Getting married in Norway?

# What is a humanist wedding?

A humanist wedding ceremony is a personalised celebration of love that centers around the couple getting married. The ceremony is all about you and your life together, and is rooted in three core humanist values: love, equality and mutual respect. Our ceremonies are conducted by ceremonial leaders, who are certified volunteers, passionate about creating memorable and meaningful experiences.

# Where can the ceremony be held?

From breathtaking mountaintops and forests to serene fjords, coastlines or somewhere indoors, we can perform the ceremony at any location of your choice in Norway. While we don't provide wedding planning services, we tailor the ceremony to fit your vision and ensure it's just the way you want it.

# Will the wedding be legally valid?

We are one of few humanist communities worldwide with legally valid wedding ceremonies. The right to perform legally valid weddings is something we have worked for over a long period of time, to ensure that people in Norway are treated equally, no matter what they believe in. You deserve a meaningful and beautiful ceremony even if you do not believe in a God. As a humanist you have the same right as any religious person.

# What happens during the ceremony?

We aim to ensure personalised and memorable ceremonies. Before the big day, you'll collaborate with one of our ceremonial leaders to plan the details of a ceremony that reflect your love story. The wedding ceremony usually consists of three main elements: a speech by the ceremonial leader, a performance of music or poetry and the legal declaration.

# You can choose between:

Informasjonskatalog

• A complete legally valid wedding ceremony
  ↓
  • with a personal speech from ceremony leader based on your conversations,
  • music/potry of your choice, and
  • the legal declaration.
• A symbolic wedding ceremony without the legally valid part
  ↓
  • with a personal speech from ceremonial leader based on your conversations and
  • music/poetry of your choice.
• A legally valid and simple ceremony
  ↓
  • with a short speech by the ceremonial leader that is not personal,
  • the legal declaration and
  • optional: music/poetry of your choice.

# Choosing the legally valid wedding requires

• Two people to witness the ceremony. This can be anyone, but they need to be over 18 years old.
• An official wedding document from the Norwegian authorities.
  The wedding document is valid for 4 months.
• A legal declaration.

Informasjonskatalog

• We use our own legal declaration text:
  ↓

  We live our lives here and now – so let us live it well!

  It is here and now we mean something to each other and the world around us.

  This is the foundation on which humanist wedding is built. I therefore ask you, (the one spouse's full name), will you live together with (the other spouse's full name) in a marriage based on love, equality and mutual respect?

  Therefore I also ask you, (the other spouse's full name), will you live together with (the first spouse's full name) in a marriage based on love, equality and mutual respect?

  As a visible symbol that you have chosen to live together, you may now exchange rings. // As a visible symbol that you have chosen to live together, you may now join hands.

  As you, in the presence of witnesses, have promised to live together in marriage, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. // As you, in the presence of witnesses, have promised to live together in marriage, I hereby pronounce you lawfully wedded spouses.

# What does the ceremony cost?

Regardless of what type of ceremony you choose our humanist wedding ceremonies costs

• 4000NOK for members of the Norwegian Humanist Association.
• 5000NOK for everyone else.

If you want to become a member, join here!

Please note that you have to have to have a Norwegian ID number to become a member.

# How do we register a request?

1. Send us a request by email with the following information as early as possible, preferably no later than six months before the date:

• Full name and date of birth for both people getting married.
• Email address and phone number for one of you (our main contact).
• Date for the ceremony, or time period if specific date is not important.
• The location or area you wish to hold the ceremony.
• What language you prefer for the ceremony.
  We have our legal declaration text in English, German, French and Spanish, but we do not necessarily have a fluent ceremonial leader in all those languages.

2. We will find a ceremonial leader available at your requested time and place.

3. You will receive an email confirmation with the name of the ceremonial leader, along with an invoice with a due date 30 days prior to the wedding.

4. The ceremonial leader will contact you shortly after, to arrange your first meeting of ceremony planning.