New and Improved: Now With Pictures!
I've been trying to update this thing all week but I keep getting sidetracked.
So last Saturday I attended my first lesbian wedding (I guess it was my first same sex wedding come to think of it.) It was actually not much different than any other wedding, all except for there were two brides, and it was a Wiccan wedding. (on the equinox of course) That meant there was no talk of god, or marriage but of the goddess and unions. There were no chapels, or pulpits but open sky and sacred circles. There was no throwing rice, but there was jumping over a broom. There were still many of the same binding rituals; a blessing, words of intent, an exchange of rings, lighting of candles, a pronouncement, and a kiss.
The wedding took place in Hot Springs NC at the Duckett House Inn.
The house.
It was a glorious day. The skies in Asheville earlier that day were threatening. That didn't bode well for an outdoor wedding. On my way out to Hot Springs I passed through a few rain showers and thought there was no way this wedding was happening outside. Amazingly as soon as I got to Hot Springs the rain stopped, clouds peeled away and the sun blazed down. It almost made you believe in fate.
The ceremony itself took place in a field of sorghum down from the house a bit. It was quite a lovely setting., quite different from a stuffy church. Unlike traditional weddings, this on took place in the round. The altar was in the center and the audience surrounded it on all sides.
There were four aisles that represented North, South, East, and West. As the couple entered the circle the "bridesmaids" and "groomsmen" took a place at the top of each aisle. The musicians performed a traditional Irish song called T M 'mo Shu. The Reverend met them at the altar. She gave a few opening remarks, and welcomed everyone to the ceremony. Then came the casting of the circle. This was to protect those inside the circle, to contain and direct the raised energy, and to act as a portal, opening a space between earth and spirit. Next was a rose petal blessing in which the Reverend tossed rose petals on the couple, while blessing their spirit. Then came the words of intent, which are pretty much like vows, except it got rid of all that honor and obey stuff. It put them at a more equal footing. Next came the Presentation of Elemental Tokens. In this tradition there are five elements that make up everything in the universe; Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Spirit. Each one of these elements were represented by an object, a feather for example represented Air. The couple represented spirit. Each attendant in position in the aisle would step forth, say a few words, and present their token to the couple.
The couple watching one token being presented.
After this the rings were blessed, the couple said some words to each other, exchanged the rings and then lit a union candle which represented two spirits merging into one. Pretty standard wedding traditions. Next came handfasting in which a piece of cloth joined together the couple's hands and united them in the tradition of Mother Earth. It a Celtic tradition that remained the popular method of marriage up until the nineteenth century. The term "tying the knot" comes from this. Now the couple were pronounced united, and they were allowed to kiss one another. The final step in this ceremony was "Jumping the Broom." It's an African tradition. One's broom was said to have both practical and spiritual value in that it was not only used to clean one's home, but also to sweep away negative energy or past offenses. It became part of marriage ceremonies to bring the couple good luck and jumping over it indicated that the couple was crossing a threshold into a new life together.
The broom
The rest of the wedding proceeded just as any other normal wedding. A reception followed with lots of good food, lots of alcohol, especially Champagne, toasts, music, dancing, flirting, and lots of general revelry.
Post wedding reception
Sit down dinner.
The one thing that struck me is how accepting everyone was to the marriage. Both women's families and friends were there to support them. The crowd was made up of all types, both straight and gay, and we were all there not just to celebrate a marriage, but to celebrate two spirits who were in love and had decided that they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives, no matter what form their physical body had taken. For a breif moment in time I was overwhelmed at the capicity for human beings to love one another.
The reception ended early for myself, although not before consuming more alcohol than was probably advisable when planning a return trip to Asheville alone. No I didn't get "lucky" at the wedding, that was not my objective, but I did partake in some heavy flirting with one very cute "bridesmaids" who, as far as I could tell, was straight. Contrary to what you might think this wedding had an above average amount of available cuties. Unfortunately I had tickets to see Ladytron at the Orange Peel that night, so I couldn't be too devilish, although I really wanted to. I managed to make it safely back to Asheville and made it into the show just as Ladytron was going on. It was probably the best show I've seen at the OP since Interpol played. They had great lights, great sound and great energy. The remainder of the night consisted of more booty shaking, more alcohol consumption, and more fun times. It was one of the best nights I've had in a while, although I really paid for it the next day.
A crappy picture of Ladytron. My concert photos didn't turn out well.
More wedding pictures can be found here
I've been trying to update this thing all week but I keep getting sidetracked.
So last Saturday I attended my first lesbian wedding (I guess it was my first same sex wedding come to think of it.) It was actually not much different than any other wedding, all except for there were two brides, and it was a Wiccan wedding. (on the equinox of course) That meant there was no talk of god, or marriage but of the goddess and unions. There were no chapels, or pulpits but open sky and sacred circles. There was no throwing rice, but there was jumping over a broom. There were still many of the same binding rituals; a blessing, words of intent, an exchange of rings, lighting of candles, a pronouncement, and a kiss.
The wedding took place in Hot Springs NC at the Duckett House Inn.
The house.
It was a glorious day. The skies in Asheville earlier that day were threatening. That didn't bode well for an outdoor wedding. On my way out to Hot Springs I passed through a few rain showers and thought there was no way this wedding was happening outside. Amazingly as soon as I got to Hot Springs the rain stopped, clouds peeled away and the sun blazed down. It almost made you believe in fate.
The ceremony itself took place in a field of sorghum down from the house a bit. It was quite a lovely setting., quite different from a stuffy church. Unlike traditional weddings, this on took place in the round. The altar was in the center and the audience surrounded it on all sides.
There were four aisles that represented North, South, East, and West. As the couple entered the circle the "bridesmaids" and "groomsmen" took a place at the top of each aisle. The musicians performed a traditional Irish song called T M 'mo Shu. The Reverend met them at the altar. She gave a few opening remarks, and welcomed everyone to the ceremony. Then came the casting of the circle. This was to protect those inside the circle, to contain and direct the raised energy, and to act as a portal, opening a space between earth and spirit. Next was a rose petal blessing in which the Reverend tossed rose petals on the couple, while blessing their spirit. Then came the words of intent, which are pretty much like vows, except it got rid of all that honor and obey stuff. It put them at a more equal footing. Next came the Presentation of Elemental Tokens. In this tradition there are five elements that make up everything in the universe; Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Spirit. Each one of these elements were represented by an object, a feather for example represented Air. The couple represented spirit. Each attendant in position in the aisle would step forth, say a few words, and present their token to the couple.
The couple watching one token being presented.
After this the rings were blessed, the couple said some words to each other, exchanged the rings and then lit a union candle which represented two spirits merging into one. Pretty standard wedding traditions. Next came handfasting in which a piece of cloth joined together the couple's hands and united them in the tradition of Mother Earth. It a Celtic tradition that remained the popular method of marriage up until the nineteenth century. The term "tying the knot" comes from this. Now the couple were pronounced united, and they were allowed to kiss one another. The final step in this ceremony was "Jumping the Broom." It's an African tradition. One's broom was said to have both practical and spiritual value in that it was not only used to clean one's home, but also to sweep away negative energy or past offenses. It became part of marriage ceremonies to bring the couple good luck and jumping over it indicated that the couple was crossing a threshold into a new life together.
The broom
The rest of the wedding proceeded just as any other normal wedding. A reception followed with lots of good food, lots of alcohol, especially Champagne, toasts, music, dancing, flirting, and lots of general revelry.
Post wedding reception
Sit down dinner.
The one thing that struck me is how accepting everyone was to the marriage. Both women's families and friends were there to support them. The crowd was made up of all types, both straight and gay, and we were all there not just to celebrate a marriage, but to celebrate two spirits who were in love and had decided that they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives, no matter what form their physical body had taken. For a breif moment in time I was overwhelmed at the capicity for human beings to love one another.
The reception ended early for myself, although not before consuming more alcohol than was probably advisable when planning a return trip to Asheville alone. No I didn't get "lucky" at the wedding, that was not my objective, but I did partake in some heavy flirting with one very cute "bridesmaids" who, as far as I could tell, was straight. Contrary to what you might think this wedding had an above average amount of available cuties. Unfortunately I had tickets to see Ladytron at the Orange Peel that night, so I couldn't be too devilish, although I really wanted to. I managed to make it safely back to Asheville and made it into the show just as Ladytron was going on. It was probably the best show I've seen at the OP since Interpol played. They had great lights, great sound and great energy. The remainder of the night consisted of more booty shaking, more alcohol consumption, and more fun times. It was one of the best nights I've had in a while, although I really paid for it the next day.
A crappy picture of Ladytron. My concert photos didn't turn out well.
More wedding pictures can be found here
VIEW 10 of 10 COMMENTS
pip:
Sounds like a great wedding. thank you for the birthday wishes!
saeta:
i agree completely. she wants revenge played with electric six a few months back. everyone kept saying how amazing they were. yeah. they're weren't.