Humanist weddings rise by 266 per cent across England and Wales

They are weddings that are, officially speaking, not even legally recognised.

But such a small detail, it seems, is not stopping increasing numbers of couples from opting for humanist marriage ceremonies across England and Wales.

Such weddings have risen by more than 250 per cent in the last 15 years, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The massive rise makes it the fastest growing type of wedding in the country – and comes as the number of faith-based ceremonies fell in the same period.

While humanist weddings went up 266 per cent between 2004 and 2016, Church of England weddings fell by 28 per cent, Catholic by 34 per cent and Baptist by 42 per cent.

The rise – from 287 such ceremonies to 1,051 – comes despite the fact that humanist marriages are classed as atheist or agnostic, and are therefore not officially recognised in England and Wales.

Couples who have one must also go through an “official” process at a registry office either before or after.

But the new figures look set to add weight to campaigners who have long-called for humanist marriages to be recognised in England and Wales, as they already are in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“We knew from the huge popularity of our funerals that there was enormous public appetite for humanist ceremonies but the scale of the demand for weddings, especially in the last 15 years, has blown us away," Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, told The Guardian.

“In a way it is a demonstration of what we know about today’s society – many people are humanist in their approach to life without knowing the word."

He added: "They’re not religious but they want a ceremony at one of the most important moments in their lives that reflects the positive beliefs and values they hold.”