I'm looking for a pagan insert for a wedding invitation?

Question

iI am planning my wedding and we are doing a handfasting. Many of my friends and family have no idea what a handfasting is. Along with my hubby to be very catholic family. I would like to include them in this process. I was thinking of asking them to send back a piece of ribbon or lace with their reply card so we could use it in the hand binding part of the ceremony

I would like to add a peice of paper explaning what a handfasting is but I haven't been able to find the right words. Help!

invitation

Answer 1

I always tell people that my handfasting was a marriage that took place without the government interference and in the eyes of my gods instead of the gods of the major world religions (though those gods would have definitely been totally welcome to attend).  That tends to work very well, but when people have more questions and I'm either too lazy or too busy to answer, I refer them to http://www.handfasting.info/ because it's a great all-inclusive source of information.  Maybe there's something there that can help you decide how to word your invitations?  And if nothing else, you can always include a card with the website on it worded something like this:

If you have questions about the tradition of handfasting, or would like to know more about it and what it means, please visit http://www.handfasting.info/.

Gracious, pleasant, and it makes them responsible for both their own understanding and their involvement in your ceremony.  Not to mention it's faily short and can be done by most printing services without excessive extra costs (always a plus, trust me).

The idea of having your families send the cord to be used in the ceremony is a very touching and beautiful one; I like the symbolism of the joining of two families.  My own husband and I used cords that represented us- leather strap for him left over from his shaman training, and my own hand-spun woolen yarn for me.  Congratulations, by the way!  I hope you're as happy as my husband and I am!

Answer 2

Lin has provided a lot of really good info! I would explain that a peice of cloth, ribbon, what have you, is necessary for a very meaningful part of the ceremony and would love to incorporate soemthing from them. They may not need to know exactly what the handfasting is, theyll see it at your wedding. It might make tings a bit easier if when its being done, the officiant explains its significance

Congrats!

Answer 3

Congradulations !

My best wishes for your happiness.

As to the text you are looking for, I don't know of

anything that explains handfasting for non-Pagans

right now, but I've seen things like that before, and

I'm sure if you surf around you can find something

that you'll like... then just have somebody print it up,

and include it in the invitations.

Many Blessings,

Jean