Fortunately, our handfasting never had to deal with this sort of family "assistance." It was a fully Wiccan wedding, no overtness. I can't say everyone understood what was going on, but everyone accepted how things were.
My Beloved Boniface & I had a whirlwind romance; he told me he loved me 3 weeks after we met.
We met in an odd way; a co-worker who was taking instruction in his coven and workshop sent me to the bookstore he worked at to check him out and make sure that everything was on the up-and-up. So I did, and we ended up talking quite a bit. Boni was too shy to ask me out, so I kept on coming into the store "looking for a mermaid poster." After it came in and I had no more reasons to stop by, we exchanged phone numbers. After that, there was not one day that went by where we either didn't see each other or call.
In Dec '93, we were alone together, looking at each other in that way that lovers do, and suddenly all that pent-up emotion came forth. He blurted out, "will you marry me?" After I said Yes, we both just stared at each other -- OK, now what? ;) And so, we were engaged.
Our handfasting was 21 May '94. It was a completely Wiccan ceremony, as we believe that when one is entering into such a sacred commitment between adults, it should reflect who we are. I don't believe in watering such things down in case family might not approve, because that doesn't bode well for having complete control over your life from that moment. It sets a bad precedent, IMHO, especially if children will be involved.
My Beloved Boniface & I had a whirlwind romance; he told me he loved me 3 weeks after we met.
We met in an odd way; a co-worker who was taking instruction in his coven and workshop sent me to the bookstore he worked at to check him out and make sure that everything was on the up-and-up. So I did, and we ended up talking quite a bit. Boni was too shy to ask me out, so I kept on coming into the store "looking for a mermaid poster." After it came in and I had no more reasons to stop by, we exchanged phone numbers. After that, there was not one day that went by where we either didn't see each other or call.
In Dec '93, we were alone together, looking at each other in that way that lovers do, and suddenly all that pent-up emotion came forth. He blurted out, "will you marry me?" After I said Yes, we both just stared at each other -- OK, now what? ;) And so, we were engaged.
Our handfasting was 21 May '94. It was a completely Wiccan ceremony, as we believe that when one is entering into such a sacred commitment between adults, it should reflect who we are. I don't believe in watering such things down in case family might not approve, because that doesn't bode well for having complete control over your life from that moment. It sets a bad precedent, IMHO, especially if children will be involved.