12 Aug What is a Betrothal Ceremony?
What is a Betrothal Ceremony?
During the pandemic when so many of my couples had to reschedule their ceremonies, I wanted to offer a way in which they could mark their original wedding date in a meaningful way, and so I came up with the idea of a “Betrothal Ceremony”.
On the date that would have been their wedding, the couple goes to a location that holds meaning for them both and there they hold a short but deeply spiritual ceremony, where they pledge their love to each other in whatever way is fitting for them.
Some couples performed a private Handfasting (but didn’t tie the cords so that they could be used in their forthcoming ceremony), some couples exchanged secret Vows, some couples shared a dram from the Quaich, and one couple just observed the silence while holding hands and thinking of their future life together.
Although I offered guidance as to how to choreograph the ceremony, I was only present for one of them, but the feedback from all who held their own wee ceremonies has been amazing. Couples have said things like they “felt closer” “it was so meaningful” “it felt right because it was just us.” And each one said they felt it would make their “big” wedding day even more special.
So, the ‘Betrothal Ceremony’ has now become a thing!.. and I’m offering it to all my couples as a way of allowing them to have a smaller more private ceremony at some point before their main ceremony that is aimed at providing the spiritual support that so many couples crave, but that is so often missing in certain types of ceremonies.
So if you have a date in the “Aye Do!’ diary and are interested in having a Betrothal Ceremony, get in touch!
“Come with me, then, dearest,
To woodlands the nearest,
To plight troth sincerest
Of love evermore.”
Nigel MacNeill
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