View The Invitation

As we decided to have Pagan Wedding and new our family and friends would have no idea what that meant we included some information what this type of ceremony meant to us.

~ THE CELEBRANT ~
Marybeth is the first and only legally accredited Pagan Marriage Celebrant in NSW and has performed many rituals and ceremonies over the past 10 years.

~ WHAT IS PAGANISM? ~
The recognition of the divine in nature is at the heart of Pagan belief. Pagans are deeply aware of the natural world and see the power of the divine in the ongoing cycle of life and death. Most Pagans are eco-friendly, seeking to live in a way that minimises harm to the natural environment. Pagans worship the Sacred as immanent in Nature, often personified as Mother Earth and Father Sky/Sun.

Individuals will often choose Goddesses or Gods from any of the world's pantheons whose stories are particularly inspiring and use those Deities as a focus for personal devotions. It is very important to be aware that Pagans do not in any way worship or believe in "Satan," "the Devil," or any similar entities.

Many pagans believe that 'if it harms none, do what you will'. Following this code, Pagan theology is based primarily on experience, with the aim of Pagan ritual being to make contact with the divine in the world that surrounds them.

Many Pagan also practice magic, by which they mean the direction and use of "psychic energy," those natural but invisible forces which surround all living things. Pagans employ such means as dance, chant and creative visualisation to focus and direct psychic energy for the purpose of healing, protecting and aiding others in various endeavours. The religion requires each member to thoughtfully and meditatively examine her or his own conscience and to live by it.

~ HANDFASTING ~
The handfasting gesture is derived from one of the ancient Indo-European images of male-female conjunction, the infinity sign, whose twin circles represent sun (male) and moon (female) cycles, one right-handed and the other left-handed. The right side of either sex was always considered the solar or male side, while the left side was lunar or female. Marriage, then, consisted of uniting the two right hands like an ordinary handshake, then the two left hands, so that the partners' arms formed the graphic cycles of "infinity" or completeness.

~ BINDING OF THE HANDS ~
Binding is a symbol of the coming together of Goddess & God, binding the feminine powers of creation with the masculine in the fruition of life. Through the warmth of the sun and the magic of the moon, these bonds symbolise the eternal unity of love.

~ THE RING ~
The wedding rings origin began in the deserts of North Africa, where the ancient Egyptian civilization sprang up along the fertile flood plains of the river Nile. This river was bringer of all fortune and life to the Pharaoh's people and from plants growing on its' banks were the first wedding rings fashioned. Sedges, rushes and reeds, growing alongside the well-known papyrus were twisted and braided into rings.

The ring of course is a circle and this was the symbol of eternity for the Egyptians as well as many other ancient cultures. It had no beginning and no end, like time. It returned to itself, like life; and the shape was worshipped in the form of the Sun and the Moon. The hole in the centre of the ring is not just space either; it is important in its own right as the symbol of the gateway, or door; leading to things and events both known and unknown.

It is not difficult therefore, to see how the ring and the gift of the ring began to be associated with love, in the hope that this most worthy of emotions could take on the characteristics of the circle and capture eternity.

They wore it like we do today, on the second finger of the left hand, because of a belief that the vein of that finger directly travelled from the heart. This legend was later taken up by the Greeks, when they conquered Egypt under the generalship of Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. and from them passed onto the Romans, who called this the 'vena amoris', which is Latin for 'the vein of love'.

~ THE ORIGIN OF 'HONEYMOON' ~
It was believed that if the newly married couple were to drink mead each evening for the duration of one moon following the wedding, they were assured a male heir within one year. And, if that did occur, lavish gifts and accolades were bestowed upon the meadmaker (artisans that were highly revered at the time). In other words, the couple drank mead (honey wine) for one month (moon) ... thus the word honeymoon. The mead was drunk from a Mazer cup which was passed down throughout the generations. The cup was usually an ornate chalice, but for some it was rather simple.

~ MEAL REQUIREMENTS ~
Please let us know of any meal requirements when you RSVP.

~ DIRECTIONS ~
The wedding ceremony is to be held at the North end of Freshwater Beach. There is parking at the beach as marked on the map. It is advisable to park there then drive the 5 minutes to the Harbord Diggers after the ceremony. For those not driving please note that you can walk from the beach to the Diggers but it is a very steep journey. The walk will only take about 10-15 minutes.

~ DRESS & SHOES ~
Ladies dress is wedding attire.
Men's dress is collared shirt and trousers (suits are not necessary, unless that is your preferred attire).
We request that you wear no shoes on the beach. We want you to be connected to the natural surroundings.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS THE DAY BEFORE SO PLEASE TAKE NOTE OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE AN HOUR EARLY!!

Blessed Be xo