v    This ritual is a combination of Wiccan, Hindu, Buddhist, Moslem, Native American, and non-religious traditions, but mostly it is made up of Wiccan traditions.

Circle Set Up

v    There are two circles an outer circle that your guest sit in that is blessed but not closed, and an inner circle that is the same as a ritual circle that is blessed and once all wedding participants, gods, goddesses, and Spirit are in the inner circle it will be closed. See picture below. 

v    First your Made of Honor or Best Man will enter (Note traditionally in any pagan wedding there are no Grooms/Brides Men/Women in the ritual, this is more of a non-religious tradition that I wanted to have in my Handfasting.) The Groom One will enter from one side and the Groom Two will enter from the other, being escorted by their parent(s) or whomever you want to escort you down the aisle, which is signifying your separate journeys to this point in your life.

v    After the ceremony is complete the Groom’s will exit down the center aisle signifying your journey into the world as one. Followed by Parent(s) or the person (people) you have chosen to escort you down the aisle, then any wedding party members (Grooms/Brides Men/Women.) After the wedding party has exited then comes the element casters and the High Priestess and or High Priest. Then guest may exit.

Altar Set Up

v    You can customize this alter set up to your liking, but here I have set it up in the most traditional way using a white alter cloth. 

v    Along with the above set up you can add flowers, seashells, feathers, and anything else that you feel goes well with your décor.

v    You can also place your rings on the alter but you should always have your rings blessed by the High Priestess and or High Priest before the ceremony.

The different important traditions of the Ritual

v    The Braided Rope or Ribbon is to bind your hands together but before the rope or ribbon is braided it is a bunch of separate peaces of thin rope or ribbon that is about 5 or more feet long. Before the couple arrives at the circle your guests will make a wish that they want to come true for you (Note some of us may have family or friends that do not wish you and your soon to be spouse to be married, so they may wish that your union fails. Just in case you should have an energy reader at your handfasting so that they may feel the energies instilled within the ribbons or ropes so that if there are any ill wished ribbons or ropes they will be tossed away. A head of time let your guest know what the ribbons or rope is for, make the energy reader collect the ribbons after he or she checks them, he or she will give them to the High Priestess and or High Priest to braid and bless. A little side note most High Priestess and or High Priest are energy readers so they can also do this part.) The rope or ribbon should be red, in Wiccan and in Hindu weddings red is the color of love and marriage. This is to be performed after the exchanging of the wedding rings.

o      To do this correctly Groom One will hold Groom Two’s right hand with his right hand and left hand will hold left hand, that way when bonded you and your partner will take the from of a figure eight, which is the symbol for infinity, from a birds point of view.

v    The Blessed Sand is a Native American Tradition. The parents of the couple will bring a jar of sand from their home. The High Priest and or High Priestess will bless it. Before the hand binding the couple will take their families sand and pour it into a bigger more decorative jar. This is another symbolic tradition that is uniting the land of both families into one union. This is to be performed before the exchanging of the wedding rings. (Note that this sand can be bought from a store just go about it the same way)

v    The Unity Candle is a Non-Religious tradition that is much like the two different paths to the inner circle. The two Single Candles represent your single life paths and the Unity Candle is representing your lives as one. (Note this tradition is at its core is Pagan, but the Christian church has used it since its conception.) This is to be performed after the exchanging of the wedding rings.

v    Jumping the Broom is an Old Celtic tradition that brings good luck, love, passion and fertility to the marriage. Traditionally the High Priestess and High Priest would take hold of the broom at either end then the couple would jump it, however in this ritual both sets of parents hold either side of the broom then the couple will jump it. This is to be performed at the end of the ritual as you are leaving the inner circle.

The Ritual

v    Once the energy reader has done there reading on the ribbon and the sand, candles, rings, outer circle have all been cleansed and blessed Grooms women/men will enter (both Grooms parties enter,) followed by the Grooms being escorted by parent(s) (remember that you enter from two different paths.) Once you have entered the circle (Note the High Priestess and or High Priest will cleanse everyone as they enter the inner circle) the High Priestess and or High Priest will cleanse, consecrate, and empower the inner circle.

v    The Eastern Element caller will walk clock wise around the circle to pick up the Eastern Element Candle then walk back to their place, then the Southern will do the same thing, followed by the Western then the Northern. Once they have all returned back to there quarters they will say the following invocation:

East

I call upon the Watchtowers of East

Who rules over the powers of Air and Wisdom

Who rises in the morning with the first light

To witness and bless this couple being joined in holy matrimony

Hale and Welcome

(All say: Hale and Welcome)

South

I call upon the Watchtowers of South

Who rules over the powers of Fire and Passion

Who gives us warmth at midday

To witness and bless this couple being joined in holy matrimony

Hale and Welcome

(All say: Hale and Welcome)

West

I call upon the Watchtowers of West

Who rules over the powers of Water and Emotions

Who gives us the last light of day at sunset

To witness and bless this couple being joined in holy matrimony

Hale and Welcome

(All say: Hale and Welcome)

North

I call upon the Watchtowers of North

Who rules over the powers of Earth and Strength

Who gives us light through out the night

To witness and bless this couple being joined in holy matrimony

Hale and Welcome

(All say: Hale and Welcome)

The Invoking of the goddesses and gods, the Lady and Lord, and Spirit. (Note you can choose the goddesses and gods you wish to invoke, you will find a list of them on the page marked Goddesses and Gods.)

Loving goddesses (name the goddesses) and gods (name the gods) we ask you here this day to bare witness and give your blessings to this couples joyous union.

Hale and Welcome

(The High Priestess and or the High Priest say this)

(All say: Hale and Welcome)

Lovely Lady, we call you here today to bare witness

To the handfasting of two of your creations

(Groom One’s name) & Groom Two’s name)

and to bestow upon them your love and blessings

Hale and Welcome

(All say: Hale and Welcome)

Lovely Lord, we call you here today to bare witness

To the handfasting of two of your creations

(Groom One’s name) & Groom Two’s name)

and to bestow upon them your love and blessings

Hale and Welcome

(All say: Hale and Welcome)

v    High Priestess to Groom One’s Parents: Who gives this man to be wed?

v    Groom One’s Parents: I (fathers name) and I (mothers name)

v    High Priest to Groom Two’s Parents: Who gives this man to be wed?

v    Groom Two’s Parents: I (fathers name) and I (mothers name)

v    High Priestess: Today you all have come to witness (Groom one’s name) & (Groom two’s name) to be joined in a joyous union of love. Even though these two are not seen in the eyes of the law to be wed…

(Note when you see … this means that the High Priestess and High Priest share a sentence.)

v    High Priest: … they are seen in the eyes of the Wonderful Goddess and the Powerful God as two loving creatures that deserve love and happiness just as all of their creations do.

v    High Priestess to Groom One: Do you come here this day to be wed of your own free will?

v    Groom One: I Do!

v    High Priest to Groom Two: Do you come here this day to be wed of your own free will?

v    Groom Two: I Do!

v    High Priestess to both Grooms: Your love is sacred, just as all love is. You two will come into hardships that most of us baring witness to this union will never have to endure…

v    High Priest to both Grooms: … There will be those who will not understand and there may be actions and harsh words said and done to you. Knowing this do you two still wish to be wed?

v    Both Grooms: We Do!

v    High Priestess to the Witnesses: Even though these two will stand the forces that come their way…

v    High Priest to Witnesses: … they don’t have to be alone. As family and friends of these two men will you stand up for them if and when the time comes?

v    Witnesses: Yes

v    High Priestess to Grooms: Now go forth and proclaimed your love to the world.

v    Groom One: (Groom Two’s Name) from the moment I saw you I knew instinctively that you were the one that I was meant to be with. You can make me laugh when I am having a bad day. Your there for me when I need you in both good and bad times. I dreamt of this day since our first date and now its here, and it is just as I pictured it. You are the love of my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.

v    Groom Two: (Groom One’s Name) from the moment our eyes met I knew I loved you. Just as I am there for you, you are always there when I need you. You love me for the person that I am and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. I love you more than there are stars in the night sky. You too are the love of my life and I want to grow old with you.

v    Groom One: I swear that I will be with you forever as friend and now as lover and husband. There is nothing more that I want in this life than you by my side. I will proclaim my love from the tallest mountains on earth.

v    Groom Two: I swear that I will be by your side in the good and bad times. Forever, I will be your friend and now your lover and husband. My love for you will echo from the depths of the ocean.

(Walk back to the alter and prepare for the Blessed Sand)

v    Groom One: (Take your families sand) This is the sand of my home, a symbolic representation of our families joining as one.

v    Groom Two: (Take your families sand) This is the sand of my home, a symbolic representation of our families joining as one.

o      (Both of you take the sand and dump it into the bigger jar at the same time)

v    High Priestess: Do you (Groom One’s Name) take (Groom Two’s Name) to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer and poorer, as long as love shall last?

v    Groom One: I Do!

(Place Ring on Groom Two’s left Ring finger)

v    High Priest: Do you (Groom Two’s Name) take (Groom One’s Name) to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer and poorer, as long as love shall last?

v    Groom Two: I Do!

(Place Ring on Groom One’s left Ring finger)

v    Take the two lit Single Candles and light the Unity candle.

v    High Priestess: This Braided Rope is a symbol of your two separate lives being bound as one.

v    High Priest: It not only binds your lives, it also binds your hearts and souls.

o      (The High Priestess and High Priest take and binds the both Groom’s hands together. Remember Right hand to Right hand and Left to Left.)

v    High Priestess and High Priest: By the power invested in us by the Lady and Lord we now pronounce you wed. You may now kiss each other.

v    (After the kiss, the High Priestess and High Priest will untie the rope and hand it to you, then your parents are given the broom after the High Priest and or High Priestess explains the meaning behind it. Make sure that you tell them not to hold it to high for you may trip, for tripping symbolizes the failure of the marriage)