My Fiancé and I are about ready to send out our hand fasting/wedding invitation, both of us are pagan He being Asatru and I being Wiccan. The most of our family members are Christian, and while neither of us hide what we are neither of us feel the need to flaunt it. It would just make a scene. I would like some suggestion as to how to tactfully and with out offending anyone mentioning it the invitation that the wedding will not be a traditional Christian ceremony, but rather a pagan hand fasting. That way no one will be surprised or offended when showing up. Thank you
2007-08-25 00:17:03 · 20 answers · asked by littlewicked1982 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Just tell them the truth, it's all you can do!
2007-08-25 00:20:59 · answer #1 · answered by Red Dragon 2007 {Free Palestine} 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
You both should be proud to your craft if christian people don't respect you for your beliefs they will only bring negative energy towards you. If however they must attend, I would suggest a cleansing ritual for the area you will be in if however it is somewhere that you will not be able to do this I would suggest a boundary spell to repel negativity that may be brought in by others. I would say that it is a hand fasting ceremony and that it is under the Wicca religion that it is not catholic in any way. You need the bessom for the fertility part of things unless you wish to exclude this part the ceremony, If you can;t find a high priestess to do the ceremony you can get a celebrant for the legalities and say the pagan words that you wish to have. You may wish to exclude the five fold kiss since there are catholics to attend im sure they would be quite upset by it.
2007-08-26 04:53:54 · answer #2 · answered by kymm r 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a very good questions that I am also going to have to deal with very soon. I am getting handfasted next May and some of our reletives who are coming are Christian, including one Methodist preacher. I am for the most part going to be honest on the invitations, but I am going to be a little tactful as well. We are having a somewhat small wedding, only about 25 people, so we can be a little choosey as to who we invite to it. You may want to be a little picky too, and perhaps not invite certain reletives who might make an issue about your ceremony durring it. Tell them you had a limited amount of people, and to the rest of them send out wedding annoucements.
BB,
Lord AmonRaHa
2007-08-25 16:13:52 · answer #3 · answered by Lord AmonRaHa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My uncle was just married last month. They had a very traditional hand-fasting with all the guests sitting in a circle and a Native American performing the ceremony. No one that I'm aware of, turned down the invitation for fear of going against their beliefs, but rather came to the wedding for love of my uncle and his new wife. Most everyone already knew my uncle and his bride are pagan and the invitations had a very definite pagan feel to them. They stated "joining together" rather than "the wedding of or the handfasting of". It was an amazing ceremony and one of the most enjoyable receptions I'd ever been to. Good luck and congratulations!
2007-08-25 07:42:01 · answer #4 · answered by Brooke 3 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Hopefully you are agonising over nothing. When you write or print your invitations, don't bear in mind who you think you will offend but simply write the truth about your ceremony. The two of you are making a lifetime commitment to each other and it shouldn't matter to anyone else how you demonstrate this. It is your personal touch that makes it special and unique and if you bend now to satisfy those that you think don't agree with you, well ... it's not a good start if you are already compromising for the sake of others. I've been to a handfasting ceremony/wedding and there were elderly, conservative relatives present and I remember them commenting that it was the most beautiful and touching "wedding" they have ever been to. The day is about you and your partner and it is your day to show your true selves.
2007-08-25 07:50:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Congratulations!
It sounds like the ceremony isn't going to be tradition specific anyway.
You could do it twice...
Once in open forum for the outer court.
Once in private for the inner court.
This way you can have a Handfasting that looks perhaps like a tree hugging nature freaks wedding with privately written vows and no one would be offended or confused.
Then a truly serious spiritual event for those trusted few in the tradition of sacred secrecy.
It's a thought. I mean Pagans should be more openly understood but the Mystery religions still used secrecy before the Christian hoards arrived. The reason of course was that secrets have occult power. In fact if not for secrets there would be no occult.
Just a suggestion from an outer court person.
Agape
â¥Blessed Beâ¥
â¥=â
2007-08-25 07:42:49 · answer #6 · answered by gnosticv 5 · 3⤊ 4⤋
My BFF sent hers out with alot of Celtic Knotwork and everyone here in the bible belt thought it was a Celtic wedding. They were even really handfasted by being tied and they prayed to the ancestors and gods and rang a promise bell. I did an elemental blessing and everything and they never even figured it out.
But it was the most unique and eventful wedding any of them had been to.
2007-08-25 09:42:10 · answer #7 · answered by blueink 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's your day, and you should refer to it however you please. But for simplicity's sake, since the term "handfasting" may be confusing to many people, maybe you could just use the word "marriage" on your invitations. Then enclose a brief insert with the invitations which gives some more details.
Congratulations!
2007-08-25 14:15:33 · answer #8 · answered by Rapunzel XVIII 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't see a problem with sending out invitations that represent what your Union will be. I wouldn't see it as offensive either. I would find it offensive if family and friends couldn't show their support. If you do send out invitations that don't state what your Union will be performed as, you might stir up so odd looks but who cares, it's your day. If you're really concerned, I would send out "Generic" invitations stating it's a Handfasting. Hope that helps and ....Congratulations!
2007-08-25 07:23:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
Tell them the theme of the wedding/handfasting and let them decide whether or not they want to attend.
2007-08-27 10:30:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all.. CONGRATULATIONS!!
I've performed dozens of handfastings for couples in your situation. The best invitations I've seen simply stated that the ceremony will a traditional handfasting ceremony as performed in ancient Northern Europe.
Remember though, this is YOUR day.. they are being invited to honor your union, regardless of your belief-differences.
I haven't seen a handfasting yet where anyone behaved badly about it.
I wish you both the very best of happiness and blessing in your future together!
2007-08-25 07:27:39 · answer #11 · answered by Kallan 7 · 11⤊ 3⤋