i love going to atheist weddings!
did you know there are actual atheist celebrants that one can locate to perform the ceremony? i know, who knew? They also do birth celebrations, (similar to the christian baptism) deaths, graduations, big life events of all types, etc etc. Good to know.

There are some national groups which have celebrants, (google "atheist celebrants")) or one can google your town's name + word "atheist celebrant". (or your county name).
You could ask your local atheist group (often found on Meetup.com) or your local CFI branch ("Center For Inquiry") if they know of any atheist celebrants in your area.

If you can not find one, a Justice of the Peace will do, but do speak to him/her prior, to ensure your wishes are understood..........

or it's worth checking out the Unitarian Universalist church <

---

VERY atheist friendly church, in fact, many of the UU members are atheists, agnostics or very liberal minded believers, too. I know two atheist who got married in a UU church, and it was a godfree ceremony, done by the UU pastor, who is a deist, (a deist believes in "a" god, but no specific gods, no organized religions, just "a god"). But, despite being a deist herself, the pastor knew the couple were atheist, and gave a godfree ceremony for the couple.
Really, if one did not know, you would not have noticed it was a godless ceremony.

UU churches can be kind of cool, for those atheists who sort of miss having a community to belong to, but, to be clear, many members of UU churches ARE deists, and even a few theists, (theists of course, believe in a specific named god, and follow an organized religion) like christians, muslims, etc.

but the UU service and readings vary from week to week.
some weeks, the reading might be from the bible,
next week, the reading might be from Qu'ran, next week, the reading might be from Carl Sagan.

just changes each week, at a UU church, depending on which person is designing that week's service. (they all take turns, and that person chooses, the theme of the service, like maybe "rebirth" or "kindness" or "moving forward" or "forgiveness" or whatever, and then the person doing this will pick out something to read, as well as chooses the decorations to symbolize their 'theme", to be on the alter etc. Everyone can have a turn choosing a theme.) Still, a UU church does look "church-y" which is probably a turn off to many atheists.

Nowadays,
People today get married evvvvvverywhere, beaches, parks, backyards, halls, cruise ships, just all kinds of places. i MYSELF dislike outdoor weddings, cuz weather can ruin it. BUT IT IS YOUR DAY!!!
It's hard for old ppl, and toddlers, the aunts in heels in the grass, oldsters who need a firm, level ground to walk on, to feel good when it's 108 degrees, or super windy, or muddy from the rain yesterday...........then there's the gnats and mosquitoes, stinging flies, ant hills disturbed and the ants keep crawling up your leg, etc,:ohwell:

. There are many big events in one's life, like birth, and death, and many types of celebrations,
which are typically done indoors.
I'd say you could look over the halls, libraries, centers of all types, to find a spot for your wedding. My niece just got married in a huge wine cellar at a BEAUTIFUL vineyard in California, so lovely. They actually got married on the huge stone patio right outside the wine cellar hall, but, had the indoors available in case of bad weather.

I rather love it, when a couple has their wedding AND their reception in same area, ahhhhhhhhhh, so much easier for out-of-towners.:bigsmile:


Re: the grandfather, at every wedding, there is risk of one or two ppl who disapprove of whatever. Do not let him ruin your big day, if he starts to complain to you, smile brightly, say, "I love you so much, Grandfather! I am so honored to have you here for my big day, thank you for coming" and move on down the line or something. My advice, do NOT engage in that discussion, on that day. Just hug him and move on away.

He can yell you out about it some other day, LOL, but not on THAT day, imo. That whole mess can wait til another time.



Also

---

tons of websites with ideas for writing one's own vows, if that is something you are interested in. One can even google "atheist wedding vows" for ideas.

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY THE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If there is anything in the world worth celebrating, it's LOVE!!!

re: the other person's disagreeing with govt,
<

---

we've never signed up for govt to sanction our relationship.
I have a nursing license, a driver's license, a fishing license, several types of govt licenses,
but we decided we do not need a govt license for what we are doing in the bedroom. But, that's just us. TO EACH, HIS OWN.

We did however, sign up for medical and financial power of attorney for each other, though, and several other steps to ensure we have many if not most of the rights of a govt-sanctioned couple.

I'm not married yet, but my boyfriend and I have talked about having a non-religious/atheist ceremony. I've looked into non-religious officials but I'm still undecided on what kind of venue I want. I really want an outside area to be available, but of course I don't want it rained on.

I also want to do something unique compared to the weddings I've attended; which have been at banquet halls designed for that type of thing, churches and at family homes. I want my wedding somewhere different.

Does everyone want a white wedding dress? I definitely love the classic white/cream. When else in my life will I get to dress like a princess :blushing:

My husband and I had a non-religious wedding. Our location was a local train station and we found a secular clergy to perform the wedding. It was easier to arrange than I thought it would be. I also didn't have to deal with any family pressure to have a church wedding. My family is very mixed when it comes to beliefs anyway.