When you want someone to care
                      as much as you do....

Rev. Judith L. Guasch, M.Div.
                          Wedding Officiant
                  (717) 222-9173

Your Subtitle text

Handfastings

    This is BY FAR, is my most requested piece of both weddings and elopements! But what exactly is it?   Ever wonder where we got the expression "Tie the Knot," when referring to a wedding?

    Most Ancient cultures, had some sort of "binding" ceremony for weddings. The ceremony (before weddings were mandated to be held in churches, and recorded with the government) "Bound" the two people, and the families together.

     The Old Norse called it a hand-festa, meaning "to strike a bargain by joining hands". This is also where we gained the custom of shaking hands.

     But the one that survived the longest came to us from Scotland. The Council of Trent changed Roman Catholic marriage laws to require the presence of a priest. This change did not extend to the regions affected by the Protestant Reformation, and in Scotland, marriage by consent remained in effect. By the 18th century, the Kirk of Scotland no longer recognized          Photo Courtesy Oktober Hollow Photography
marriages formed by mutual consent and subsequent sexual intercourse, even though the Scottish civil authorities did. This situation persisted until 1940, when Scottish marriage laws were reformed.

     During the ceremony knots were tied over and around the hands of the couple, thus ensuring them health, happiness and fertility. And so, we acquire the expression "Tie the Knot."

     Today, I offer couples a memorable way to add this ancient Handfasting custom to any wedding ceremony, giving them a truly unique memory on their wedding day.   Including a Handfasting in your wedding truly offers couples something different, which will have guests talking for a long time.

     I recently performed a Handfasting at a wedding, for one couple whose friend had just returned from his military service in the Middle East. He told me afterward that the ceremony was "the most moving thing he had ever seen in his life, including his time in Iraq."

     Many couples believe it is bad luck to "untie"
the cords, and so they choose to purchase the cords in order to keep them tied. When you do, you receive your cords, with hand-whipped ends to prevent fraying, presented to you in a beautiful keepsake box along with a certificate (suitable for framing) which you will sign during the ceremony.

    We did it!
                We tied the Knot!