Wedding and Commitments
Wedding and commitment ceremonies with Entheos
So you’re planning your wedding? Congratulations!!!
At Entheos, we know that there is no such thing as a “standard” couple or family- which means we don’t believe in holding “standard” weddings. We know that all couples and families are different, and we know that people marry for different reasons, with different intentions and expectations, and at different stages of their lives. We embrace and welcome all of these diversities! And we will work with you to create a ceremony that honours and includes all of these precious details that make you the couple and family that you are.
Celebrate At City Sanctuary
We have our own bright and beautiful ceremony space right in the heart of Dublin at The Coombe, and we have done everything we can to ensure it is as inclusive, accessible (including wheelchair access) and welcoming as possible- and we’d love to welcome you and your guests there! We can also hold your ceremony in the venue of your choice (legal ceremonies are subject to certain guidelines), but wherever you choose, we are very happy to work with you to create a ceremony that uniquely reflects you both as individuals and as a couple (and a family, if children are involved).
Entheos ceremonies are entirely non-denominational, and can contain as much or as little spirituality as you’d like. We can discuss this in more depth when we meet, but for now please know that it is our great joy to create a ceremony which is deeply meaningful and precious to you, so that your family and friends feel deeply connected and included during it. This might mean that you’d like it to be very lighthearted with touches of humour, you might like it small and quiet with minimal attention on you, or super glamorous and larger than life, or maybe you’re planning a simple, elegant ceremony in the presence of your nearest and dearest– you tell us what you’re aiming for and we will guide you from there.
It is of the utmost importance to us that you feel your ceremony reflects who you both are and what your marriage means to you, so we offer as much support and guidance as you feel you need in the lead-up to your ceremony, and we will share as much or as little as you’d like during your ceremony. Some couples like to keep things super simple, and some like to share a bit more- we are happy to do what feels right for you!
If you are reading this and you feel an Entheos ceremony would be a good fit for you and your partner, please contact us here to enquire about our availability on your date.
WEDDING CEREMONY OPTIONS
Tying The Knot / Celtic Handfasting
We can incorporate a Handfasting ceremony into any ceremony option, or you may opt for a full, stand-alone handfasting ceremony.
This is ideal for couples who wish to mark their engagement in line with the ancient wisdom of our (Pre-Christian) Brehon Laws, or who wish to renew their wedding vows through a handfasting. The beauty of the handfasting ceremony is that it emphasises the freedom with which each spouse gives their hand to the other, in full knowledge of who they are marrying, and why.
Brehon law was incredibly fair by comparison to our current legal system, and under Brehon law, the handfasting ceremony acknowledged the simple reality that living with another person is not always easy, so it makes sense to have a handfasting period as a trial run in advance of the full marriage.
And if the handfasting is incorporated in the full marriage ceremony, it symbolises the end of the engagement period, and the beginning of the couple’s full commitment to one another, in marriage.
The Remembrance Candle
This is a beautiful and significant way to pause at the beginning of your ceremony, to honour and remember those friends and family members from both sides of both families, who have gone before. We can keep it simple and open, or we can name their names, whatever feels right for you both. Our celebrants are very experienced, and will talk you through this in detail, as needed.
Lighting this candle is symbolic of all the light and the love they brought into the world, and the flame represents the memories of them that live on every time we call them to mind. If you choose to have a Unity/Family Candle ceremony later, we can take the flame from the remembrance candle, and carry it forward into your marriage candles, as a way of carrying all this light and love forward into your new lives together.
The Unity / Family Candle
The Sand / Salt / Earth Ceremony
This ceremony symbolises the union of two individual lives into one, through the pouring of sand / salt / earth into a vessel, to serve as a visual reminder of the wedding day. This is very suitable for blended families, or couples who have children already, and younger children tend to enjoy the visual and tactile effect of pouring the coloured sands. For couples who enjoy cooking together, two types of salt can be blended, and then brought home to be used in as seasoning for the meals they share together in the family home.
The Oathing Stone
In this tradition, the couple each lay their hand on the stone as they speak their vow to each other. Once complete, the stone is placed in a place of honor for the remainder of the ceremony. After the ceremony is complete, the newly married couple release the stone back to the elements by whatever means is felt as being the most appropriate.
The Wine Bottle / Memory Box Ceremony
The Coin Promise
This is an old tradition whereby the couple exchange a coin, to symbolise the bringing of all their possessions – material and otherwise – to the marriage, to be shared with the other.
CELEBRATE WITH ENTHEOS
If you feel an Entheos ceremony would be a good fit for you and your partner, please contact us here to enquire about our availability on your date.
