Samhain Wedding
This ceremony was written for a Pagan couple, for a Samhain wedding that took place at the Botanical Gardens in Lackawanna, NY. The animal guardians in the Quarter Calling were personal choices of the bride and groom.
--before guest enter, the circle was cast--
(asperging the area with water…)
I call upon the East
Breath of Life
And creatures of the Air
The Hummingbirds
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon the South
Passion and Creativity
And creatures of the Fire
The Cats and the Rabbits
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon the West
Emotion and Knowledge
And creatures of the Water
The Koi and the Otter
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon the North
Strength and Growth
And creatures of the Earth
The Kodiak Bear
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite.
I call upon Father Sky
Guardian of the Moon
Keeper of the Stars
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon Mother Earth
From You we all come
And to You we all return
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
So mote it be.
(guests enter, wedding party processes)
Officiant: Welcome, loved ones, to the wedding of Bride and Groom.
*Blessed be the Earth we stand upon
And blessed be the two who stand before us
Blessed be the eyes of the witnesses
And blessed be the two upon who they gaze
Blessed be the arms of the family and friends who embrace Bride and Groom
And blessed be their hands that entwine in love
Blessed be the many loving memories
And blessed be the memories yet to be made
Blessed be this community of family and friends
And may our blessings be forever on these lovers*
Blessed be you Groom and Bride.
Do you, Bride, come here of your own free will to be handfasted to this man?
Bride: I do.
Officiant: Do you, Groom, come here of your own free will to be handfasted to this woman?
Groom: I do.
Officiant: Bride and Groom, have chosen to partake in the rite of handfasting as a symbol of their love and devotion to one another. In ancient times, the handfasting was an agreement between lovers to be faithful to one another for a year and a day in a trial marriage. At the end of this time, they could walk away, no regrets. Or they could solemnize their vows in an official marriage. Today, it can still be used this way, as an engagement. Or it can be used as part of a wedding to serve as a physical reminder. As their hands are bound, Bride and Groom are committing themselves to always lend a helping hand. To catch each other when they stumble. To hold one another through the good and the bad. To be bound to one another for as long as love shall last.
Groom, Bride, if this is your wish to be handfasted to one another, please say, “I do”.
Bride and Groom: I do.
(the Bride and Groom chose several colors and combinations of ribbons to create their handfasting cord)
Officiant: (brown, yellow, and pink)
Blessed be this union with honor, harmony, romance, and a loving home.
(purple, orange, and gold)
Blessed be this union with healing, kindness, and the power to last forever.
(black, blue, and green)
Blessed be this union with prosperity, health, wisdom, and strength.
(white)
And blessed be with the purity of love and devotion that has brought you here today.
So mote it be.
(hold up chalices)
Each of this cups holds something unique, as are both of you. Alone they are independent. Separate.
(mix)
But joined, they become a new Whole. One. No longer what was and forever what will be.
(Bride and Groom drink)
(exchange vows)
(hold up rings)
The Circle is a perfect figure. Without beginning. Without ending. With no area of weakness. It is a symbol of the Circle of Life: Birth, Death, and Re-birth. A reminder that all things begin, end, and begin again as the Divine decrees. Life goes on and these moments pass. When you find yourself angry or sad, look to your hand and remember that the Wheel turns ever onward and it is Love that turns the Wheel.
Groom, please repeats after me
**Today, I bind myself to you.
I promise to cherish and protect you… through each day of my life.
Our love with bring passion… and we will be warmed by desire.
Our friendship will banish loneliness… and bring lifelong companionship.
Our fidelity and commitment… will bind us ever unto each other.
With this handfasting… I choose to be joined… as one with you.
From this day forward… we will be… trusting friends… faithful friends… and each other’s
soulmates**
(places ring on Bride’s finger)
Bride, please repeats after me
**Today, I bind myself to you.
I promise to cherish and protect you… through each day of my life.
Our love with bring passion… and we will be warmed by desire.
Our friendship will banish loneliness… and bring lifelong companionship.
Our fidelity and commitment… will bind us ever unto each other.
With this handfasting… I choose to be joined… as one with you.
From this day forward… we will be… trusting friends… faithful friends… and each other’s
soulmates**
(places ring on Groom’s’s finger)
Officiant: May what has been said and done here, be never undone. May the vows you have promised each other, never be untrue or grow sour in your hearts.
(tie the knot)
(present couple with broom***)
Bride, Groom, take this broom to serve as a reminder in your home. The past has been swept away to that you may start a new life together. May it also remind you of the shared responsibilities you now undertake together.
^May your paths be smooth
And the weather be fair
May your hearts will with joy
And never a care
May your friends be many
And the good times last
And may you look fondly
Upon the past
May life be kind
And love be true
May the Lord and Lady’s blessings
Shine upon you^
By the powers vested in me by the State of New York, I know pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Groom.
(wedding party and guests exit)
Mother Earth, Father Sky
Thank you for being with us today.
Hail and farewell.
Kodiak, Koi, and Otter.
Cat & Rabbit. Hummingbird.
Thank you for being with us today.
Hail and farewell.
So mote it be.
(at the reception)
Officiant: May I have your attention please. At this time, Bride and Groom, would like to light their unity candle.
(they light tapers)
Let the candles symbolize the unique individuality of Bride and Groom. They have come together and will now light the unity candle to symbolize their handfasting.
(light unity candle)
The element of Fire is represented by the candles. May the bond between Groom and Bride be forged in the fires of passion:
-Passion for each other
-Passion for the life they share
-And passion for the commitment they have made to each other today.
*…* *…* This excerpt is based on the “communal blessing” (pg. 76) from Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein’s book Inviting Hera’s Blessing: Handfasting and Wedding Rituals (Llewellyn Publications; St. Paul, Minnesota; © 2003) and used with the author’s permission (pg. 2). I have made only slight alterations to the original material at the Bride and Groom’s request.
**…** Unsure of source at this time. Will credit it to the author as soon as possible.
***The broom was handcrafted by myself as a gift to the new couple.
^…^ This is an original, published poem of mine entitled “Annie’s Blessing”. It has a variation for the ending (“May many great blessings / Shine upon you”) that I have used in the case of the ceremony being a secular or non-Pagan one. Feel free to use it, but please make sure that I, Rev. Rachael Wright, am credited for it.
--before guest enter, the circle was cast--
(asperging the area with water…)
I call upon the East
Breath of Life
And creatures of the Air
The Hummingbirds
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon the South
Passion and Creativity
And creatures of the Fire
The Cats and the Rabbits
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon the West
Emotion and Knowledge
And creatures of the Water
The Koi and the Otter
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon the North
Strength and Growth
And creatures of the Earth
The Kodiak Bear
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite.
I call upon Father Sky
Guardian of the Moon
Keeper of the Stars
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
I call upon Mother Earth
From You we all come
And to You we all return
Bless us and guard us in this sacred rite
So mote it be.
(guests enter, wedding party processes)
Officiant: Welcome, loved ones, to the wedding of Bride and Groom.
*Blessed be the Earth we stand upon
And blessed be the two who stand before us
Blessed be the eyes of the witnesses
And blessed be the two upon who they gaze
Blessed be the arms of the family and friends who embrace Bride and Groom
And blessed be their hands that entwine in love
Blessed be the many loving memories
And blessed be the memories yet to be made
Blessed be this community of family and friends
And may our blessings be forever on these lovers*
Blessed be you Groom and Bride.
Do you, Bride, come here of your own free will to be handfasted to this man?
Bride: I do.
Officiant: Do you, Groom, come here of your own free will to be handfasted to this woman?
Groom: I do.
Officiant: Bride and Groom, have chosen to partake in the rite of handfasting as a symbol of their love and devotion to one another. In ancient times, the handfasting was an agreement between lovers to be faithful to one another for a year and a day in a trial marriage. At the end of this time, they could walk away, no regrets. Or they could solemnize their vows in an official marriage. Today, it can still be used this way, as an engagement. Or it can be used as part of a wedding to serve as a physical reminder. As their hands are bound, Bride and Groom are committing themselves to always lend a helping hand. To catch each other when they stumble. To hold one another through the good and the bad. To be bound to one another for as long as love shall last.
Groom, Bride, if this is your wish to be handfasted to one another, please say, “I do”.
Bride and Groom: I do.
(the Bride and Groom chose several colors and combinations of ribbons to create their handfasting cord)
Officiant: (brown, yellow, and pink)
Blessed be this union with honor, harmony, romance, and a loving home.
(purple, orange, and gold)
Blessed be this union with healing, kindness, and the power to last forever.
(black, blue, and green)
Blessed be this union with prosperity, health, wisdom, and strength.
(white)
And blessed be with the purity of love and devotion that has brought you here today.
So mote it be.
(hold up chalices)
Each of this cups holds something unique, as are both of you. Alone they are independent. Separate.
(mix)
But joined, they become a new Whole. One. No longer what was and forever what will be.
(Bride and Groom drink)
(exchange vows)
(hold up rings)
The Circle is a perfect figure. Without beginning. Without ending. With no area of weakness. It is a symbol of the Circle of Life: Birth, Death, and Re-birth. A reminder that all things begin, end, and begin again as the Divine decrees. Life goes on and these moments pass. When you find yourself angry or sad, look to your hand and remember that the Wheel turns ever onward and it is Love that turns the Wheel.
Groom, please repeats after me
**Today, I bind myself to you.
I promise to cherish and protect you… through each day of my life.
Our love with bring passion… and we will be warmed by desire.
Our friendship will banish loneliness… and bring lifelong companionship.
Our fidelity and commitment… will bind us ever unto each other.
With this handfasting… I choose to be joined… as one with you.
From this day forward… we will be… trusting friends… faithful friends… and each other’s
soulmates**
(places ring on Bride’s finger)
Bride, please repeats after me
**Today, I bind myself to you.
I promise to cherish and protect you… through each day of my life.
Our love with bring passion… and we will be warmed by desire.
Our friendship will banish loneliness… and bring lifelong companionship.
Our fidelity and commitment… will bind us ever unto each other.
With this handfasting… I choose to be joined… as one with you.
From this day forward… we will be… trusting friends… faithful friends… and each other’s
soulmates**
(places ring on Groom’s’s finger)
Officiant: May what has been said and done here, be never undone. May the vows you have promised each other, never be untrue or grow sour in your hearts.
(tie the knot)
(present couple with broom***)
Bride, Groom, take this broom to serve as a reminder in your home. The past has been swept away to that you may start a new life together. May it also remind you of the shared responsibilities you now undertake together.
^May your paths be smooth
And the weather be fair
May your hearts will with joy
And never a care
May your friends be many
And the good times last
And may you look fondly
Upon the past
May life be kind
And love be true
May the Lord and Lady’s blessings
Shine upon you^
By the powers vested in me by the State of New York, I know pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Groom.
(wedding party and guests exit)
Mother Earth, Father Sky
Thank you for being with us today.
Hail and farewell.
Kodiak, Koi, and Otter.
Cat & Rabbit. Hummingbird.
Thank you for being with us today.
Hail and farewell.
So mote it be.
(at the reception)
Officiant: May I have your attention please. At this time, Bride and Groom, would like to light their unity candle.
(they light tapers)
Let the candles symbolize the unique individuality of Bride and Groom. They have come together and will now light the unity candle to symbolize their handfasting.
(light unity candle)
The element of Fire is represented by the candles. May the bond between Groom and Bride be forged in the fires of passion:
-Passion for each other
-Passion for the life they share
-And passion for the commitment they have made to each other today.
*…* *…* This excerpt is based on the “communal blessing” (pg. 76) from Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein’s book Inviting Hera’s Blessing: Handfasting and Wedding Rituals (Llewellyn Publications; St. Paul, Minnesota; © 2003) and used with the author’s permission (pg. 2). I have made only slight alterations to the original material at the Bride and Groom’s request.
**…** Unsure of source at this time. Will credit it to the author as soon as possible.
***The broom was handcrafted by myself as a gift to the new couple.
^…^ This is an original, published poem of mine entitled “Annie’s Blessing”. It has a variation for the ending (“May many great blessings / Shine upon you”) that I have used in the case of the ceremony being a secular or non-Pagan one. Feel free to use it, but please make sure that I, Rev. Rachael Wright, am credited for it.