Handfasting is an ancient Celtic wedding ritual in which the couple’s hands are tied together with a ceremonial ribbon or cloth. The celebrant wraps the couple’s hands in a strip of cloth. It’s often done in modern times with a beautiful ribbon the couple chooses. It’s tied in a bow with an opening loose enough so that the hands can come out freely, or simply draped across the hands. The couple saves the ribbon or cloth as a keepsake.

Handfasting is quite popular today. Many people find that their own lifestyles call for an alternative joining ceremony than that provided by more typical traditional wedding ceremonies.

Sand Ceremony – Like colours of the rainbow we’re all different and special, valuable, and precious. Therefore, it is only fitting that you be shown as an important part of this ceremony. The containers of sand represent each of you and your importance in this family, whether it’s a love ceremony or a family one.

The sand ceremony can be a beautiful and meaningful addition to your vows. It can also be an additional symbol in any other ceremony, especially uniting families and Name Giving Ceremony.

The unity candle lighting ceremony is becoming more and more common in today’s ceremonies. The lighting of the Unity Candle has become a popular and symbolic wedding tradition. The ceremony symbolizes the pledge of unity between the partners and the merging of two families.Traditionally, there are three candles. The mothers each light one of the side candles. The partners then each take one of the side candles and together they light the centre candle. This symbolizes your union as one in marriage/partnership. If you prefer, you can also leave all three candles lit in their holders.

The years of life are as a cup of wine poured out for you to drink. This “Cup of Life” contains within it a wine with certain properties that are sweet and symbolic of happiness, joy, hope, peace, love and delight. This same wine also holds some bitter properties that are symbolic of disappointment, sorrow, grief, despair, and life’s trials and tribulations. Together the sweet and the bitter represent “Life’s Journey” and all of the experiences that are a natural part of it. Those who drink deeply from the “Cup of Life” with an open heart and willing spirit, invite the full range of challenges and experiences into their being.