Anyone here legally handfasted?

[buckettgirl]

My hubby and I were handfasted on September 8, 2003 at the Circle of Light in Eureka Springs Arkansas. http://www.circleoflight.net/weddings.html
We had a beautiful ceremony, we couldn't have asked for anything better. Not to mention it was a dream come true to be legally married by a High Priestess.

If anyone else here is handfasted, share your stories! I love to hear about other handfastings. To me, they represent all the has been lost in the "traditional(christian) wedding" - Love, Spirituality, Passion, and Harmony instead of a show of money (I truly have no respect for so-called traditonal weddings (ya know, the white wedding dress and the big white cake) and the wedding industry).

[Ilsa]

1. I couldn't access this site.

I'll try again later. Please check your link. Thanks.

[buckettgirl]

3. hhmmm

linked worked for me from my post. try this one too: http://www.circleoflightweddings.com/

[LibertyLover]

2. Handfasting

Not exactly. My husband and were legally married 6 years ago by the clerk of the circuit court so that my mom, who didn't want to acknowlege that I was a Wiccan, would attend. She wasn't a fundy LOL-the exact opposite, a strong agnostic who was upset that her logically reared daughter had a religion. It would have been equally upsetting to her if I were Christian. Anyway, that was in the morning. After a small lunch reception, my husband and I, with most of the guests, repaired to my high priestess' house where we were handfasted in what we considered our "real" ceremony.

A few years later I was "adepted" (what my circle calls ordination)and became legally able to perform marriages in Maryland. The group I studied with, the Nomadic Chantry of the Gramarye, is a 501(c)(3) group incorporated in Maryland as a religious association.

2 years ago a friend asked me to marry her. She and her husband to be were pagans, but the rest of the family were Christians, some very conservative. I put together a ceremony that was non-demoninational, but had enough traditional touches that the Christians thought they were hearing a Christian ceremony and enough pagan touches that the bride and groom were happy. It was challenging but satisfying.

[buckettgirl]

4. you sound much like th woman who married us

Yael, the HP that married us, has done lots of non-denomonational ceremonies.
Only my parents attended our ceremony (which I would rather it have been just me and my husband - nothing against my parents but I have lots of trouble being the center of attention.) We didn't really care who saw our ceremony, but also knew that most of people who would have attended would have been confused/insulted because it wasn't christian. I feel lucky to have found my husband who is Pagan as well - because of that, we didn't care what other people said, we were having a handfasting. I was sooooo tired of hearing about how we had to consider other people and that other people might want to attend. Screw that, this was OUR wedding, and I wasn't about to be coerced into something that was meanless for us. For the people who don't know we are Pagan, when they see the pictures, we just tell them that we had an "old english/medieval" style wedding - which works because we were in renaissance garb :)
If I ever get around to getting my pics on the net, I will post them here.

[UncleSepp]

5. Married, in a pagan wedding

It was a gorgeous ceremony, just my husband, my parents, his parents, and the priestess. We'd been handfasted as a formal announcement of engagement a year before in another gorgeous ceremony at sunrise on the beach. Our parents participated in the ceremony also, as we vowed to care for each other with the sharing of bread and mead. We had a wedding reception the next day with all kinds of friends and family, and avoided having to explain forty-seven times what we were doing with that cup and that pointy knife ;-)

[Der Blaue Engel]

6. Not legally, but handfasted, yes

We have a non-traditional relationship and don't live together, but wanted to make a public pledge of our love and commitment.

JackAndBettyHaveGoneInsane.com

[Is It Fascism Yet]

8. Oh! What a beautiful handfasting! Congratulations, you little lovebirds!

Love the website, gonna spend some time there!

[Is It Fascism Yet]

9. aw, you are so cute in the couples photo on the website!

what a handsome guy you got! honey, you are a very cute couple!
Oh, the wedding dress and the honeymoon suite were great too, you did a nice job planning this wedding!

[Is It Fascism Yet]

7. congratulations! were you married for all lifetimes, or just this one?

here is a link to another beautiful handfasting, ignore the dowry, its not a pagan tradition, but the result of a family joke.

http://www.DreamscapesWebDesign.com/MidsummerNightWedding.html

[Flying Coyote]

10. Yep

I met the most wonderful woman alive at a Pagan gathering I was helping to organize back in 1993. We were living together within two months and married a couple of years later in a legal handfasting performed by Elizabeth Cunningham of (and at) High Valley. I'd recommend Elizabeth and High Valley for any Pagan-type wedding or other affair.

We split up, got back together..rinse, repeat several times, ended up divorced.

Both did a bit of growing up, reunited for good early last year, and couldn't be happier =)

[NickiWitch]

11. Me!

and on October 31st I *performed* my first handfasting. It was a great experience working with the couple before the ceremony. So much to do!

Bright blessings to the both of you!!

Peace!

Nicki :)