Weddings

In Celtic times, a couple were hand-fasted in public when they became engaged and it was a sign that their marriage would then take place a year from that day. They were promised to each other. Nowadays, this is becoming a popular part of a wedding ceremony.

I really do love this element in a ceremony. Your hands are bound together with your choice of binding - rope, cords, ribbons etc. One of my couples chose rope as for them it symbolised strength and safety.

Another, chose sail cord as sailing was a shared passion of theirs. The idea is to show that you are bound together in life and for eternity and this can be accompanied by words, poems, readings if you wish.

Personally, I think it is emotional, visually beautiful and a wonderful chance to actually touch each other during the ceremony before your big kiss at the end! Plus, the hand-fasting itself can be beautifully displayed once taken off.

This can be done in a number of ways but essentially, your guests are asked before they take their seats (or during the actual ceremony) to hold your wedding rings which are in a special pouch or container. They warm them with their hands and wishes for you as a couple. The rings are then collected in readiness for the ring exchange. They have already been through the hands and hearts of the people you love most in the world and they carry their best thoughts for your lives going forward.

A really beautiful way to involve children or significant others in your ceremony. You could choose different coloured sand or sand from places that have been special in your relationship. These are added in layers into a larger container to symbolise the richness of your whole relationship. It looks really lovely and is a great keepsake. Over time, the sands in the container will gently shift in shape just as a relationship naturally adjusts.

Similar concept to the sand ceremony. Maybe a lovely way to show unity between two different families or simply just between the couple themselves.

Also similar to above but a gentler way to include children than alcohol and naked flames! Family members could each choose dried petals of flowers that have special meaning eg. sunflowers symbolise the steadfast nature of true love; gardenias represent children and family because of their purity and sweetness. These could be added together and mixed with scent to create a beautiful family memento of the occasion.

This is a fun way to engage guests and to symbolise jumping together from your old life into your new future together. Your broom could be decorated as you wish with matching wedding flowers or anything of your choice.

Maybe one of you wants to create a surprise for the other, or maybe as a couple, you would like an amazing surprise for your guests during your ceremony? With some careful planning, I’m sure we could pull off an unexpected sing-song to make someone feel very special indeed and to leave a memorable mark on your ceremony for all the right reasons!

Maybe you want to ask your guests ahead of time to bring examples of current day life to mark your ceremony in the context of the time it’s held? Typically dry food, music, leaflets, news stories, fashion, weather report, relevant photos etc - any of this could be collected in a special container. This would be such a nostalgic memento for the future to look back on and have a full flavour of the month and year represented by your ceremony.