My Pagan and Christian Wedding: How We Combined Faiths

On the morning of October 9th, 2020, I was drinking coffee in a large rattan chair. My bridesmaid sat on the floor, crocheting an image of the planet Saturn with a smiley face. My other bridesmaid sat across from her, playing Animal Crossing. Meanwhile, I was looking at the trees outside, deeply breathing in the scent of pine, and gripping my prayer beads. If I did not have my Wiccan prayer beads with me, I would not  have remained calm until the first look.

Back in May 2020, I wrote a post about planning my interfaith Pagan and Christian wedding. A few of my readers pitched in with ideas about how I can incorporate both religions or shared struggles with their own weddings. I never revealed what we did or how it went to the readers who spent time helping me. 

Today, I’m going to cover what we actually did, rather than ideas of what we could do. Hopefully, this will give people ideas for their own wedding or another celebration where you need to combine religions. My husband and I made the ceremony as religiously-neutral as possible, not explicitly leaning toward Christianity or Paganism. If that sounds interesting, read on.

Also, because this is a Pagan blog, I’m going to focus on how I subtly incorporated Pagan aspects into the wedding.

All wedding photos are from Emily Saenz. You can find her on Instagram @heyemilysaenz or her website.

Making the Handfasting Cords

The most “religious” part of our wedding was the handfasting ceremony. Although many people associate handfasting with Paganism, it used to be performed during Christian weddings--or rather, before. Handfasting was sometimes viewed as an “unofficial” marriage until a pastor could arrive. Other times, it was incorporated into the wedding.
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We decided to do a handfasting because (1) I really wanted it and (2) it reflects both of our ancestries. Both families have ancestors from the British Isles, and the ritual is appropriate for both Christian and Pagan ceremonies.

The first part, which I did not cover in the last post, was making the handfasting cords. While you can buy cords online, I wanted to make my own. I created four cords to represent the elements earth, fire, air, and water. The colors and designs of the ribbons reflect those. If you want a tutorial on making handfasting cords, let me know in the comments.

I also put charms on the cords that represent both faiths. Every cord had two charms, one on each end. Here is what I put on:
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• Earth cord: a Celtic cross with spirals; a pink skull charm for Hades
• Fire cord: a wooden pentagram; a jade crystal that I devoted to the God
• Air cord: a triquetra; a cross with a pentagram in it
• Water cord: a rose quartz pendant for love; a quartz crystal that I devoted to the Goddess

These photos are mine. Let me know if you would like a handfasting cord tutorial!

The Religiously Vague Ceremony

As I mentioned in the previous post, my husband and I wanted a short, “non-denominational” ceremony. We wanted the ceremony to be about us, not about religion. On the bright side, we did not need to plan much for this. The officiate takes care of it--who, in this case, was my grandmother.

We told my grandmother that we wanted a brief history about handfasting and why we chose it. She then chose a spiritual quote from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran which she thought reflected us. (Good thing she studied psychology and religion!)

During the ceremony, the officiate explained our reasons for the handfasting. Then, my parents and the groom’s parents each tied a cord. This symbolized both families coming together. While they tied the cords, the officiate recited the quote.

After, we removed the cords and recited our personal vows. We then exchanged rings, and viola! The ceremony is done and we get to party.

A Memorial for the Dead

Just by reading the title of this blog, you’ll understand that I work with the dead. Honoring ancestors is important to me, especially family members who were not there to celebrate my wedding. One was my grandfather, husband of the officiate.

I wanted a way to commemorate the dead. Some people weddings provide photos of the deceased, but we did not have time. Because of the uncertainty with the pandemic, we confirmed with our venue about two months prior and had to rush some things.

Instead, I purchased a memorial plaque from ThePaintedHedge. It came with a candle to light in honor of the dead. Next to it, I wrote down the names of the deceased family members and put it in a frame.

This memorial stood next to the sweetheart table during the reception. People seemed to appreciate it, especially my grandmother.

Religious Jewelry

Because our ceremony was religiously vague, I found personal ways to express my Wiccan beliefs. One was jewelry. Long before the wedding, I had purchased formal Pagan jewelry from the Etsy shop Sheekydoodle. Check them out if you want something similar.

For the necklace, I chose the simple pearls with the pentagram. It complemented the simple wedding dress without overpowering. I also wore a hair comb in the symbol of the Goddess. Not to get all Wiccan on you, but marriage tends to be an obvious marker of the transition from maidenhood to adulthood. Since the Goddess has undergone all stages of life and holds our hands through change, I wanted Her there with me. This hairpiece is from Ayreeworks.

I also brought two sets of prayer beads. Initially, I was not going to do this. About a month before the wedding, I worked with my therapist on preventing “wedding amnesia.” This is when the bride or groom feels so stressed and rushed that they forget most of the day. In other words, it was something that I absolutely did not want.

My therapist recommended that I could practice mindfulness by holding something. Whenever I felt anxious, I could focus on the object’s texture or appearance. This slows down the mind and gives it time to develop memories. She asked if I had any religious object to hold, and I brought up my prayer beads.

The first is a pair of Wiccan selenite beads from Sheekydoodle (same as the necklace). I clung to these while getting ready, when my nerves were highest. It really helped to ground me--that plus planning plenty of downtime and walking outside every so often.

The second pair were my Hades prayer beads from Hearthfire Handworks, whom I highly recommend. I wore them around my wrist during the ceremony and reception. As a Hades devotee, I wanted Him to be involved with the ceremony somehow, even if I was the only one who noticed.

And yes, these methods worked. I remember almost everything from my wedding day.

The Bouquet and Other Small Aspects

While I was planning the wedding, I asked some friends on a Pagan discord server how I could incorporate more of my faith into the wedding. People mentioned the flowers, which was a great idea! But by that point, I had already settled the florals and could not change them.

My friends then asked what I had planned. My florist, Molly Zager, brilliantly incorporated artichokes into the bouquet. Jesse from Tea with the Gods mentioned that artichoke is an aphrodisiac, an unexpected symbol of Aphrodite. That worked out!

On top of that, the bouquet was green and purple. I chose these colors because I enjoyed them, and I did not expect people to connect them to Hera. The Goddess of marriage is commonly represented with a peacock--purple and green! I really enjoyed this accidental connection and used it as a springboard to start working with Hera.

Now, I want to mention some other things that I neglected in the previous post.

The venue was one of the few wedding aspects that I refused to budge on. I loved Sacred Mountain. It was in a town that my husband and I used to camp at before we got engaged. Plus, it was quite literally on a mountain. Both of us wanted a lot of trees and greenery; getting married in nature was a must for me. Grass, wind, and trees bring us closer to deities than churches, in my opinion.

Our circle arch had some symbolism. This came with the venue, but it reflects the magic circle that is often cast during Wiccan weddings. We did not cast a circle during the ceremony, but we did have a circle arch covered in florals.

Lanterns also came with the venue and were incorporated into our decor. The bridesmaids carried white lanterns filled with flowers, and after the ceremony, these were reused as centerpieces. It saved money and gave off a “witchy” feel.

Other Ideas That We Did Not Incorporate

Because of our limited time and budget, we did not use all of the ideas that I considered. Here are some recommendations that readers offered on the last post. I couldn’t do them, but I want to give them a shoutout.

• Themed wedding gifts. One reader recommended Pagan-esque wedding favors, specifically these pomegranate jars from the Etsy shop EranaDesign. I also considered giving candles, honey jars, and flavored olive oil. Because of time and money, we could not do any of these.
• Tossing lavender petals. When the couple walks down the aisle together, many people throw rice. We thought about tossing lavender petals instead. Along with being environmentally friendly, lavender is used in calming and love spells. We scrapped this due to Covid compliance.
• Drawing symbols on shoes. Some people recommended drawing sigils or writing prayers on the bottom of your shoes. Great idea, but I had two pairs of shoes that were difficult to draw on.
• Tossing coins into a well. One reader considered tossing coins into a well (or another body of water) with your spouse. Not only do you get to make a wish together, but it also reflects the payment given to the Underworld’s ferryman, Charon.
• Deity-themed flowers and herbs. A few people proposed flowers and herbs to signify Hades, mainly mint and pomegranate seeds. If you honor a certain deity, you can tie the flowers to Them. Put them on the arch, boutonnieres, centerpieces, bouquets, and more.
• Floating candle centerpieces. These centerpieces fill a jar with water and float a tealight candle on it. It’s a beautiful way to represent earth (the candle), fire and air (the flame), and water. You can even float dried herbs in the water.
• Pendants on the bouquet. On the bridal bouquet, some people will attach pendants onto the ribbon. These can be pictures of deceased loved ones, religious symbols, or anything else close to your heart.
• Themed nail polish was also brought up, such as painting them in a deity’s colors or symbols. I already have religious finger tattoos, so I didn’t do this.​
• ​The color theme in general. I didn’t want to bother much with a color theme, so I just matched the venue: sage bridesmaid dresses, floral ties, light blue and pink flowers. But if you want the colors to represent something, like the four elements or a deity, go for it.

What Do You Think?

Would you incorporate any of these ideas into a wedding? Or do you prefer a split ceremony with both Christian and Pagan rituals? Let me know in the comments below!