Secret Handfasting

B and I are planning our handfasting ceremony. We have decided to marry alone (with only the clergy and the required 2 witnesses) in a very intimate Wiccan ceremony in March. We met on March 22nd, so we are going to try to make this happen on March 22nd. We plan to marry in front of family and friends in the Summer sometime as well, but this will be our own private ceremony to seal the commitment and bond we have made to each other.

Handfasting is an ancient Celtic tradition. Commonly, couples would be "handfasted" for a year and a day as a "Betrothal" period. If they still wanted to be together, they would be married. The couples hands were joined with loosely tied cords or ribbons during the ceremony to symbolize the joining of their lives, which gives us our contemporary phrase "tying the knot" for getting married. Pagan religions, such as Wicca, use this ceremony symbolically as well as legally (when performed by a licensed clergy member) to commit man and woman to a married state.

B and I performed our own private handfasting in August. It was a full moon, in the middle of the night in a lightning and thunder storm. We stood skyclad (naked) in my private, fenced worship area (garden) and dedicated ourselves to each other. It was amazingly spiritual and has brought us to new heights in closeness. This is partly why we have decided to have an official, legally binding ceremony of the same sort in March.

Here is a sample Handfasting ceremony that I found online. It's not the whole thing, but gives you the feeling...

Grounding, spoken by Priestess:In the name of the Ancient Providence, Who was from the beginning and is for eternity,Male and Female, the Original Source of all things; changeless and eternal. In the name of the Goddess of magick and love, and the God of the Underworld. In the name of the Four Quarters and their Guardians. Blessed be this place, and this time, and they who are now with us.
Quarter Calls, and God and Goddess calls, spoken by Priest (P) and Priestess (Ps):
Ps: Guardians of the East, Lords of Air, join us today, as we unite two lovers. Grant them intuition, knowledge, and the ability to learn from each other. Witness our rite, and guard this Circle. Blessed be.
P: Guardians of the South, Lords of Fire, join us today, as we unite two lovers. Grant them passion, creativity, and keep the fire of their life safely lit.Witness our rite, and guard this Circle. Blessed be.
Ps: Guardians of the West, Lords of Water, join us today, as we unite two lovers. Grant them nurturing, peace of soul, and a deep, abiding love for one another.Witness our rite, and guard this Circle. Blessed be.
P: Guardians of the North, Lords of Earth, join us today, as we unite two lovers. Grant them stability, solidity, and the knowledge that they are a part of all. Witness our rite, and guard this Circle. Blessed be.
Ps: I invoke thee, and draw thee down, Mighty Mother of us all, by bud and stem, by leaf and tree, join us! Harken to our call!
P: I invoke thee, and call thee in, Horned Father of us all, by seed and root, and flower and fruit, join us! Harken to our call!
Priestess & Priest each hold an end of the wand with the rings.
P: We are gathered in this sacred place to join this man and this woman, life to life and spirit to spirit.
Ps: Place your right hands over this wand and your rings, his hand over hers.
P: Is it your wish, (Bride), to become one with this man?
Bride: It is.
Ps: Is it your wish, (Groom), to become one with this woman?
Groom: It is.
P: If any would ask why these two should not be joined, let them stand before the Gods and those assembled here and speak now.
Challenges now ensue. These are serious, yet can be somewhat humorous. Each of the four Quarters in turn will put forth a challenge to be met. When these are done, others may be encouraged to challenge the couple. These challenges are done widdershins in order to banish all doubts and obstacles.
North voice:I would speak. Do they have the means to support themselves and to provide for their worldly needs?
Ps: Do you?
Bride and Groom: We do.
West voice:I would speak. Do they love one another? Do they LIKE one another?
P: Do you?
B&G: We do.
South voice:I would speak. Do they have the will to argue, if they must, to air their problems, then stand together against adversity?
Ps: Do you?
B&G: We do.
East voice:I would speak. Do they share their thoughts and ideas, burdens and dreams?
P: Do you?
B&G: We do.
A pause follows. Others may give challenges if they wish. When the challenges have all been met, continue.
Ps: All the challenges have been answered. Do you still wish to be married?
B&G: We do.
P: Then step forward, and hear sage counsel and advice.
P reads from Wilferd A. Peterson's The Art of Marriage:
The little things are the big things.It is never being too old to hold hands.It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.It is never going to sleep angry.It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.It is standing together facing the world.It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.It is not looking for perfection in each other.It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.It is finding room for the things of the spirit.It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
Ps reads from Kahlil Gibran On Marriage:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.Love one another, but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.And stand together yet not too near together: for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
P: Now, the binding shall be made.
The cords should be brought up, one by one, and tied on. Priest and Priestess shall say the meaning of each, as it is tied.
P: White, for true love, devotion, and protection.Ps: Blue, for honesty, peacefulness, and devotion.P: Green, for abundance, luck, and prosperity.Ps: Red, for passion, deep emotions, and joyous union.P: Purple, for meditation, spirituality, and power!
Once Bride and Groom are tied, they are blessed with the Elements, deosil this time, to infuse them with the powers of the Elements.
Ps: Your love is as the wind, rapturous and all-encompassing.B&G are fanned with a feather.
P: Your love is as a flame, illuminating your lives and warming your hearts.B&G are circled with the fire candle.
Ps: Your love is as the sea, constant and ever-changing.B&G are sprinkled with blessed water.
P: Your love is as the earth, solid and firm.B&G are sprinkled with salt.
B&G should hold the ends of the wand, facing the guests, eyes on their rings.
Ps: Yet your love extends beyond the wind, flame, sea, and earth;it is greater than who you are and meaningless without you;it is more powerful than your past,yet the foundation of your future.
P: Your love has brought us here today, to become one in the eyes of your family and friends, for many days to come. Your love is the essence of your lives. Your love enhances and renews the love of those who witness it.
Ps: You have answered our challenges with good grace. Now you must answer the challenges you give to each other.Now you must share your vows.
G: Will you, (Bride), take my hand and explore with me the limitless wonders of our world?
B: I will. Will you, (Groom), promise to share with me your own discoveries and new perspectives on life?
G: I will. Will you, (Bride), work with me to broaden our horizons continually and expand the boundaries of our lives?
B: I will. Will you, (Groom), live with me to the fullest, for all the days we share?
G: I will.
B: Then I, (Bride's full, legal name), offer to you, (Groom's full, legal name), all that I am, all that I may encounter, and all that I may become.
G: And I, (Groom's full, legal name), offer to you, (Bride's full, legal name), all that I am, all that I may encounter, and all that I may become.
B&G: Let us explore together the infinity of our love, from this day forward.
The rings should be exchanged now.
Ps: All Father, Mighty Mother: We ask that the promise and hope of this marriage be fulfilled.
P: May the happiness and intimacy of this time be recalled, many times.
Ps: May this marriage be a course of independent strength and will; a center and respite from endless turning; a still reflection of connected lives; a pleasant recollection of the past; and a ribbon of bright love through the future.
P: May this couple's anger at themselves and the world be honest and lively; may silence and despair never separate them; may they always return to each other.
Ps: May their lives lie quiet beneath the flow of change.
P: May their friends welcome them again, in other times and other seasons.
Ps: We ask this in the names of the God and the Goddess, from whom all things proceed, and unto whom all things return. Blessed be!

There's more but this gives a good sense of what it's about. I am really excited to do this and we have both begun preparing our clothing for the ceremony. We will both be wearing medieval-type clothing. Mine will resemble my Wiccan/Christian faiths intermingling but both of us will be renaissance. I will certainly post pics when I have them and further details as I get them.