Customer Reviews

Handfasting and Wedding Rituals: Welcoming Hera's Blessing

5 star:		(7)
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3 star:		(4)
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While there are a couple of rituals on line and scattered about in various books on Wicca or the Rites of Passage, there isn't much out there in the way of a single good book that would cover a variety of pagan 'wedding' rituals. Or is there?

'Handfasting and Wedding Ritual' offers just what you might want to consider for the pagan handfasting. This book offers a variety of rituals that you can take as they are or use as a starting place to develop your own.

The book covers the history of 'handfastings' as well as discussing how it relates to being pagan. There is discussion on preparations, the steps to plan in ritual, and how you might approach these various aspects of ritual as well as aesthetics.

This book does not focus on any particular person being in need of this material. The book is a handbook for use by pagan clergy or it can be used by the couple to plan with their clergy. It can be used for legal ceremonies as well as those that are not legally binding but are heart bound.

Also included in the book are the stories from myth of famous couples, such as Tam Lin and Shiva and Parvati. The book covers male rituals, female rituals, polyamorous handfastings, various mixed faiths weddings, heathen handfastings, Faery Weddings, Warrior's Wedding and many more. A very inclusive volume of different styles and beliefs is presented here.

Also included is a section on 'handparting' with rituals for bringing about closure as well as healing.

The book closes with some words to the pagan clergy about handfastings. Here is shared some experiences, some insights and some discussion on ethics and your duty. There is some wonderful material here for the new as well as experienced pagan clergy in regards to handfasting and should be considered required reading by anyone who is looking at or involved in this calling to community service.

Appendices include astrological planning, symbols, flowers and a very well laid out index.

Whether planning a handfasting, or looking at being pagan clergy or if you are pagan clergy, this book is probably the best investment you can make to help you along with plans, problems and performance. Well thought out, well put together and easy to follow, it is a book that approaches the pagan bonding ritual with no boundaries but has plenty of common sense and good advice.

It turns out that the first Pagan ritual I ever wrote was my own handfasting. I was having a difficult time coming up with a Welcoming of the Quarters that I was happy with. My husband and I are both musicians, and this book contained a wonderful idea of a musical welcoming of the quarters. It was perfect!

There are several other good ideas in this book, and I used many of them. Ideas were rated for general use, "Pagan Light", and more in-depth Pagan rituals. Since 75 of my guests were non-Pagan friends and family, I found several good ideas here about keeping the ritual Pagan but still something that non-Pagans could easily understand and relate to.

This book also addresses creative ways to handle various situations - inclusion of children from a previous marriage, interfaith marriages, and commitment ceremonies.

I can't recommend this book enough!

This book is wonderful resource for those practicing earth-based religion, or simply non-traditionalists. (I try not to use "pagan.") The book details each part of the of the handfasting ritual. It is divided into sections and includes several options of verbage for each part of the ceremony. You can use exactly what is written or take pieces of ritual and create your own. I really enjoyed reading this book and I found numerous ideas that I will incorporate in my own handfasting. Also, the author has a rating system for each ritual. From generally spiritual to heavily "pagan." This is so useful when planning a wedding for a mixed-religious audienced. I highly recommend this book for those who want a true handfasting.

This book is a must have for every Pagan library, and for non-Pagans alike! Not only are the Pagan handfastings & wedding rituals included that have been so sought after, but interfaith and alternative (gay & polyamourous) weddings as well. There is no other comprehensive book out on the market today that will give you a such a great deal of information and wonderful hints for planning & writing a Pagan/Alternative wedding ceremony. A thousand thanks to Raven Kaldera & Tannin Schwartzstein for writing such a needed book for the Pagan community!

I am a non pagan trying to incorporate some of the traditions for the husband to be and i found this to be an excellent source. it has several different interfaith ideas that appeal to me. from bits and pieces to full rites, i have found TONS of ideas i love. it includes wording for the officiant to describe the meanings of certain traditions to the family and friends, poems, vows, prayers and more! excellent resource.

The book is great if you are looking for rituals and vows; however it offers little in the way of help for cords, astrological timing and many other aspects that will affect that special day.

This book contains myriad blessings, invocations and ceremonies for diverse pagan beliefs. It also explores variations of them used for any one needing customized commitment ceremonies. There is something for everyone who performs unions.

This book came at the right time for us. There was no information in it new to us - we had plenty of data. Still the organization of the book providing organization of a handfasting was very good. The "calm down and get through it" attitude was very good. Once again, the organizaiton and the calm approach were worth the price.

This book contained a lot of great information about wedding planning, from colors and flowers (with their symbolic meanings) to the ritual. There is a Wiccan slant to the ceremonies (however it does contain material for non-Wiccan, pagans like druids and heathens), but they can easily be modified for your personal wedding. It contains samples of rituals for not just heterosexual legal marriages, but for "non-traditional" couples (polyamorous, gay, lesbian, gender-neutral overtones) as well. There are even examples of rituals for couples who want an interfaith wedding (Pagan-Catholic, Pagan-Protestant, Pagan-Jewish, etc.) There is also a ton of poetry and ideas that can be used to write beautiful and meaningful vows.

I recommend this book over all others on the market in regards to planning pagan weddings and handfastings.


Kaldera covers all things that need consideration. The planning, the place, the guests.........comfort levels of your guests and participants.

Best of all Kaldera takes a very gender neutral approach. Kaldera addresses and acknowledges GLBT individuals (being one himself), and considerations that need to be taken into account regarding a GLBT ceremony.

Kaldera also addresses the topic of interfaith weddings.


There really is not another pagan handfasting book on the market that is as thorough and well written and thought out as this one is.