A Wedding Fit For A Nerd

     My husband AJ and I have been married for fifteen years on Halloween. It has been one hell of a ride. We have definitely had our ups and down. We are both surprised our marriage lasted past the first four years. Well needless to say, we did and it has been so worth it. Unfortunately we didn’t have the money for a wedding when we married. So we married at the Justice of the Peace in our street clothes.

     A few years ago AJ and I decided we wanted to have a wedding. We went through a number of themes. First we were going to do a Halloween theme because it’s our favorite holiday and it is the day we married. Then we decided to do a classic monster theme. There were a few other. We finally decided to combine our spirituality. our love of Mythology and the dressing up factor from Halloween. We decided on a Viking wedding.

    Since we are Pagan, we decided to evoke Odin and Frigg by being them. When casting the circle for us to stand in I called upon Odin and Frigg. I also called the elements. Alter was set up with care. Including giving mead to Odin ceremonially. One of our friends acted as High Priest that day. I will leave a copy of the handfasting words at the end of the article. We invited family and friends and encouraged them to dress up in Viking fashion.

     Since I was embodying Frigg, I chose to dress as royalty rather than a shield maiden. AJ chose to embody a young Odin who still had both his eyes. Our children dressed as vikings though my oldest daughter was pushing the boundary of modern. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were also dressed in style. What surprised us was, Grandpa and Grandma also came clad in viking style.

     We had tents to help make the theme look right and we had torches and candles for light and warmth. It even rained to help give authenticity to the party. The feast was superb. Turkey and ham to be carved off the bone by the fathers of the bride and groom. Root veggies and stuffing. Pie was for dessert. And of course there was lots of drinking mead. It was so much fun! Everyone had a good time and left full of food and spirits.

                                             The Handfasting Ritual

(Rick) Thank you all who are here today for coming. We welcome you and those who are here today in spirit. Anthony Danielson and Andrea Carlsdaughter have chosen a traditional hand fasting ceremony to renew their marriage vows. They stand before Odin the All-Father and His Queen Frigg and before you Honored family and friends as witnesses, to renew their vows and reaffirm their love and devotion to one another.

(Rick) Anthony and Andrea, look into each other eyes and hold each other’s hand.

(Rick) Will you honor and respect one another and seek never to break that trust?

(A &A) We will

(Rick) (The cord is draped over their wrists) And so the first binding is made.

(Rick) Will you share each other’s pain and seek to ease it?

(A & A) We will

(Rick) (Wrap the cord once) And so the binding is made.

(Rick) Will you share each others burdens so your spirits may grow together?

(A &A) We will

(Rick) (wrap the cord once more) And so the binding is made.

(Rick) Will you share in each other’s laughter, look for the brightness in life and the best in each other?

(A & A) We will

(Rick) (Tie the cord) The binding is complete. Anthony, you may say your vows. Andrea you may say your vows.

(Rings) (Rick) Just as your hands are now bound together, so too, are your lives. These rings are well-made circles. They have no beginning and no end. So to may, your love have no beginning or end. Because you cannot always be physically joined together, you will now each give to the other a ring to symbolize that connection. It will be worn on your hand as a constant reminder of the bond shared between you as a couple. (The Hand Fasting cord is removed, without untying it, and Rings exchanged.)

(Rick) Thank you, Honored family and friends, for witnessing this rite. Thank you, Odin and Frigg. May you bless Anthony and Andrea as they continue their life together. Please join in the feast and celebration following the ceremony and offer your best wishes. Blessed Be.

 

I hope you enjoyed the article and pictures. As always leave your thoughts and comments in the box below. Till next week…