Well, we have finally got round to doing our hand fasting cord tonight after putting it off for weeks lol. We have plaited a 4 colour cord plait - it looks gorgeous :-) Now all I need to do is get my mum to help me finish the ends and work out how to attach the pagan charms to the ends of it lol. When it is finished I will post a picture up of it :-)

A hand fasting ceremony is an old mediaeval tradition where the couple declare their love to each other for a year and a day or as long as their love lasts. We are having the civil ceremony 1st which is the bit that makes us 'legally married', and then we are having the hand fasting which to us is the most important bit. We are hoping to have the hand fasting outside in the courtyard of our venue if the weather is good, but if it is raining it will be inside in the threshing barn. Mark's friend will read the ceremony, we have a gorgeous rustic storm lantern to prevent the candle from blowing out during the ceremony, a glass goblet with Celtic design to drink from at the end, a broom and a sword to jump over and of course the hand fasting cord - plaited and decorated by me and Mark which is used to tie our hands together :-)

Lol Nisha - we are jumping over a broom and a sword, I am terrified I will trip over both of them and rip my dress :-) We hadn't thought about decorating the broom - oops. Perhaps I could wrap ribbons round it......