Fully legal Pagan handfastings / weddings in Orkney!

If you are a couple who are interested in getting fully legally married where you want, when you want, and how you want – then this service is for you!

If you want a ritual that is spiritual, unique, beautiful and memorable – whether it is a fully legal Pagan handfasting, a simple but genuine ceremony, or a renewal of vows – then read on!

If you want more choice over how you get married – then Orkney Pagan Weddings can help!

In Scotland you can get legally married where and when you want, as long as you have a religious celebrant conduct the service. And, unlike in England and Wales, Scottish law permits wedding rituals performed by an approved pagan celebrant to be treated as a legal marriage under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977. So, why not get married in Orkney? Orkney is full of ancient sites which resonate with the power of the ancestors, enigmatic historic ruins, and some of the most stunning natural environments in the world. So you could make your vows at a stone circle, a beach by moonlight, or a dappled woodland …

We are approved Scottish Pagan Federation celebrants and are available to assist you in making your wedding day what you want it to be: spiritual, unique, beautiful, memorable and fully legal. We will help you to get married how you want to – you can even write the ceremony yourselves! And you don’t have to call yourselves pagan to use our services, in our experience, couples expressing a wish to have a marriage ceremony performed by us often don't identify themselves with any named religion, instead they may consider themselves to be more spiritual than religious, or to have an affinity with nature, or maybe just want something a bit different. Whatever the case, we may be able to help.

You are allowed to get married in Scotland even if you do not reside in Scotland. And again, unlike England and Wales, you do not have to be resident in Scotland for any period of time before your wedding. This means that anyone travelling to Scotland from outside Scotland, including overseas, can be officially married in this manner. Pagan marriages conducted in Scotland, by a Scottish Pagan Federation Celebrant, are recognised as fully legal weddings throughout Britain and the rest of the world (if travelling from outside the UK you are advised to obtain independent legal advice on this).

Possibly the most important point for people who do consider themselves to be pagan, is that the couple do not need to have a religious ceremony as well as a subsequent civil ceremony at a registrar's office in order to legalise the marriage (as is still required in England and Wales). In Scotland the religious ceremony IS the legal ceremony (exactly as if you were getting married, for example, in a church).

Although modern pagans might still refer to their wedding as a “handfasting”, these days pagan weddings have no set format; rituals can be conducted within the carefully cast circle of the magick worker, or without grandeur around a shamanic hearth, or simply in a beautiful place which reflects the love you have for each other. As such, a modern pagan wedding can provide the ideal choice for couples who want a wedding that is designed to their own specific tastes and spiritual beliefs. Your ritual can be from any path of modern paganism and can include any cultural, historical, or natural themes. It is equally acceptable for couples to amalgamate themes from a number of paths, your own individual paths, or even none.

At Orkney Pagan Weddings, we can help with every stage of organising your wedding. We are approved Scottish Pagan Federation celebrants so we can advise you on the legal processes involved (refer to "Legal Requirements" on our web-site for an overview), and we are based in Orkney so we can assist with suggesting and arranging a suitable venue. We are available to discuss your ideas about the ritual YOU want and will do so in person, by email and telephone, so that together we design a ceremony that fits exactly to your specific requirements. We can perform a rehearsal, if required, but most vitally, we will conduct the actual wedding ritual on your special day.

We are both experienced in composing and performing different styles of ritual and ceremony including ones from most of the major strands of modern paganism and ones which combine themes. We can assist you in producing a ceremony that meets your exact and personal requirements. We are also able to provide ritual tools, such as a sword or broomstick, which might otherwise be difficult to transport, on request.

Email us even if you would just like to make a general enquiry! Both this web-site and our own are very much just for preliminary information to let you know that this service is available from us and to give you a brief overview of procedures BUT we fully appreciate that all weddings are personal and your wedding is special, so we will do the majority of communication with you individually and in person, either by email or by telephone - it's all part of our service!

On our website you will find information on:

• The legal process and requirements when getting married in Scotland using a Scottish Pagan Federation approved Celebrant
• The Pagan wedding ritual – some traditions and background
• Suitable sites in Orkney
• How to proceed if you want to use our services
• Information about who runs Orkney Pagan Weddings and how to contact us

Also information on:

• Our contract with you and an indication of the cost of our services
• Testimonials from happy couples
• Useful links for anyone thinking of getting married in Orkney

And you don’t have to call yourself “Pagan” to use our services!