My sister is Catholic and my brother-in-Law comes from Hindu traditions. Last weekend, they were officially married in the Catholic church, while exactly two years ago, they were married in Hinduism. Their celebration got me thinking about alternative weddings, and how I would get married coming from my spiritual and witchy background.
If you’re looking for ways to incorporate paganism, witchcraft, or spirituality into your wedding, here are a few ideas.
Pick flowers with the associations you want.
While many people pick florals for their wedding based on color and shape, or their favorite flowers, you can pick them based on their associations. Roses for love, white for pure and true love, all the way down to baby’s breath for fidelity or golden rod for prosperous love. Marigolds can represent positivity in love and domestic matters, and yarrow can be for strength, longevity, and protection.
It’s a different way to start building your bouquet and décor.
Consider handfasting or…dagger trading.
While handfasting has become more common at traditional weddings (my very Christian cousin had one at hers), it does originally come from pagan and folk roots. It was a literal way of tying the knot. You can go above and beyond by choosing your ropes and ribbons based on color magick, or enchant them beforehand.
But if you resonate more with the Vikings and the Norse, it was also common to trade daggers or swords instead of rings. If you don’t have jewelry to exchange, or want to bring your rings on the tip of a sword rather than a pillow, it might be a great option.
Don’t be afraid to create an altar to your deities.
It might be weird for the guests, but it’s not their wedding! I’ve seen couples sing and take communion at Christian weddings, so there’s no reason to not pray and call upon your deities the same way. Consider creating an altar that guests and you and your significant other can contribute to.
I personally worship nature as a whole, and want to get married under a tree to honor that. Sometimes it can be as simple and “secret” as that, but don’t be afraid to go all out.
Consider anything from @RisingWoman’s wedding ceremony.
I’ve linked to this wonderful post where she describes ways they included spiritual practices in their wedding, including walking towards each other instead of down an aisle,
And, if you are already married, why not renew your vows or throw yourself a pagan wedding renewal for one of your anniversaries? If my sister and brother-in-law can get married at different times in both their cultures, there’s no reason you can’t either – especially in your religion and spiritual beliefs have changed.