The official, yet unusual wedding : LETTER

Sir: Your article "The rites and rings of saying `I do' " (13 February), about the experiences of three couples whose weddings did not rely on register office or traditional church ceremony, was very moving, especially the linkage in two of the stories with family deaths. However, a false impression is given in the sketch about the Unitarian wedding -that Unitarian weddings are normally "non-official".

This is very far from the truth. Unitarian weddings focus on the values and aspirations of the bride and groom and have the freedom to use a wide range of symbolism to express these and still be official, lawful weddings.

Yours sincerely,

John Clifford

Deputy Secretary

General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches

London, WC2

13 February