Humanist celebrant first national funeral held in Wales. Celebrants also undertake humanist baby namings as a non-religious alternative to ceremonies such as christenings. The purpose is to recognise and celebrate the arrival of a child, and welcome him or her in the family and circle of friends. In Ireland, the Humanist Association of Ireland manages its own network of humanist ceremonies. Since 2012, these have been legally recognised, as in Scotland. In 2015, humanist marriages accounted for 6% of all marriages in Ireland, making them six times more popular than the Church of Ireland's weddings. Laws in each state of the United
Celebrant (Australia) is either chosen or created by the couple, it can be affirmed as honest and authentic. Or to give an American perspective on marriage which illustrates a reformed view of civil marriage we need only quote the New Jersey civil marriage celebrant Gerald Fierst: A wedding ceremony is a crossroad where two life stories intersect. A wedding ceremony takes the two lives that the individuals have travelled and transforms them into a single path upon which each life embarks, starting over. A wedding ceremony acknowledges the turning point, the choice to go on. It's the setting off on life's journey