This Wiccan handfasting and vow renewal took place outdoors on a power site with only the couple, the officiant, and one of the couple’s friends to witness and take pictures.
Create Sacred Space
I’m happy to be here with you today, in this place of power and mystery, to hold space as you rededicate yourselves to your marriage and celebrate your enduring love.
Let’s invite spirit into this sacred space.
Facing east.
Breathe! Pillar of the Winds, soaring birds in flight, fragrance of a rain-washed spring morning, sparrow, kestrel, and butterfly, bring the rosy dawn. Hail to new beginnings!
Facing south.
Behold! Pillar of Fire, sun-scorched desert, mountain lion prowling, fierce and ready to leap, high noon of summer heat, lava of the volcano. Hail to great passions!
Facing west.
Drink! Pillar of the Waters, fishes in rippling schools, vast and endless ocean, salty womb from which we sprang, rushing river, still lake, dolphin leaping with joy, sharks guarding mysterious depths. Hail to engulfing love!
Facing north.
Touch! Pillar of Earth, hunting wolf and great bear, high mountain chain, green hills, midnight valley cloaked in snow, solid rock beneath our feet, bones, hard and old. Hail to firm commitments!
Facing couple.
Lovers! You stand at the center of the universe, and all powers are listening to you in this moment, in this sacred space, witnessing your renewed commitment to each other.
Officiant’s Address
There’s an Irish wedding blessing that goes:
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace. May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase. May your hands be forever clasped in friendship and your hearts joined forever in love.
And here you are, after years of having hands clasped in friendship and hearts joined in love, having known the joy of children and now the blessing of grandchildren, here you are to rededicate yourselves to each other.
Life is changing, as it always does, but you’re here to say to each other, “Let’s navigate these changes together, as we always have, and find more joy, a firmer friendship, and a more enduring love, if such a thing is possible.”
Intent
Husband and Wife, as you reflect on your years as husband and wife, do you now wish to reaffirm the vows you made many years ago?
Both: We do.
Please face each other and join hands.
Handfasting
Officiant lays the cord over their hands.
These are the hands that will continue to passionately love you and cherish you as they have through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will wipe tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy, as they have countless times before.
These are the hands that tenderly held your children and now hold your grandchildren. And these are the hands that in the years to come will still be reaching for yours.
Officiant ties the infinity knot on top of hands.
Stay like that for vows.
This handfasting binds not only your hands but your hearts. You renew your vows today with the understanding that you are recommitting to be partners, and to honor your hearts’ eternal connection. This knot and the promises you make here greatly strengthen your union and are sacred.
Vows
Husband, please repeat after me.
I, Husband, take you, Wife, to be my beloved wife once again. I promise to continue cherishing and honoring you, through all the ups and downs of life. With this vow, I reaffirm my eternal love and devotion to you.
Wife, please repeat after me.
I, Wife, take you, Husband, to be my beloved husband once again. I promise to continue cherishing and honoring you, through all the ups and downs of life. With this vow, I reaffirm my eternal love and devotion to you.
Officiant holds the ends of the cords and tightens the knot as they release hands.
May this knotted cord remain a visible reminder of your promises to one another.
Closing and Kiss
We mark this as the moment you forever embrace not only one another but everything that has already arisen out of your union. Continue to cherish every moment. Your marriage is the divine magic that is a lasting love.
Please seal your binding with a kiss.