A handfasting is a pagan equivalent of a marriage ceremony. Some last for a year and a day or some other set time, others are more lasting. Some handfasting can be done between close friends or married couples or other combinations. These joinings symbolize a special closeness between the people involved.

There are many different kinds of ceremonies ranging from very simple to complex. I have included a simple water vow and my own handfasting ceremony as examples.

To increase love or as a ritual union. Attune with the element of water and then find a narrow stream or spring. Stand on one side and have your loved one stand on the other. Clasp hands over the water and say together, "Flowing water, witness this act. Our hands are bound, we make this pact." It is done.

Another version would have you clasp hands on one side of the water and then step across as you say the words.

Entrance

"That's How You Know It's Love" will be sung by Anne Marie instead of having the wedding march. Mothers are escorted in first by two of the groomsmen, followed by the flower girls and then the bridal party. Introduction

[Priest] May the place of this rite be consecrated in the name of love and hope. We are gathered together here in celebration and to bear witness to the most sacred of unions between a man and a woman. Here Tina and Dargan unite their lives in sacred matrimony.

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and downs, its trials and its triumphs. It is a union founded upon mutual respect, trust and love. Only with sincere and earnest commitment can you enter into this union.

There is much wisdom to be learned from all beliefs and cultures about the union of marriage. With love, dedication and perseverance this wisdom and all of its rewards will come to you both.

Tina and Dargan, above you are the stars, below you the stones. As time does pass, remember... Like stones should your love be firm. Like a star should your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage; let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, yet not too close. Be understanding. Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will quickly pass. If you learn no more in life, let it be this: The law of life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing.

Repeat after me:

God in heaven above please protect the ones we love
We honor all you have created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.
We honor Earth -And ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons
We honor Fire -And ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts
We honor wind -And as we sail though life safe and calm as in our father's arms
We honor water -To clean and soothe our relationship - that it may never thirst for love
With all the forces of the universe you created, We pray for harmony and true happiness, as we forever grow young together. Amen.

(Priest moves in front of altar with cord)

Tina and Dargan, this cord is a symbol of the lives you have chosen to lead together. It has been woven, by your own hands, to symbolize the intertwining of your lives. Up until this moment you have been separate in thought, word and action. As these cords are tied together, your lives become intertwined. This cord may stretch but is never broken; it connects you through life and death

(As priest ties their wrists loosely enough to remove it without uniting it.)

As the right hand is to the left hand, may you be forever one, sharing in all things, at home and abroad, in love and loyalty for all time to come.

(The priest hands chalice to the groom. The groom holds chalice to bride while she sips then the bride takes chalice and holds it to groom while he sips, The chalice is then handed back to the Priest who sets it on the table. Next the Priest takes the plate of bread, offering it to the groom who chooses a piece. Same procedure repeated with bread groom feeding bride and bride feeding groom. A song is sung during this. Probably Sarah's)

As you know, you cannot always be physically joined,

(Removes cord without uniting it and lays it on the altar)

And therefore the exchange of rings is one of the deepest symbols of marriage. The circle is a symbol of the eternal. It is also a symbol of the earth, the sun, and the universe. It is the symbol of completeness and continued renewal. To give a ring to someone you love is to say that your love has no beginning and no end. Blessed are these rings and may they be a true symbol of the love of the one who gives it, and of the one who wears it

Please bring forward the rings.

Do you Dargan Charles MuIhall in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within you and the love that resides within your heart, take Christina Helena Genevieve Miller to be your chosen one, heart, body and soul, to share your life, in plenty and in want, in sorrow and in joy, in respect and trust, to love and to cherish, holding her above all others, as she is now and however she may change and grow, until the end of your days?

[Dargan] I do.

Do you Christina Helena Genevieve Miller in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within you and the love that resides within your heart, take Dargan Charles Mulhall to be your chosen one, heart, body and soul, to share your life, in plenty and in want, in sorrow and in joy, in respect and trust, to love and to cherish, holding him above all others, as he is now and however he may change and grow, until the end of your days?

[Tina] I do.

Dargan, please place your ring on Tina's finger and say: "With this ring, I thee wed."

Tina, please place your ring on Dargan's finger and say: "With this ring, I thee wed."

By the secrets of earth and water is this bond woven -- unbreakable, irrevocable; by the laws that created fire and wind this bond is set in you, in life and beyond life. May none come between you so long as your path is shared. Ever love, help and respect each other and know that you are truly one. Blessed be. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now seal your union with a kiss.

(Kiss)

(Priest hands one rose each to Dargan and Tina)

The rose is considered a symbol of love and a single rose has always meant only one thing - it means "I love you." It is appropriate that your first gift to one another as husband and wife should be a single rose.

(Exchange roses)

In some ways it seems like you have not done anything at all just a moment ago you were holding one small rose- and now you are holding one small rose. In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different than yesterday. But in fact today, just now, you both have given and received one of the most beautiful gifts of all, that of abiding love.

Tina and Dargan, I would ask that wherever you make your home in the future together you pick one very special place for roses; so that on each anniversary of this blessed day you both may take a rose to that spot as a recommitment to your marriage and as a recommitment that this is and forever will be a marriage based upon love.

It is easiest to hurt and to be hurt by the ones who we love most. There might be times where it will be hard to say "I am sorry" or "I forgive you"; "I need you" or "I am hurting". If this should happen leave a rose at the place you have selected - for that rose will show what matters most of all. That rose will say, "I still love you." The other should accept that rose remember the love and hope that you share today. It is only love, which can make a glorious union, and it is love by which your marriage shall endure.

Truth remains elusive, death a secret, love a challenge; life goes on neither more nor less incidentally than before, but one's hand is strengthened, one's way brightened, and one's load if not lightened is made easier to bear. Behold, what came as two goes forth as one. May their path be clear and easy beneath their feet.

Blessings to all who are here today, among family and friends has this union been made. So shall it be for now and forever. Go well and stay well.

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