Celtic Wedding/Handfasting

[Groom] and [Bride] have chosen to incorporate the ancient Celtic ritual of Handfasting into their wedding ceremony today as a symbol of their binding their lives together in the union of matrimony. In ancient times in the British Isles it was performed by a priest or priestess, who would invoke the energies of the four natural elements to create a sacred space in which the couple could be joined before family, friends and God.

The Handfasting ceremony is non-sectarian and as such does not in any way conflict with any religious beliefs. It is often chosen by couples instead of the unity candle, or other similar ceremonies which represent like symbolisms and sentiments.

The cloth that binds the couples hands was sometimes a tartan plaid, representing the groom’s clan or family group, but [Bride] and [Groom] have chosen to make their own cord by braiding.

THE HANDFASTING

[Celebrant]: [Groom] and [Bride], will you honor and respect one another, and seek to never break that honor?

[Groom] & [Bride]: We will [the first loop is draped over the couples’ hands]

[Celebrant]: And so the first binding is made.

[Celebrant]: Will you share each other’s pain and seek to ease it?

[Groom] & [Bride]: We will [the second loop is draped over the couples’ hands]

[Celebrant]: And so the binding is made.

[Celebrant]: Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?

[Groom] & [Bride]: We will [the third loop is draped over the couples’ hands]

[Celebrant]: And so the binding is made.

[Groom] and [Bride], as your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars your love should be a constant source of light and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.