Humanist Wedding Celebrant & Legal Ceremonies in Scotland
I’m Susy McPhee, a licensed humanist wedding celebrant with the charity Humanist Society Scotland, authorised by the Registrar General to create and conduct legal humanist weddings in Scotland. I'm based on the West Coast, but my ceremonies take me all over the country, from Argyll and Ayrshire all the way to Aberdeen, the Highlands, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
If you’ve arrived here after searching for a “Humanist registrar”, that’s not actually a formal role in Scotland. What most couples are really looking for is someone who can make their ceremony both meaningful and legal, and that’s exactly my job. Spoiler: not all wedding celebrants can do this: many of them can conduct the ceremony, but you still have to get the legal part done by a registrar. But because I’m licensed by the Registrar General, I can take care of both the meaningful ceremony and the legal marriage, which means I have the rare privilege of making it official in every sense of the word.​​
Licensed Celebrant in Argyll, Ayrshire and the West Coast
My ceremonies are personal, heartfelt, and full of meaning, celebrating love in all its messy, funny, and beautiful forms. Whether you’re planning a big celebration in a stately home in Edinburgh, a small beach wedding on the Ayrshire coast, or an intimate gathering in the Highlands, your ceremony should feel completely you – warm, joyful, and unforgettable. If it matters to you, it matters to me. I’ll help you find the words that feel right and guide you in crafting a ceremony that’s authentically Scottish, deeply personal, and legally recognised.
Celebrating Love Across Scotland
Based on Scotland’s secret coast in Argyll, I travel all across Scotland to create memorable humanist weddings. I’ve celebrated love stories in Glasgow and Edinburgh, in Dundee and Perthshire, on Ayrshire coastlines, in the Highlands, and even in the Borders. Every ceremony is a chance to tell your story – with laughter, tears, and heart – whether we’re in a windswept Highland beach, a historic estate in Argyll, or a cosy country venue in Ayrshire. Each wedding is personal, legal, and crafted to suit your style and location.
Your Ceremony, Your Story
As well as offering legal and personal expertise, I bring warmth, humour, and storytelling to every wedding. Your ceremony should reflect you – whether that’s heartfelt vows, playful banter, or a few tears and lots of laughter. I’ll help you find the words that feel right, ensuring your ceremony is memorable, moving, and unmistakably you.
Meet Susy - Writer, Celebrant and Adventurer
At home, I live with my husband Iain, our two golden retrievers (Willow and Dougal: always muddy, usually wet), and a bootload of wellies in a 150-year-old former Smiddy overlooking Loch Fyne. When I’m not up to my knees in ceremony prep or down on the beach playing with the dogs, I’m off sailing the west coast on our boat, Mishka, chasing the wind, dodging midges, and pretending I know what all the ropes are for.
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In addition to being a Humanist Society Scotland celebrant, I'm a lifelong writer of novels, poems, and the kind of ceremony scripts that make people laugh through their tears. I won my first writing competition at the age of ten and proudly walked away with a box of Cadbury’s chocolate as my prize.
Since then, my career has been a joyful jumble of the unexpected, from training rocket scientists in the former Soviet Union to milking goats on a French mountainside - all of which have taught me that stories matter, people are fascinating, and there’s no such thing as ‘one size fits all’.
Plan Your Wedding With Me
If you’re looking for a celebrant who’ll take the time to get to know you, write with warmth and wit, and stand beside you on a day that really counts, get in touch. I’ll help you plan a ceremony that’s unforgettable, deeply personal, and legal, wherever in Scotland you’re tying the knot.
Bring your big ideas.
Bring your brilliant chaos.
I’ll bring the tissues.
What I Offer
Tying (or retying) the knot
Did you know that Humanist Society Scotland celebrants have been conducting legally compliant weddings in Scotland since 2005? We’re there for the heartfelt vows, the happy tears, and yes - even the stylish getaway in a car full of confetti. Whether it’s just the two of you, a witness and me on a beach, or a crowd worthy of the final scene in Love Actually, I’ll work with you to make sure your ceremony reflects your values, your hopes, and your story. So you can drive into your happy ever after with a ceremony that’s every bit as unique as you are.
Saying goodbye
No two people are the same, and no farewell should be either. I’ll work closely with you to create something that truly reflects and celebrates the life of your loved one: their stories, their quirks, their values, and the mark they left on the world. Together we'll shape a ceremony that feels personal and heartfelt, honouring what they meant to the people who loved them most. It’s about capturing their essence with honesty, warmth and respect, so that the farewell becomes a genuine celebration of their life and a source of comfort for those who gather to say goodbye.
Advanced wishes
I sometimes work with people to help shape the story they’d like told - an act of reflection, clarity, and courage. That story becomes the starting point for a ceremony that also holds space for those left behind, weaving together legacy and lived experience.​ Some people use this process to hold a 'living funeral': a gathering held while they are still alive, giving them the chance to hear tributes, share memories, and be surrounded by love that would normally be expressed only after death.
