Aislinn and Gavin’s Summer Solstice handfasting

Every so often, I get the pleasure of experiencing such a beautiful wedding ceremony so unique, that it leaves a lasting memory for a long time. Aislinn and Gavin’s traditional hand-fasting ceremony on top of a hill in Dorset, surrounded by a ring of friends and family, at sunset on the longest day of the year was just that. it was one of the most beautiful things I have experienced.

In fact, the hand-fasting ceremony pre-dates the traditional church wedding we are now so familiar with, and it is from this ceremony that so many of the traditions and words we are familiar with come from. ‘Tying the Knot’ is of course the hand-fasting itself, and what was lovely about this was that each guest brought their own fabric that was personal to them, to leave the couple with a knot composed of a piece of each person. Then Honey Mead was passed around for all the guests to share, a tradition whereby the couple drink the honey mead for the first 28 days of the marriage, one lunar cycle, to bring fertility, hence the familiar term ‘honeymoon’.

The ceremony finished with everyone jumping the broom, which symbolises sweeping away the old life, and bringing in the new one.

The whole ceremony was beautifully attuned with the earth, on the longest day, and the deep connection to the elements and the seasons, was something that really resonated with me. How beautiful it was to celebrate the longest day of the year in such a poignant way, and a beautiful wedding that will stay with me for a very long time.