#handfasting

[elvenstardesign]

I had fun making this. It's hammered and oxidised copper, cleaned and polished with a sapphire crystal navette.

#handmade #tiara #circlet #elven #celtic #elven jewelry #pagan #larp #copper headpiece #crown #wedding #jewelry handmade #handfasting #bridal tiara #medieval cosplay #medieval dress #copper jewelry #sapphire #birthstone #ren faire #bohojewelry #witchyvibes #cosplay #bridal headpiece

[samwisethewitch]

Pagan Wedding Flowers (and other plants) Cheat Sheet

Flowers have been associated with weddings for almost as long as humans have been getting married. In fact, the use of flowers in ritual may actually be older than humans! Neanderthal graves in Iraq suggest that Neanderthals buried their dead with flowers. There are mentions of flowers in our earliest recorded accounts of weddings, such as in Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Historically, couples would have used whatever flowers were available to them. While some cultures had flowers they preferred for weddings because of their symbolism, couples would have been limited by what grew in their area and by what was in bloom at the time of their ceremony. To be truly as historically accurate as possible, consider using flowers you grew or foraged yourself. Bonus points for native blooms!

For those who aren't into growing or gathering your own wedding flowers, modern florists and greenhouses allow us to choose from a wide range of flowers, many of which aren't native to our homes. This makes it much easier to choose flowers based on their symbolism, history, or cultural meaning.

Historic Wedding Flowers + Plants

Roses have been the flower of choice for Western weddings pretty much forever, and with good reason. The rose is associated with several ancient goddesses of sex, fertility, and/or romance, such as Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus. (Later, medieval Christians would also associate this flower with the Virgin Mary.) Including the goddess's flowers in a wedding may have been a way of invoking her blessing on the union. Sappho called rose "Queen of the Flowers."

Roses are held in a high regard in pretty much every culture with access to them. They're strongly associated not only with love, but also with beauty, wholeness, blessings, and even spirituality.

Rose was included in wedding celebrations in Ancient Hellos (Greece) and Rome. It is associated with the planet Venus and the water element.

Wheat was also a popular inclusion in weddings in ancient Greece and Rome. Hellenic brides would carry sheaths of wheat or another grain to invoke fertility and good fortune. Wheat was strongly associated with agrarian goddesses like Demeter, Persephone, Ceres, and Proserpina. Carrying wheat may also have been a way of expressing a wish for the marriage to produce many children. Pliny the Elder explicitly says in his Natural History that wheat was included in weddings to honor Ceres.

In modern occult systems, wheat is associated with fertility, the conception of children, and wealth. It is associated with the planet Venus and the element of earth.

Olive branches also featured in Hellenic weddings. Olive was an important crop in the ancient Mediterranean, and olive branches were a symbol of peace and friendship. Olive was also used in the victors' crowns in the Olympic Games. In Athens, the olive tree was a symbol of Athena. It was also carried by worshipers of Apollo when they visited the Oracle at Delphi. Olive was also important to the Romans, who associated it with Mars in his aspect as a protector of peace.

In modern magic traditions, olive is associated with beauty, healing, stamina, wealth, fertility, protection and of course, peace. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Orange blossoms were included in Hellenic weddings as a sign of happiness. These strongly scented white flowers also sometimes appeared in Roman weddings. Thousands of years later, Queen Victoria wore a crown of orange blossoms at her wedding, but for her they were a symbol of chastity.

In modern systems, orange is associated with joy, partnership, sweetness, and good luck. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Hawthorn appeared in weddings in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder said that Roman bridal processions included a hawthorn torch dedicated to the goddess Ceres. In Rome, hawthorn was more generally associated with love and good luck.

In Celtic cultures, especially Ireland, hawthorn was believed to be a fairy tree. For this reason, cutting a hawthorn tree or bringing hawthorn branches inside was considered bad luck.

The blooming of hawthorn trees was used to determine the date of Bealtaine, and hawthorn boughs were often decorated with flowers, ribbons, and egg shells to make a May bush, which was placed by the front door for good luck. In Britain, hawthorn wood was used to carve maypoles. Hawthorn flowers may be especially appropriate for a May wedding or handfasting.

In modern occultism, hawthorn is associated with protection, healing (especially healing the heart), romantic love, fertility, granting wishes, and happiness. It is still strongly associated with weddings and marriage. It is associated with the planet Mars and the fire element.

Lotus may have featured in ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) weddings. The lotus was an important symbol in Kemetic religion, and was associated with the sun, rebirth, and the creation of the world. Lotus flowers featured in festivals to honor Hapi, the androgynous god of the Nile. The lotus is used in art to represent Upper Egypt. An Egyptian poem from 1100 BCE connects the lotus to marriage.

Lotus flowers were also popular in ancient Chinese weddings, and they're still used by some Chinese couples today. In Chinese culture, lotus represents purity, honor, and long life.

In modern traditions, lotus is associated with protection, spirituality, and blessings. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Yellow flowers were used in pre-Christian Ireland for blessings and protection. The exact flower used for these rituals is not specified, so it seems like the color was what mattered. Modern pagans looking to carry on this tradition have lots of yellow flowers to choose from. Some popular choices include yellow roses (see above), yellow amaryllis (associated with creativity, playfulness, and joy), chrysanthemum (associated with long life, optimism, and protection), marigold (associated with happiness, rebirth, and vitality), and/or daffodils (associated with love, fertility, and luck).

Modern Wedding Flowers

We've gone over some of the flowers that were popular in historic pagan weddings, but it's also easy to pagan-ify the flowers that are most popular in modern weddings. Here's a quick rundown of some popular wedding blooms and their neopagan and occult symbolism:

Peony is associated with purification, healing, prosperity, and success. In ancient Rome, peony was believed to be sacred to Mars. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Dahlia is associated with mystery, occult wisdom, and transformation. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Lilac is associated with balance, peace, romance, protection from evil, and attracting friendly spirits. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Sweet Pea is associated with comfort, charm, and sweetness. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Hydrangea is associated with healthy boundaries, breaking negative patterns, hex breaking, and protection. It is associated with water and with both the moon and Neptune.

Tulip is associated with beauty, desire, gratitude, love, prosperity, and simplicity. It is associated with Venus and the earth element.

Orchid is associated with beauty, elegance, sexuality, fertility, and romance. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Lily is associated with spirituality, beauty, harmony, and protection from the evil eye. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Carnation is associated with beauty, love, rebirth, strength, and healing. Carnations are associated with same-gender love and especially love between men because of Oscar Wilde's fondness for them. They are associated with the sun and the fire element.

Gardenia is associated with love, peace, healing, and spirituality. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Resources:

"New Neanderthal remains associated with the ‘flower burial’ at Shanidar Cave," Cambridge University Press

"History of Wedding Flowers" by Benna Crawford

The Roman Wedding by Karen K. Hersch

"The Olive in the Ancient Mediterranean" by Mark Cartwright

"The History, Mythology, and Offerings of Hawthorn" by Meghan Pivarnik

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

The Magic of Flowers by Tess Whitehurst

The Magic of Trees by Tess Whitehurst (see my disclaimer about Whitehurst's books, but these are some of her better ones)

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

#the great handfasting project #handfasting #pagan wedding #wedding magic #queer wedding #pagan #paganism #pagan witch #hellenic polytheism #hellenism #religio romana #cultus deorum #roman polytheism #kemetic paganism #kemetic polytheism #irish paganism #irish pagan #irish folklore #wicca #wiccan #flowers #flower magic #correspondences #love magic #love spell #green witchcraft #green witch #witch #witchblr #witchcraft

[actiwitch]

#handfasting #handfast #norse pagan #freyja #norsepaganism #heathenry

[greenpanda-basicfakewitch]

HandFasting

#Handfasting #BOS #witch community #witchtok #witch #witchcraft #witchblr #wiccan #wicca #pagan #Wiccan #Wicca #Baby Witch #Witchcraft

[sheafrotherdon]

When they clasp hands, Yusuf realizes he is trembling. He blows out a breath, his face heating, but Nicolo squeezes his fingers, and when Yusuf looks up, Nicolo’s expression is fond and playful. It gives Yusuf courage.

“There’ll be no complicated words,” Quynh says, looking from one to the other.

“There didn’t even need to be a ribbon,” Andy offers, and Quynh looks at her and sticks out her tongue.

“I insist on some ceremony,” she says, and turns back to Yusuf and Nicolo and rearranges her face in a placid smile.  “So.”

Nicolo is stroking a thumb across Yusuf’s knuckles. It’s a small gesture, but reassuring, and Yusuf feels all his words crowd up messily in the back of his throat as he thinks about how much he loves this man.

“You,” says Quynh, circling their hands with the bright yellow ribbon she’s holding, “are bound to one another.” She weaves the ribbon in and around their wrists, and ties a bow when she’s done.

“That’s it?” Yusuf asks.

“That’s it,” she says.

“That’s not it,” Nicolo says softly.

Yusuf looks over at him, across their hands, the ribbon, the fine weave of Nicolo’s shirt. He feels a momentary burst of panic and clenches his jaw against the things he might say.

“Yusuf,” Nicolo says fondly, his gaze so steady, so patient, so <i>loving</i> that Yusuf feels the panic recede in an instant, and the back of his eyes prickle with the force of his relief. 

“Hmm?”

“You,” says Nicolo, taking a step closer, pulling Joe’s hands to press against his belly, “are my reason and it’s lack.”

Joe swallows hard.

“There is magic in this world—the magic of all the forbidden and ordinary things I was warned against in my childhood.  I was returned to that magic by you.”

Joe stares at him.

Nicolo smiles, and he is beautiful. “All the riches inside me are yours,” he whispers.

“Oh no,” Joe says softly.

Nicolo laughs at him, sways in to place a chaste kiss to his lips. He lingers, warm and steady, and Yusuf grips his hands as if to root them to this spot, in this moment, forever.

“I love you,” Joe says as Nicolo pulls away, and Nicolo hitches a shoulder as if to say <i>I know</i>, and Joe feels his face split open on a grin.  “We’re married,” he says.

Andromache makes a soft noise that he knows accompanies a patient rolling of her eyes. “Finally.”

“Where’s your romance?” asks Quynh, before kissing Yusuf on the cheek, then Nicolo, then spinning around to Andromache. “You were sweeter on our wedding day.”

Andy smiles a little and toes the grass.  “Was I?”

Yusuf feels a tug on his hands and looks back at Nicolo.  “Husband,” Nicolo says.

“Husband,” Yusuf repeats, and steps forward to claim his own kiss, to find the poetry of his soul in the fit of Nicolo’s lips.

#joe x nicky #wedding #handfasting #quynh #andromache the scythian #yusuf al kaysani #nicolo di genova #romance #poetry #the love of my life

[rthwrms]

i want to make handfasting cords

is anyone getting married soon? if anyone is and wants one.... i'll make it fr

#talking #handfasting #artist on tumblr #hand fasting #wedding

[phinix53]

I did my research on handfasting and it said in old days handfasting was also your marriage license but now it’s gone and you’re marriage license is now a peace of paper and it’s a shame because I think a ribbon would last much longer than a peace of paper that has to get renewed plus it would have been a great thing to give to your grandchildren 🤔

Yup! That’s right.

Handfasting is still a common practice in many cultures, even if it’s not recognized by governments as a marriage agreement.

But people still have it as a part of their weddings. Just like with jumping a broom or unity sand. Old traditions aren’t lost to time, more just kept in the family.

My own family does handfasting, tho not as often anymore.

I would love it if handfasting was brought back as a recognized agreement, it would be so lovely. Maybe someday.

I’d have it as a part of my wedding, if I ever have one.

#handfasting

[spoopkinsss]

We got our wedding photos back and what I would give to go back to that magical day again 🖤

Photos by TWE Imagery

#me #personal #wedding #alternative wedding #alt wedding #black wedding dress #handfasting #pagan #uk wedding #flowers #plus size bride #love #alternative couple

[shrimpgoddess]

IM MARRIED !!!!!! EEEE

#married #lesbian #trans #queer #trans women #transfem #woman #sapphic #babe #hot #pretty #flowers #dress #wedding #handfasting #pagan #marriage #IM MARRIED #EEEEEE #IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!

[lilsytherinheiress11]

This is a collage of the new tomarrymort fanfiction that I am writing. 😎🥰

#harry potter universe #the dark lord #lord voldemort #the dark lord voldemort #voldemort #moodboard #harry potter #harry james potter #dark harry potter #slytherin harry potter #death eater harry potter #house of slytherin #house of peverell #the dark mark #the scar horcrux #blood pact #handfasting #japanese red soulmate ribbon #tomarry #tomarry fanart #harrymort #harrymort fanart #tomarrymort #tomarrymort fanart #the deathly hallows #masters of death #arranged marriage #marriage pact #marriage alliance

[elvenstardesign]

Everything in this necklace is silver plated apart from the AB crystal. And there's a fingerprint smudge on the last curl I'm just NOTICING!! 😭🥵

#handmade silver jewelry #the lord of the rings #bg3 fanart #Wedding stuff #Prom jewelry #festivalwear #Festival stuff #Elegant necklace #unique jewelry #elven jewelry #celtic #cosplay #Bridalwear #Handfasting #Opera #Leaf charm

[samwisethewitch]

On Lughnasa (August 1st), 2023, under a full moon in Aquarius, my partner and I got married in a handfasting ceremony.

We designed this ceremony from scratch ourselves, incorporating elements from our own faiths. My personal practice is a mix of Heathenry and Reclaiming (and, ngl, is heavily influenced by Wicca) and my now-husband is Roman pagan. We also both have Irish American heritage that is important to our families, which is why we chose to incorporate historic Irish elements.

And our boyfriend was our officiant!

#the great handfasting project #handfasting #wedding #pagan wedding #heathenry #heathen #inclusive heathenry #reclaiming #reclaiming witch #irish polytheism #irish paganism #religio romana #roman paganism #roman polytheism #polyamory #queer #queer wedding #mine #personal

[munroemagic]

#magic #witch #piper x leo #piper halliwell #leo wyatt #handfasting #witchcraft #charmed #the charmed ones #witches

[basicallyahedgehog]

Today marks one year of the incomparable @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm making this little corner of the world a better place. Joy, you were one of the very earliest Drarry accounts that I followed, in what I realise now must have been your 2nd or 3rd week of posting. I found you through 25 days of Drarry, and stayed for your your beautiful art and even more beautiful heart and soul.

It has been such a blessing and a privilege to watch you grow as an artist and a person over the last year. Every piece of art, every word that you post leaves me feeling raw, like all of my nerves are exposed, in the very best way. Your brain never stops blowing me away.

So happy anniversary, my friend. Thank you for being your incredible self and making so many lives brighter just by being here. I hope you enjoy this fluffy little sequel to The Strings That Weave Us.

Read on AO3 or under the cut

Links to sources can be found on AO3

Draco sat in the back of his little shop, fingers stitching intricate designs onto fresh linen with utmost precision. These would not be the first handfasting cords that he had embroidered, but they were by far the most important. In less than a week he and Harry would be formalising their betrothal, and Draco was determined to give Harry the best cords in England. 

Blue, for patience and devotion.

He grinned as he pulled the new length of thread through the eye of the needle. Between Harry’s stubbornness and his own prickly personality, patience had been something that they had needed in spades when they had first come together. Draco had quickly discovered, though, that he could be infinitely patient when it came to Harry.

Harry, who waited quietly until Draco was ready to make their relationship public, even though he had been bursting to share his love for Draco with the world. Harry, who still seemed to expect Draco to leave after every nightmare, every panic attack. Harry, who never once raised his voice in anger, who never let Draco go to bed without telling him he loved him. 

No, patience came easily when it came to Harry, the natural outpouring of the devotion Draco felt towards his incredible man.

Grey for balance.

From day one, it seemed like the whole world had been waiting for them to implode. Even their loved ones had expressed concern when they first started dating, worried that they were too different in the ways that mattered most. 

But it was those differences that had made their relationship so strong.

Harry was a morning person, practically bouncing out of bed to make Draco’s requisite three cups of coffee. By 8pm, though, Draco was bundling him under their duvet, watching Harry’s sleep-slack features as he read or worked for another two hours.

Harry went soft over any living creature. The tiny kittens he found shivering under a bush now hunted rats in the Grimmauld Place basement. Their garden was tended lovingly as Harry spoke to the plants, telling them about his day and his plans for the little patch of soil. Every person Harry crossed paths with left with a lighter heart, and almost always a fuller stomach.

Draco went soft over things. Coffee mugs were placed tenderly back on their shelves, matching sets together so they wouldn’t be lonely. Books were dusted weekly, in case their allergies flared. Every year Harry would bring Draco another plushie for their anniversary, and Draco would tenderly tuck them into place on the sun bed — not the spare bed, never spare when his little friends sunbaked on top of one of Molly’s quilts. 

Harry’s emotions were big, were loud. Bounces in place, clapping hands, exuberant yells. Shuddering gasps, heart-rending screams, gut wrenching sobs. Slammed doors and kicked chairs, melodramatic apologies with big bouquets of flowers. 

Draco’s emotions were small, quiet, secret. Trembling finders and shaky limbs, lips pressed tightly together. A rigid spine, a face towards the wall, the inward curl of shoulders. A hand carding through hair, lips on cheeks, a single rose in a vase.

Yes, they were different, but it was what made them work, perfectly balanced against each other. 

Pink for unity and truth.

And for his hair, Draco thought with a chuckle, starting on the third interweaving design. Once, about a year ago, Draco had let the charm fade, his natural blonde peeking through the fairy-floss pink. Harry had sulked for days, singing dirges to his peonies and curling up with the cats for hours on end, refusing to speak to Draco.

The pink had stayed.

It was one of their greatest strengths, Draco thought, that they never concealed anything from the other. They hadn’t even made it to a “proper” proposal, the thought of keeping such a secret — a good one though it was — from each other so unnatural. 

Every thought, they shared with each other. Every fear, every doubt, every self-recrimination. Every dream and hope and decision were shared and cradled and made together. 

It was their greatest strength, and Draco’s greatest joy.

He felt a smile tug at the edges of his mouth as he stitched, the pink the exact colour of Harry’s cheeks when he blushed. 

Pink for rosy cheeks, soft lips, the tips of his own ears when he was embarrassed. Pink for cotton-candy kisses and Teddy’s hair yesterday and the flowers that Harry grew in the spring.

Pink for the colour of his love.

Green for prosperity and health.

And Slytherin, Draco thought ruefully. Green to remind him of his roots and how far he had come. Green to remind him of the good sides of ambition and cunning, and to warn him of the dangers. 

Green for prosperity, not in wealth, but in love and laughter, in bright sunshiny days and soft, tender nights. 

Green for prosperity shared. With friends, family, strangers in the street who looked like they needed a lift. Shared with schools and orphanages and animal shelters.

Shared with each other, always.

Green for health, of body, mind and spirit. Health for their relationship, that it never go stagnant. For the strength to push through the unhealthy times, determined to be healthier and wiser on the other side.

Green for Harry’s eyes, for the mother he never knew.

Red for passion and strength.

It had been the first colour Draco had chosen. Red for his Gryffindor, his Lion in word and in deed. Red for the strength of Harry’s devotion, his emotion, his conviction.

Draco wasn’t a strong man, he knew that. He was easily hurt and easily swayed. He gave up when the going got tough. Until Harry swept in and showed him true strength. Until Harry encouraged him and challenged him and loved him enough that he forgot what it was like to give up.

Forgot what it was like to feel weak and helpless.

Red for the blood shed on both sides, that they may never forget what brought them here. Red for the father Harry could not remember, for the uncles he doesn’t have enough memories of. 

Red for the Weasleys, the strength of their love holding them together on the worst days. Draco had been nervous that first summer after the war, when Aunt Andromeda had orchestrated first his friendship with Harry and then his integration into the Weasley clan. He hadn’t deserved their love, their compassion — still didn’t think he did, in his deepest, darkest thoughts — but they had given it anyway. Strong and steadfast, unwavering in their loyalty first to Harry and then to him. 

They had shown him what it was like to be truly passionate about a cause — what it was to be passionate for a person.

And then Harry had shown him another kind of passion, burning hot, bubbling under the surface, ready to explode at any given moment. A passion shown through tender caresses and whispered endearments as much as it was through lips on lips and skin on skin, sweat-soaked and feverish. 

A passion that matched their string, the shiny red on the vast tapestry of their family, around their wrists. Binding them to each other, and to everyone they loved. 

Draco ran his fingers over the finished embroidery, admiring the contrast and harmony of the various colours. Green for family, blue for godfamily, grey for the beloved deceased. The pink of soft hair and softer lips.

The red of his soulmate, his heart-mate, the love of his life. 

As this knot is tied, so are your lives now bound.

Woven into this cord, imbued into its very fibers, are all the hopes of your friends and family, and of yourselves, for your new life together.

With the fashioning of this knot do I tie all the desires, dreams, love, and happiness wished here in this place to your lives for as long as love shall last.

In the joining of hands and the fashion of a knot, so are your lives now bound, one to another.

By this cord you are thus bound to your vow.

May this knot remain tied for as long as love shall last.

May this cord draw your hands together in love, never to be used in anger.

May the vows you have spoken never grow bitter in your mouths.

As any child discovers when they are learning to tie their own shoes, the first move is to cross the ends.

As your hands are bound by this cord, so is your partnership held by the symbol of this knot.

May it be granted that what is done before the gods be not undone by man.

Two entwined in love, bound by commitment and fear, sadness and joy, by hardship and victory, anger and reconciliation, all of which brings strength to this union.

Hold tight to one another through both good times and bad, and watch as your strength grows.

#happy fandomversary Joy #all the best things for Joy #my favourite mouse #look at my talented friend #this led me down a rabbithole very late at night #you bet i'm not done with handfasting #drarry #drarry fic #basically just a load of fluff #draco has pink hair #and is besotted with harry #that's it that's the plot #handfasting #handfasting cords #colour meanings #the red string of fate

[alwaysbeyondhope]

listening to Willow on repeat and looking at vacation houses for our Salem handfasting in September 2025. 🥰🥰

#personal #love letters to Lilith #handfasting #salem

[like-sands-of-time]

Listen I don't know that I fully expect myself to get married someday, but the different types of vows they speak in handfasting rituals are so fucking beautiful it makes me want that so bad. Listen to this shit:

as your hands are bound together now,

so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust.

Above you are the stars and below you is the earth.

Like the stars your love should be a constant source of light,

and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow

This combined with colored rope or ribbon being wrapped around and knotted, all while the partners clasp hands. Yeah I can see how they felt like there was magic in that ceremony, how it meant something.

#sigh* #*heart eyes* #handfasting #wedding vows