A Romantic Wedding Ceremony with a Celtic Inspired Hand Fasting.

This ceremony was created by the bride.  She looked absolutely amazing in her wedding dress and tartan on her wedding day. She wanted to make sure her ceremony gave homage to her Celtic-Pagan roots.  We performed this ceremony in the Indiana State House in October and it was a perfect day!  

Welcome

Family, friends, and honored guests - on behalf of Name and Name, I would like to warmly welcome you to the celebration of their marriage. They wish to express their gratitude for each of you who has chosen to be here today.
 
Name and Name have come before us today with the intention to marry one another; 

William Shakespeare wrote, “journeys end in lovers meeting”,

 and so their love for each other has brought them to this place.

 Today is the day Name and Name are proclaiming their love for each other through the joining of hands and exchanging of vows. 

Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by a law or a ceremony; rather it occurs in the hearts of two people.
 It grows out of loving, caring, and truly sharing ourselves with another. 

Name and Name, You fell in love by chance, but you're here today because you're making a choice. 

A pivotal choice about who you are and, above all, who you want to be. Such a decision to commit requires courage. 
Courage not to choose the easy path just because it is easy, but courage to stay on the hard path even through the difficult times. 
You both are choosing each other. You've chosen to be with someone who enhances you, who makes you think, makes you smile, and makes every day brighter.

You're about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. You're going to vow to take care of each other, stand up for one another, and find happiness in the other. There's a simple premise to each of these promises:  you're vowing to be there. 

Name and Name are joining themselves, each to the other.  We, by our participation in this celebration, do but recognize and honor their intention to dedicate themselves to each other’s happiness and well-being as true and equal partners.

Marriage is a dedication.  You give yourself into the hands of the one you love.  You do so trustingly and generously. By the same token, each of you receives a gift, the life, and love of each other. 

Moment of Reflection

This day will be filled with love and joy and laughter and will pass more quickly than can be imagined.  The couple has requested a brief pause to reflect and absorb this moment in their lives; to look, listen, and feel; to fix these sensations in their memories for years to come.

Words about Love & Marriage

Whenever we attend a wedding, we are given the opportunity to reflect on our own relationships. We might look at the couple before us and be tempted to compare their love to the quality of our relationships. 
The truth is that every couple is as unique as the individuals in it, but one thing holds true: For love to exist between two people, each person must allow the vulnerability of giving his or her love to the other, and each must be open to receiving the other’s love in turn. 

Love isn’t about finding someone perfect to marry. Love is about seeing through to the truth of a person, and accepting all of their shades of light and dark. Love is an ability, and there is an abundance of it here.
Therefore, each of us is a powerful creator of love. Each of us, every moment of every day, has the choice to dedicate ourselves to one another or to withhold our love and caring.

If you ask couples who have a strong and abiding love what they like most about their partners, many will say when they are with that person they don’t have to pretend to be anything other than what they are. They are able to express themselves without fear of being judged or rejected. 
There is room in the relationship for both of them to be unique individuals. They are able to support one another, as a sign of mutual independence. 

They are free to surrender to the vulnerability of true intimacy—to be known and loved unconditionally. 
When two people are happily married, they enjoy each other’s company with the greatest delight and excitement.
 As many moments they might spend together and as many conversations they might share, it could never be enough. They can find endless joy in discovering each other and in sharing their being with the other.

 A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short.

(Declaration of Intent)
Name and Name have written their vows and will be affirming them with their rings and ceremonial handfasting.
(Share vows here)

Ring Exchange

You’ve both chosen to wear rings as a reminder of these promises. A ring is an unbroken circle, a symbol of unity and love, representative of the greater circle of life of which we all are spiritually a part. Having neither beginning nor end but a continuous cycle of which you are an element.

As you look at these rings over the years, I hope you remember that you’ve created something invaluable, and just as I know you’ll protect these rings, I’m confident you’ll protect the commitments you’ve made to one another today.

Name, as you place the ring on Name’s finger, please repeat after me:
Name, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and lifelong devotion. Wear it and know that I love you. 

Name, as you place the ring on Name’s finger, please repeat after me:
Name, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and lifelong devotion. Wear it and know that I love you. 

Handfasting


Fiona and Joel have decided to celebrate their marriage with something a little different. Today, they will be handfasted.

 This may be the first time that some of you are attending a handfasting and it is actually a very old tradition.

 They chose it for the Romance.
 The History.
 An honorable mention to their respective heritages of (nod to Name) Celtic (Kell-tick) and Norse tradition, but also (nod to Name) of South American and Italian ancestry. 

The custom of handfasting has been known the world over, through many different periods in history. 
It has been observed across the globe long before there were legalities to marriage. During the Middle Ages, to be seen in public holding hands was a sign that a couple were exclusive to one another. And while rings were for the very rich, love knows no bounds and a simple cord such as a vine would do just fine. Fastening the hands together could be where the term “Tie the knot.” came from. 

And now, I ask the two of you,

Do you both wish to have your hands fastened together today as a symbolic gesture that you choose to walk through all the days of your life together, hand in hand?

Both answer:  We do.

These are the cords with which I, along with the wedding party, will bind their hands. This cord will be a part of their home for their lifetimes as a memory of today and the promises they are making.

Now, for the binding…

Bride and Groom join hands and Officiant ties the first chord; (perhaps the Maid of Honor & Best Woman assist with the others?)  

Fiona and Joel:

Do you promise to be there for each other when you need each other?

We do.

Do you promise to comfort each other?

We do

Do you promise to encourage each other?

We do

Do you promise to help each other reach your goals?

We do

And do you promise to love each other whole-heartedly?

We do.  

May the words you have chosen to share today stay with you throughout your lives.  May they have meaning for you in the days to come - Through the triumphs and challenges of life, through plenty and want, through sickness and health.  May you continually bring all you have into your relationship and may you continually be replenished from the source of love itself.  

Some old cultures used to leave the couple’s hands bound for the first 30 days of their marriage.  That’s a bit unrealistic. So now, I will remove this cord. But let its symbolism stay with you always.  

I wish the two of you the strength To be true to the vows You have made here today. 
May you always have the wisdom To cherish the precious love you share. 
May you Nurture yourselves, and this marriage With acceptance, respect, cooperation, and affection.
Let this union grant you patience, tolerance, and understanding
as well as the passion and excitement every marriage should possess.
And may you continually rediscover your love in one another, as the greatest gift of all.

So let it be known that you are joined, body and soul, in this lifetime. And now that you have exchanged these rings and these vows, I witness and affirm your union of love and it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are, and will continue to be, husband and wife/Partners for Life.

You may now kiss!

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I am open to marrying any couple. It is my goal to meet each couple where they are and help them to have a positive wedding experience.  In order to meet you where you are, I approach every wedding with an open mind - I don’t know anything about you until you tell me and that’s only if you choose to tell me.  Wedding ceremony scripts have been written for years for brides and grooms. Now, bride and bride or groom and groom are very common. Some couples are choosing to forego traditional gender roles altogether and are  using the terms spouse or partner. If you have made the choice to use non-traditional pronouns, please let me know and I am happy to honor your preferences.   Any wedding ceremony script can be changed to reflect your personal preferences. ​