Wedding Officiant in Oklahoma

One of the most beautiful wedding ceremony enhancements that our wedding officiants at Lifelong Wedding Ceremonies has to offer are handfasting ceremonies. A handfasting ceremony is steeped in ancient tradition that originated in Ireland over 9,000 years ago via the Celtic culture, this was a perfect way for a marriage minister or other person to help the couple to publicly display their love for and commit to one another in front of the community. Handfasting wedding ceremonies could be either for an engagement or for a more formal wedding ceremony commitment itself.

Many people have various questions about handfasting marriage ceremonies, and because of this our wedding pastors in OKC and marriage officiants in Oklahoma from Lifelong Wedding Ceremonies have devoted this page to helping others learn about how beautiful handfasting ceremonies work. Below you can see the answers to some other commonly asked questions:

How much do handfasting ceremonies in Oklahoma cost?

If conducted as part of a wedding ceremony package or wedding ceremony + rehearsal package, our marriage ministers can conduct a handfasting ceremony for free or they can add a handfasting ceremony or other wedding ceremony enhancement for a nominal fee. Indeed, the cost to add a handfasting ceremony to an elopement ceremony package, as of the date of this publication, is only about $35.00.

How does a wedding officiant near me conduct a handfasting ceremony?

 To officiate a handfasting ceremony, a wedding minister or ordained officiant in Oklahoma will ask each person to publicly confirm their commitment to one another as spouse and spouse, helping to wrap the cords or cloth around their hands to help bind them together forever as a couple. Handfasting ceremonies such as these are highly steeped in Celtic tradition, yet they are easy to perform as part of a marriage ceremony and do not extend the wedding ceremony out to an exorbitant length of time.

Are handfasting ceremonies conducive to LGBTQIA+ marriage ceremonies?

Of course! Handfasting ceremonies are very inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community, and our gay wedding officiants and transgender wedding officiants are well-versed in officiating marriage ceremonies in Oklahoma City that include a handfasting ceremony. Indeed, many a wedding pastor has officiated lesbian wedding ceremonies, transgender marriage ceremonies, nonbinary weddings, and gay marriage ceremonies that have included very meaningful handfasting ceremonies. 😊

Are handfasting ceremonies gender specific?

No, a handfasting wedding ceremony is not gender specific whatsoever. Handfasting ceremonies are perfect for wedding couples of any gender, be that male, female, intersex, nonbinary, gender fluid, or any of the other plethora of genders there are. 😊

Where do I find a marriage minister near me or locate an ordained marriage officiant to conduct a handfasting ceremony in Oklahoma for me?

If you want to have a handfasting wedding ceremony enhancement during your marriage ceremony in Edmond, Oklahoma, then you can simply hire a wedding officiant or can find a justice of the peace at Lifelong Wedding Ceremonies to help you. All our ordained ministers are ready and willing to assist those wanting to have a memorable handfasting ceremony. 😊

 Are handfasting ceremonies required?

No, our marriage pastors and justice of the peace are licensed to officiate marriage ceremonies in Oklahoma, not Celtic Ireland thousands of years ago. As such, handfasting ceremonies are not required for a couple to get married but add a genuinely nice touch to those seeking to get married. 😊

Can I get a handfasting ceremony even if I am not Irish?

Absolutely! Handfasting ceremonies have no racial or ethnic requirements. You can hire a justice of the peace or wedding find a minister near me at our organization help you with a memorable handfasting ceremony to your liking. 😊

At what point during a marriage ceremony does the justice of the peace or ordained wedding pastor incorporate the handfasting ceremony into the wedding ceremony?

Our ordained ministers most often perform handfasting ceremonies right after the first set of vows and ring exchange. However, if needed you can ask your wedding officiant at Lifelong Wedding Ceremonies to include it at any time during your marriage ceremony. 😊

Must I have witnesses present when my wedding minister or justice of the peace officiated a handfasting ceremony for my future spouse and me?

 The State of Oklahoma requires two adult witnesses to sign off on a wedding license. So, couples who locate a wedding officiant to conduct a handfasting ceremony as part of an elopement wedding ceremony, a wedding ceremony package, or a wedding ceremony + rehearsal package. So, if you want the State of Oklahoma to legally recognize your nuptials, then whether you have a handfasting ceremony or not you will still need two adult witnesses present. 😊

 How long do handfasting ceremonies take?

 A handfasting ceremony in OKC by Lifelong Wedding Ceremonies does not really take all that long. Most wedding ceremonies themselves take anywhere between 2-25 minutes, depending on how many add-ons and features the wedding couple requests, with the average marriage ceremony lasting from 10-15 minutes. Handfasting ceremonies usually only take a few minutes of time.

 What gets said during a handfasting ceremony and by whom?

During a handfasting ceremony, the priestess or justice of the peace will explain to the wedding guests that a handfasting ceremony is rooted in ancient Celtic/Irish tradition. Indeed, Celtic handfasting ceremonies have long been used in Celtic Ireland and, since those times, elsewhere throughout the world. The Celtic Irish have long used this special rite to help others publicly commit themselves to their future husbands, wives, or nonbinary spouse.

Once explaining the basic history of Celtic handfasting’s to the marriage ceremony guests, your wedding minister or marriage pastor also tells the audience that the Celtic handfasting ceremony is meant to bond two individual persons together as one stronger married couple. This is done publicly, so everyone knows about their commitment and can thus help recognize the couple as married/off the market/taken.

Once the upfront explanations and formalities of the handfasting ceremony are over, the wedding minister or wedding officiant at LLWC will then have some words she/he/they will ask the two people getting married to say to one another. As this occurs, the officiant will help the couple bind their hands together in a very symbolic showing of the couple’s new, publicly confirmed unity together as spouse and spouse.

When completed, the couple may often choose to keep their hands bound together for the remainder of their wedding ceremony. The two newlyweds often remove the cords or cloth upon completion of the marriage ceremony itself for practical reasons. Many newlyweds keep their cord or cloth used for their handfasting ceremony as a sentimental reminder of their nuptials. 😊

What do I need to do to ensure my ordained pastor or marriage officiant at my wedding ceremony includes a handfasting ceremony?

When you first hire an ordained minister or locate a lesbian wedding officiant to conduct gay weddings or LGBTQIA marriage ceremonies, you will need to ask your officiant to conduct a handfasting ceremony into your marriage ceremony. Indeed, if you purchase a wedding ceremony package or a wedding ceremony + rehearsal package, you get one free wedding ceremony enhancement for free and can simply select the handfasting ceremony as your option.

On the other hand, if you choose an elopement marriage ceremony or a courthouse wedding ceremony, you will need to purchase the handfasting ceremony as a separate marriage ceremony enhancement. It only costs about $35.00 as of the time of the publication of this website page, but that price will go up as time passes and inflation occurs. Either way, the cost to have a beautiful handfasting ceremony is still incredibly affordable.

Who provides the cloth or cords for a handfasting ceremony?

Either you or your marriage officiant near me from Lifelong Wedding Ceremonies can provide the cords or cloth for your handfasting ceremony. Some wedding couples have special cords, cloth, or prefer the use of certain colors during their handfasting ceremony. Either way, each justice of the peace at LLWC just wants all brides, grooms, and future spouses to be happy and satisfied with their religious wedding ceremony or nonreligious marriage ceremony in Oklahoma. 😊