As many of you know, I am soon to be married (Or I was back in 2023) and as a Celtic shaman and medicine woman, I have chosen to share with you the part of my wedding that feels most sacred, most ancient, and most true to who I am.
I invite you to join us in celebrating our love through the Celtic tradition of Handfasting, the ritual of becoming “fast of hand” to one another. This is an interactive ceremony, a weaving of cords, vows and blessings, where our hands and our lives are bound together in love.
by Terah Cox
May you have the love only two can know
May you go where only two as one may go
May the sun rise and set in your bonded hearts
And the moon never find you too long apart
May you cherish each others dreams as your own
And turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones
May you brave life’s mountains and miles together
May there be no storm your love cannot weather
May you be lovers and allies and friends
May your souls conversation never end
May you capture on earth what’s in heaven above
May your hearts know the rapture of an uncommon love
Handfasting is an ancient Celtic and Northern European marriage tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages. From the 12th to the 17th century in England, a handfasting was essentially an engagement ceremony a formal declaration that two people accepted each other as spouses. In Scotland, particularly in the Hebrides and on the Isle of Skye, records show “left‑handed marriages” taking place well into the late 1600s.
Gaelic scholar Martin Martin wrote of this custom:
“It was an ancient custom in the Isles that a man take a maid as his wife and keep her for the space of a year without marrying her; and if she pleased him all the while, he married her at the end of the year… but if he did not love her, he returned her to her parents.”
Despite this variation, handfasting was legally binding. Once vows were spoken, the couple was considered married as valid as any church wedding of the time and the union could only be dissolved by death.
To handfast literally means to tie the knot.
The word comes from Old Norse handfesta “to strike a bargain by joining hands.”
In the ceremony, the couple clasped right hands and declared their vows aloud. This was known as troth‑plighting, pledging one’s truth and loyalty.
Gifts were often exchanged:
Handfastings took place anywhere in homes, orchards, taverns, even on horseback as long as witnesses were present.
The custom faded after the 1753 Marriage Act, which required a priest or magistrate for a marriage to be legally recognised. But the tradition lived on in folk memory and was revived in the 20th century through Celtic spirituality and modern paganism.
In a handfasting, the couple’s hands or wrists are bound with cords, ribbons, vines or fabric to symbolise their union. Traditionally, the couple remained bound until midnight, when they were escorted to the bedchamber to consummate the marriage.
Today, handfasting is no longer a legal contract but it remains a deeply symbolic act of unity, devotion and choice.
It is a ritual of:
And it is beautifully adaptable, “no rules” ceremony that can be shaped to the couple’s beliefs, values and story.
As I step into this new chapter of my life, I do so with the blessings of my ancestors, my guides, and the Celtic traditions that have shaped my path.
I share this part of my wedding with you because it is sacred, heartfelt and woven with the threads of who I am.
May our hands be bound,
our hearts be open,
and our love be ever‑growing.
© Alison SpiritWeaver 2026 – www.alisonspiritweaver.co.uk