate planning that solves many of the issues that arise after a death occurs. I (Tee Rogers) am a funeral and cemetery planning advisor with Dignity Memorial. Together, Attorney Rosenthal and I created the Identity Affirming Deathcare Directives© workbook and we both serve in our Central Florida community by providing identity-affirming planning services.

Contact us for private consultations and assistance.

Follow-up and Further Information

If you would like further information on any of these resources or on funeral & cemetery pre-planning or celebrant services, contact Tee Rogers at tee.rogers@outlook.com or 407-608-9242.

For information on identity-affirming estate planning and legal guidance or questions, contact Matthew Rosenthal, Esq. at mrosenthal@rosenthalmeyer.com or 407-504-9725 or visit rosenthalmeyer.com.

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Meaningful & Mindful Gift Registries

Many couples are making intentional, socially- and environmentally-friendly choices as they plan their wedding and other celebrations or gatherings. Gifts may not be required, but it is traditional to provide one. The registry serves as a guide for your guests, letting them know what you need and want. How will your registry reflect your values?

Whether for simplicity, ethical sourcing, Humanist values, or just spreading ripples of kindness, here are some tips for making your wedding registry truly meaningful, mindful, & unique.

Shop Diverse – Enhance your focus on diverse sourcing by placing your registry with, or posting registry items from, certified Small, Woman-owned, Veteran-owned, or Minority Business Enterprises. Local Chambers of Commerce can help – look in your community for a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, African American Chamber of Commerce, PRIDE Chamber of Commerce, Veteran-owned business associations, and others. You may have other small business network in your area you can reach out to.

There are no secular/Humanist chambers or professional organizations; however, you could reach out to your local Humanist groups & congregational leaders. They may know of members who own photography businesses, do Humanist celebrancy, are DJ’s, or other professions.

Alternatives to traditional gifts. Focus on experiences such as trips or dance lessons; membership to a locally-sourced food delivery service or wine club; gift cards for e-books; memberships to local museums or other places you both enjoy visiting; or organizational memberships such as American Humanist Association or National Audobon Society.

Themed Registries – Whether it’s local art, gift certificates/gift cards from local small businesses, single malt scotch, live houseplants, or some other thing you just can’t have too much of, setting up a theme and letting your guests provide you with a unique “wedding collection” can be a wonderful registry idea.

Value-Focused Fund Registry – Maybe you’re saving up for a tiny house, solar panels, adoption fees, or an electric car. Maybe you want funds to work with a local nursery to re-landscape your home with native, food-bearing plants. You can set up a fundraiser registry to support your lifestyle and goals.

Don’t want to ask them to spend money? What about something they can look for like printing a comic strip they think you’ll enjoy? Or something they can do – For example, you could ask them to give you a printed photo of a piece of local outdoor art like one of the Pride murals in the Mills 50 District in Orlando, then you could create a collage of those photos and frame it.

Professional Development Fund – are there professional courses, conferences, certifications, or professional memberships each of you wants but hasn’t been in a position to fund? Create a PD fund as your registry so your friends and family can be part of increasing your personal & professional success.

Estate Planning – Now that you’re starting your life together, it’s important to plan to take care of & protect one another. You should meet with an estate planning attorney, a financial advisor, and a funeral and cemetery professional. Such guidance and/or getting things in place can cost money – ask for a fund to help you plan for your future.

For the kids. If there are already children involved, consider making the registry about them, rather than you. Toys or clothes they want, or even an educational fund or contributions toward a savings account.

Fundraiser Registry – Maybe you’re saving up for a tiny house, solar panels, a fund for adoption fees, a pair of kayaks, or an electric car. Maybe you need funds to work with a local nursery to re-landscape your home with native, food-bearing plants. You can set up a fundraiser registry to support your lifestyle and goals.

Throw kindness like confetti.

For many, wedding gifts support starting a life together and provide truly needed items. Others, especially those marrying later in life, may not need a microwave or dish set. In fact, they may already have too many items as their households blend!

Consider sharing the happiness and love of your special day with people in your community.

The Giving Registry – Consider finding a charity you support and asking for donations instead. You could set up an online fundraiser or contact the charity and ask what they need (like specific funds to paint a mural in a children’s area). There are some shelters where you can fund a meal and you could go to prepare and/or serve it; you could invite local guests to join you there.

Volunteer Hours Registry – You can ask guests in lieu of gifts to invest one (or more) hours of their time volunteering in the community. You can ask them to share their hours, the charity/cause they supported, and a photo of them doing the work (donating blood, picking up trash, serving at a soup kitchen, etc.) and create an online wedding album of your friends and family making a difference.

If you want to step up your kindness game, consider a volunteer wedding. There’s nothing like starting out your journey together as a couple by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your loved ones & making a positive difference in the world.

Tip Jar – Rather than bringing gifts for you, ask them to contribute to a surprise “tip” for the vendors serving at your wedding (some of whom may be working for minimum wage or less, or struggling in their small business!). You can set up a collection box and split the funds between the vendors – serving staff, musicians, caterer, photographer, wedding coordinator, etc., mailing it to them with your thank you note.

The Giving Table – (HCO can coordinate this for you!) Consider a needs drive for a local shelter, school supplies for teachers, pet food for an animal rescue, or other items that support a cause meaningful to you. Holiday wedding? How about a toy drive (for example, STEMGiftDrive.org)? You may even consider having a representative from that charity be in attendance at the gift table with a display about the charity so your guests can learn about why you chose that organizaiton.

One final note…

Consider requesting that gifts, if wrapped, be covered using natural fabric Furoshiki or recyclable paper, forgoing ribbons, shiny cardboard (including cards), balloons, and other items & materials with a negative environmental impact.

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Officiants and the Wedding Weekend

While many couples have a single wedding ceremony followed by a reception, this isn’t working for everyone.

A trend in weddings is the extended celebration over multiple days. With guests coming in from all over, making the wedding itself a destination provides opportunities for family and friends to celebrate together in multiple ways. Or maybe you have friends & family with varying schedules & you’re making sure they can be included.

You may be having…

  • a welcome party on Friday;
  • a beach get-away, wedding 5k run, a volunteer project, a museum visit or theme park visit on Saturday morning;
  • a private early-afternoon Saturday luncheon for the wedding party
  • a rehearsal dinner on Saturday evening;
  • a brunch on Sunday morning.
  • And then…. (drumroll….) the wedding on Sunday afternoon followed by the wedding reception.

The Celebrant is your ceremony composer & choreographer.

They help you craft the perfect ceremony, guiding you through stylistic choices and options that will make your wedding unforgettable. This may include weaving rituals into the ceremony and/or each event that are meaningful to you and creating ways that your friends and family (yes, even the dogs), can be integrated into the script.

For the multi-faceted wedding weekend, you might consider having your celebrant:

  • Help you think about rituals and wedding elements that can be used to connect all of the wedding weekend activities
  • Give a welcome speech or inclusive invocation at the welcome party
  • Provide a Humanist toast or ivocation at a gathering or meal.
  • Lead a Humanist values discussion as a stand-alone event or perhaps after a meal. The family is almost certainly comprises diverse religious, secular and spiritual identities. A Humanist values discussion can bring everyone together on common ground, bridging differences and allaying apprehension. Some may invite clergy from multiple denominations to come together with them and their parents, or other family members, for a similar guided discussion.
  • Make a difference together! Nothing brings people together like time invested making the world a better place. A unique service of Humanist Celebrant Orlando – we can organize and lead a volunteer project either at the wedding or as part of a wedding weekend.

A wedding is a mix & match, created-just-for-you situation.

From minimalist to lavish, how you decide to honor and celebrate the beginning of your journey as a married couple is a personal – and important – decision.

Everyone’s wedding is unique because every couple’s family and journey together is unique. Whether the couple & Celebrant meet at Starbucks to sign the marriage license or we craft a week-long integrated series of unforgettable wedding events for hundreds of guests, it should be exactly as you imagined.

Consult with your Celebrant for ideas and inspiration; we’ll provide the building blocks, experience, and ideas. Together, we’ll construct an amazing, perfect celebration just for YOU.

Contact Humanist Celebrant Orlando for your consultation today.

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Celebrant or Officiant – What’s the difference?

While sometimes used interchangeably, there are differences in how the term “officiant” and “celebrant” may be used and perceived.

First, when viewed as the same denotatively (e.g., someone qualified to perform an official ceremony), the term “Officiant” is more common in the United States, while “Celebrant” is more common in other parts of the world, However, Celebrancy in general and Humanist Celebrancy specifically are growing professions with specific qualifications, training, and endorsement. The term “Celebrant” is becoming more common & recognized in the US.

Officiant

“Officiant” may be more commonly used in association with a Notary service. Officiants might be thought of as someone who shows up, conducts a ceremony from a script, signs any legal paperwork, and leaves. In my Notary business, i use the term “Officiant”. That efficient, no-hassle service is exactly what some are looking for.

Officiants usually only perform wedding ceremonies where a license must be signed and filed.

Celebrant

A Celebrant may be endorsed by a program or school dedicated to developing celebrants and providing certification and accreditation. They are equipped to provide meaningful, authentic ceremonies for the clients they serve.

Celebrants are qualified to provide consultations, composition, and officiation for a variety of important ceremonies, such as

  • Invocations or readings for events or public meetings
  • Weddings, pre-commitments, vow renewals, or divorce ceremonies
  • Children & Youth ceremonies such as baby namings, youth coming-of-age ceremonies, or adoption ceremonies
  • Transgender naming ceremonies
  • Health, recovery, and sobriety milestones
  • Other personal or community milestones, celebrations, or ceremonies
  • Funerals, celebrations of life, living funerals, and other end-of-life ceremonies (including final rites or sitting with individuals at the end of thier life)

Humanist Celebrant

Humanist Celebrants are trained and certified as celebrants. They can serve anyone of any perspective, but are of the Humanist tradition and will only use secular language.

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
 From Humanism and Its Aspirations

Humanist Celebrants are further recognized as clergy in all states and many countries, being accorded the same rights and privileges granted by law to priests, ministers, and rabbis of traditional theistic religions. This recognition includes the right to solemnize weddings in the eyes of the state.  

Humanist Celebrants provide a meaningful alternative to traditional religious weddings, memorial services, and other life cycle events. We are trained to help humanists through the most important times in life including birth, love, loss, morality, and mortality.

We can further provide Humanist consultations to families regarding Humanist issues, such as Humanist values discussions or blending Humanist (non-religious) values and language with religious traditions in a ceremony inclusive of diverse participants/audiences. We can provide education to individuals and audiences about Humanism.

Serving the community as Humanist Clergy, we can provide visits to Humanists in hospitals or hospice care, prisons, shelters, and other places where clergy often provide support, guidance, and comfort.

We meet with families to compose a ceremony that is meaningful, personal, and professional with a humanist approach.

Learn more about Humanist Celebrants at The Humanist Society.

Visit Humanist Celebrant Orlando.

Tee Rogers Humanist Celebrant
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Question: We want to get married without having a wedding. Is that a thing?

Life doesn’t always follow a traditional path, does it? Your journey as an individual and as a couple is unique. Someone recently reached out with their personal story and wondered if an officiant could marry them without having to do the “whole ceremony thing”.

Here are the options that a celebrant/officiant can help you with.

Ceremony with Legal Marriage

This is the traditional version – at the wedding ceremony the legal declaration is part of the ceremony and the marriage license is signed by the officiant then filed with the county.

It doesn’t have to have a large ceremony – sometimes called a micro wedding or minimony, a small gathering of even a few family and friends is sometimes the intimate setting that is perfect for that couple.

Ceremony, No Legal Marriage

Some couples choose not to have a legal marriage; just a personal one. It may be that they cannot legally marry where they are, or perhaps they choose not to be legally married. Or perhaps they want to wait to be legally married later, but want to have their commitment ceremony now.

A commitment ceremony is exactly the same as any other wedding ceremony. The ceremony can contain any of the traditional elements and rituals including vows and exchange of rings – the only parts not included are the legal declaration & signing of the marriage certificate.

Legal Marriage, No Ceremony

Some couples choose to be legally married without the ceremony. Whether they are just with a couple of witnesses to sign paperwork or even a small gathering of a few family members & friends, this option is the most minimal, economical, intimate, and practical. Sometimes it is called the “sign & go” or “marry now” option.

Some go to a courthouse and have it done there, but i’ve been told that can be too impersonal – and that sometimes they “force” a “ceremony” or religious language that isn’t wanted. Others choose to have a notary or celebrant come to them. I’ve sat with a couple at their kitchen table and completed their paperwork, met them in a park, or at a coffee shop.

Two separate events; two separate purposes

Some couples choose to separate the two. They might get the legal aspect “out of the way” before heading to a destination wedding. They may want to have the legal paperwork in place to purchase a house together or some other practical reason, but want to wait for the “big ceremony” until a later date. During Covid, some couples chose to marry legally then plan a ceremony with family and friends later when they could safely bring people together again.