Resources Rituals Norse Pagan Weddings

Norse Pagan Weddings

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Summary

So you want to tie the knot, huh? Looking for some resources for your wedding day? Congratulations! We’re here to help.

Here’s what we know about weddings, and we also have a sample ceremony from a couple who did a Norse Pagan wedding with a mostly Christian family.

Wedding Ceremonies in Heathenry, Asatru and Norse Paganism

This entry is adapted from Our Troth Volume 3 and generously donated by the Publisher for the education and enjoyment of all Heathens. For the unedited and uncut version, buy the book!

So you want to tie the knot, huh? Looking for some resources for your wedding day? We’re here to help, but here are a few caveats.

One, there is “no one right and true Pagan way to get married.” The right way to get married is the way that makes you and your future spouse and your guests feel welcome, special and connected. Toward that end, we wanted to give you this excerpt from Our Troth Volume 3 generously donated by the author.

This version has been heavily edited and condensed for easier reading, so if you want to see the original (with even MORE sources) check out the book.

And check out the Blog for other examples of weddings in Asatru.

Do Norse Pagans call it a Hand-Fasting or a wedding?

Hand-Fasting is something you hear a lot in the more general Pagan community, and sometimes in Asatru and Heathenry as well–usually people who come from a Wiccan-influenced tradition. Yes, you’ll sometimes hear it called “hand-fasting” but you’re also just as likely if not more likely just to hear it called a marriage or a wedding.

Historical Sources for Norse Pagan weddings

For all the depiction of complex wedding negotiations in the sagas, actual depictions of wedding ceremonies are few.

Most accounts of weddings focus on the wedding feasts. As public recognitions of the union, these may have been more important than any purely religious observances would have been. Wedding feasts could be quite lavish. It is probably significant that the Old Norse phrase for celebrating a wedding is drekka brúðhlaup, literally “to drink the wedding.”

We may assume that ale and mead flowed as freely as the resources of the families would permit.

At a famous wedding at Reykjahólar in the year 1119, described in Sturlunga saga (ed. Guðbrandur Vigfússon, vol. 1, p. 19),  the feasting lasted for seven days, and

Þar var nú glaumr ok gleði mikil ok skemtan góð, ok margs-konar leikar, bæði dansleikar, glímur ok sagnaskemmtan—“Now there was merriment and much celebration and good entertainment, and many sorts of games, both dances, wrestling, and saga-telling.”

The wedding feasts of high-status families in the kings’ sagas and legendary sagas usually end with the couple sending every guest home with gifts, a custom called leysa út með gjǫfum, “to dismiss with gifts.” Thus there’s nothing un-Heathen about throwing a big reception with an open bar, a good band, a dance floor, party games (preferably ones that are actually fun), and nice favors for the guests to take home, if the couple wants to do this, and most importantly, can afford to do it. There was more to the drinking than simple enjoyment.

Continental sources mention that a betrothal was made official when the woman bore a drink to the man, which he would take from her hand. Paul the Deacon, in his History of the Langobards, tells how King Authari of the Langobards sought the hand of Theudelinda, daughter of King Garibald of the Bavarians. After successful negotiations through envoys, Authari visited Garibald disguised as one of the envoys, and said to Garibald

“Since we see that the person of your daughter is such that we may properly wish her to become our queen, we would like it if it please your mightiness, to take a cup of wine from her hand, as she will offer it to us hereafter.” When she does this and he touches her hand, she is embarrassed, but her nurse explains that this must be the man chosen to be her husband (History of the Langobards III.30, transl. Foulke, pp. 137-139)

When did Heathens get married?

The sagas say little about when the actual wedding feasts were held, but we have some guidance from folk customs. In southern and western Norway, the first half of the lunar month of Gjø (the fifth lunar month of the winter, falling roughly in February), when the moon was waxing, was a good time for young men to court women and call on the women’s parents to discuss a possible betrothal—but the waning moon was an unlucky time (Olrik and Ellekilde, Nordens Gudeverden, p. 1117).

Olaus Magnus mentioned that betrothals in 16th century Sweden were often made at the end of the grain harvest season in August (History of the Northern Peoples XIII.8, transl. Fisher and Higgens, vol. 2, p. 625-626), but Midsummer was the preferred time for weddings themselves: “Weddings are enhanced by splendid surroundings, a delightful season of the year, and a natural mildness of earth and sky, which seem almost to have been created for joining in marriage” (XIV.10, vol. 2, p. 695).

In German custom, weddings were best held on Friday, which as Frigg’s Day seems suitable. It was said that good weather for the wedding was assured if the cat was fed and treated well, which suggests that Freyja could bless the wedding as well (Grimm, Teutonic Mythology, vol. 1, p. 305).

On the other hand, English tradition had it that Wednesday was best (Baker, Folklore and Customs of Rural England, p. 139). English tradition also has it that marriage in May is unlucky—the old saying is “marry in May, rue for aye” [regret forever]. A folk rhyme from Norfolk has it that marriage during the harvest season is also a bad idea: “They that wive / Between sickle and scythe / Shall 406 never thrive” (Northall, English Folk-Rhymes, p. 500)—probably because the harvest season is the busiest time of the year, when there is no time to spare for a celebration. (And since the previous year’s stores of grain are at their lowest, it would have been hard to brew enough ale for a proper wedding.)

What was a Heathen wedding ceremony like?

The clues we have to the actual ceremony include hallowing the bride with a Hammer, as is done in Þrymskviða 30 (although the bride at the wedding is Thor).

Þá kvað þat Þrymr, þursa dróttinn: “Berið inn hamar brúði at vígja, leggið Mjǫllni í meyjar kné, vígið okkr saman Várar hendi.

”Then Thrym said, lord of thurses: “Bring in the hammer to hallow the bride, lay Mjolnir in the maiden’s lap, let Vár’s hands hallow us together.”

Vár is one of Frigg’s maidens who is specifically said to hear oaths and also arrangements between men and women, and to punish those who break them (Gylfaginning 35). She, and probably other gods, were presumably invoked at weddings and asked to witness the vows.

The Gift of Keys to the Bride

In Rígsþula 23, the archetypal free farmer Karl marries Snœr (“Daughter-In-Law”), who is called hanginlukla, “hung with keys.” As discussed in Our Troth volume 2, chapter 6, keys were the sign of a woman’s ownership of the household; they gave her control of the supplies and treasures that were kept in locked rooms and boxes. Early medieval English women wore bunches of keys and other household implements, hanging from the belt or suspended from chains called chatelaines.

Some of the implements, now called “girdle-hangers,” were not made for practical use and seem to have been symbolic (Owen-Crocker, Dress in Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 66-71).

A Swedish betrothal formula that dates from the 1100s, originally spoken by the bride’s father as he gives her to the groom, refers specifically to the bride’s keys. The oldest version, in alliterative verse that may well go back to oral tradition, appears in the Upplandslagen (Uppland Laws), attributed to King Erik IX, who was credited with codifying Swedish law around the year 1150 (Carlsson, “Nyckeln som Rättslig Symbol,” p. 86)

A version recorded by Olaus Magnus in 1555 translates as

“I give you my daughter to honour as your wife, to possess half your bed, your doors, keys and a whole third part of your wealth in movable and immovable goods, together with every lawful right that Uppland holds from St. Erik and which St. Erik himself gave” (History of the Northern Peoples XIV.9, transl. Fisher and Higgens, vol. 2, p. 693).

Olaus’s version makes clear what is not entirely clear in the original: the woman has clear legal rights in the marriage, including economic rights shown by the keys she will wear.

Should we still continue this in our weddings today?

Modern Heathens might not appreciate the old custom of the father “giving away the bride” to the husband, and so these words might not be appreciated in a modern ceremony.

Nonetheless, they show the importance of the keys and locks as badges of ownership.

It might be fitting for the bride to be ritually given copies of the keys to the couples’ house, the car, etc. as part of the wedding ritual, even if she already has them. Or perhaps the ritual should be made more egalitarian, and both partners may exchange copies of their keys, showing that they will freely share their resources and trust each other to use them responsibly.

The Gift of Swords at the Wedding

As noted, Tacitus claimed that a German husband and wife exchanged gifts of weapons (Germania 18). H. R. Ellis Davidson has noted examples of marriage oaths being sworn on swords in medieval German literature, as well as a Frisian custom of using a “marriage sword” (æftswird, glossed as gladium nuptialem) to temporarily block the bride from entering the groom’s home (“The Sword at the Wedding,” pp. 1-3).

In some cases, marriage oaths may have been sworn on swords for the same reason that other oaths were: with the implication that the sword would betray or kill whoever violated the oath (see Chapter 12).

Swords at weddings may also have been seen as phallic symbols and thus emblems of fertility, or they might be seen as tokens of the groom’s willingness and ability to defend his family. However, HRE Davidson has pointed out that swords are often symbols or embodiments of a family lineage.

How would we do something like this today?

Thus a wedding today could involve the exchange of heirloom swords, if the couple wants to make use of this symbolism. Like Asta in Grettis saga, the parents may hold the swords in trust for the eldest child upon coming of age. If the families don’t happen to own heirloom swords, they might purchase them and then be given them in ritual. If you choose to do this, plan it in advance; high-quality replica swords take time to craft and can be expensive. It’s better to use a sword that you could actually fight with if you had to, one that will hold an edge and withstand a shock, than to use a stainless steel SLO (“SwordLike Object”) that may look terribly impressive but that would shatter or fall apart if you ever actually had to strike with it.

Alternately, other weapons or heirlooms could be exchanged; a bride might find it more meaningful to give her husband her grandfather’s .22 rifle or prized hunting knife than to purchase a replica Viking sword. As always, the details will depend on the families and their means.

The important thing is to understand the spirit of the old customs, and bring that spirit into the modern day in a meaningful way.

An outline for a typical Heathen wedding today might go something like this

  1. Guests Enter
  2. Hallowing of the Rite
  3. Witnesses to the Character of the wedding parties
  4. Invocation of the Gods
  5. The Speaking of Oaths
  6. The Giving of Gifts
  7. The Blessing of Thor
  8. The Announcement of the Couple
  9. Begin the Feast!
  10. The Honeymoon (after the ceremony)

The guests enter the area, whether an outdoors enclosure or the interior of a hall. The couple processes in.

In the old days, a woman passed from being under her father’s protection (mund) to her husband’s protection, and a remnant of this survives in the modern custom of the father walking the bride down the aisle and “giving the bride away.” Some people today find this unnecessary, especially because women today often live independently for years before getting married and are no longer legally required to be under a man’s protection at all times. There is no need to maintain this custom unless the couple wants to.

The ceremony may begin in whatever way is fitting for hallowing a rite

The leader announces the purpose of the ceremony (“We are gathered here today. . .”)

The leader asks friends and family of the couple to step forward and speak of the couple’s good qualities and suitability for marriage.

At this point, documentation of things like gainful employment, insurance, savings, etc. may be brought out to show that the couple can and will support each other. As we have stated, this may sound unromantic, but it was very much a part of our forebears’ thinking. (Hopefully, this will all have been discussed well beforehand, so there should be no surprises here.)

Invocation of the Gods

The leader invokes the gods, and the couple’s ancestors, to hear the marriage oaths and bless the marriage. Vár should certainly be invoked, and probably Frigg herself. The gods that the couple are closest to may also be called on to witness.

The Speaking of Oaths

If this was not done earlier at a betrothal ceremony, the woman might bring a horn of drink to the man, who may drink it, take her hand, and swear his oath over the horn. To make things more egalitarian, each member of the couple might bring a horn to the other; then each may drink, join hands, speak their oaths over the horn, and pour the remaining drink into a common bowl, which may be offered to the gods.

The Giving of Gifts

We don’t know whether rings were exchanged in pre-Christian weddings, but the traditional plain gold wedding bands may certainly be used here, perhaps thought of as smaller versions of oath rings. Olaus Magnus (History of the Northern 413 Peoples XIV.9, transl. Fisher and Higgens, vol. 2, p. 694) claims that at the moment the rings were exchanged, it was customary for the witnesses to slap each other on the back, a custom called festedunth (“confirmation blow;” modern Swedish fästedunt). Be careful if you do this today. If the couple wants to follow the custom described in Germania of exchanging weapons, now is the time to do it. The couple might also exchange bunches of keys, as a tangible sign that both partners will share their resources with the other.

The Blessing of Thor

In Þrymskviða, Thor’s Hammer, Mjollnir, was laid in the bride’s lap to hallow the marriage (and probably to serve as a phallic symbol). If this is not appropriate, the Hammer may be held above the couple, with the officiant asking Thor to hallow their bond and lend his strength to the couple in the inevitable difficulties they will face.

Pronounce the Couple as Married

You’re married now!

Begin the Feast!

There’s an old custom in which the men and women race from the site of the ceremony to the feasting-hall, with the losers required to serve the winners drink. This may be the origin of Scandinavian words for a wedding feast, bryllup in Danish or bröllop in Swedish: from Old Norse brúðhlaup, “bride’s run.” Olaus Magnus (History of the Northern Peoples XIV.4, transl. Fisher and Higgens, vol. 2, p. 687) claims that at the end of a Swedish wedding, a spear was thrown out of the window of the building where the wedding was held, “as a token of mutual covenant and a sign that they will always live together.”

Please be careful if you do this; skewering innocent passers-by is considered to be poor form by most modern wedding planners.

The Honeymoon

The word “honeymoon” originally just meant the first month of a marriage, a time when life should be sweet. Only in the late 19th century did it become usual for newlyweds to take a trip together. The word was once claimed to come from an old custom that a newly married couple should drink plenty of mead together for the first month of their mar- 414 riage. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be historically true (Monger, Marriage Customs of the World, vol. 1, pp. 352-354). But if a couple wishes to drink plenty of mead, who are we to interfere?

Tired of theory? Want to see some practice? Here is a real live example of a Norse Pagan Wedding.

This wedding was performed by Freyjasgythia Patricia Lafayllve for a mixed-faith couple in Saint Paul, Minnesota in October 2015. The groom is Heathen, his family mostly Lutheran and the bride’s family is Catholic.

This was a tricky situation where the couple wanted everyone to feel welcome, but also wanted to be true to the groom’s faith tradition as much as possible. This is where they had to get creative.

Here is what they did to make it work.

Preparing for a Norse Pagan Wedding

It goes without saying that you need to get your paperwork in order. These are the unglamorous things we have to do in order to actually get to the fun stuff. You’ve got a million things to plan and do, but some extra paperwork you will need to file in some states is the Credentials of Ordination for your Clergy if you want to have the wedding performed by a Heathen Priest.

You can get those Credentials of Ordination a couple different ways, but if someone is ordained they should already have them and can get a copy mailed to you. You just might need to get them on file with your state or county.

If you don’t get those, you can’t get that priest on your Marriage License Application, which you want to have on hand at your wedding (you’ll all sign it together with your Priest and Witnesses).

Many couples who want the “Viking Wedding” decide to go the more anachronistic route and use period style garb for the wedding party along with historical elements that more closely resemble the traditions described in the preceding article.

The couple wanted a wedding ceremony that blended both Christian and Heathen elements in a way that felt like a wedding the guests had all seen before and not like a “theme wedding.”

The key to success here was to find ways to play with cultural expectations about what happens at a wedding and use those expectations to make people feel like they’d just seen a “normal wedding.”

What do you wear to a Heathen Wedding?

Wedding attire seems like it’s just fashion, but it’s also a way people can anchor and orient themselves when watching the event. This is where the couple has space to play with just how many expectations they are going to challenge versus which ones are they going to incorporate.

The couple here decided that typical American wedding attire (Tuxedo for the Groom, White Wedding Dress for the Bride) was an expectation they wanted to use as an anchor for the ceremony to help orient the guests. The only person in “garb” was the Priestess performing the ceremony, which also conformed to expectations.

How do you prepare for an Ásatrú wedding?

This particular couple had very typical wedding preparations. There were bridal showers, couples showers, stag nights, hen parties… very much like you’d see in most American wedding preparations. However, there are some specific traditions you may want to weave in that this couple also did.

  • Sauna + Cold Plunge: The communal sauna tradition is very popular among Finns and Sami, but Norse Pagans like a good schwitz as well as anyone else. Even more exhilarating is to have a bath of cold water (or a nice cold river or lake) nearby to jump into after a long sweat. Once again, the idea is that you are being “born anew” into your married life.
  • Ritual Bath: The ritual bath happens the day before the wedding for both bride and groom. This could be something like a spa day or a trip out to a hot spring. These trips are made separately, but the idea is just to scrub yourself squeaky clean in preparation for your new life as a married person.

After that Ritual Bath, the families met up for the Rehearsal Dinner and once again we were back into American Wedding traditions.

Who needs to be in my wedding party for a Heathen Wedding?

The modern wedding features wedding parties, usually made up of a mix of young friends and family of the bride and groom with a “Maid of Honor” and a “Best Man” featuring as the head of the party.

The couple here is very close to their immediate family, so the wedding party instead of being a mix of young family and friends, it was the Bride’s parents, siblings and her witness in her party and the Groom’s parents, siblings and his witness in his party.

The Witness plays an important role in the wedding (and on the subsequent paperwork) and is usually the closest friend of the Bride and Groom respectively.

Most weddings (even if they’re not held in a Church) now have two large groups of seats with a single aisle down the middle and an altar, stage or high seat in front, which mimics the nave of a Church.

We don’t know exactly how the interiors of Heathen Temples were set up nor do we know whether or not weddings had to happen there, just FYI.

The seats are usually reserved with the Bride’s party on one side and the Groom’s party on the other. This couple didn’t want to challenge the expectation here. The space was set up very much in keeping with the cultural expectations.

There was table at the front and a young tree set up behind the table. The couple chose a young tree together that for them symbolized their relationship: a Honeycrisp apple tree. The young tree was to be planted at the couples’ first home.

Here is set up for the ritual table at the wedding.

The Priestess had set out a few objects on the table which were to be ready for use in the ritual.

  • The couple had been given a customized drinking horn so that was on the table for the frith-weaving ceremony.
  • The next item was an oath ring that belonged to the Gythia, an oath ring is a large metal ring usually embellished with designs and stones and it is kept by an organization, kindred or group as an object for the swearing of oaths.
  • The altar had photographs of the couple’s beloved dead, as an invitation for them to witness and participate in the wedding.
  • There was also an icon of Freyja as this was the deity the couple had chosen to “preside” over the vows because of the gifting-relationship the groom had begun with Her 15 years before.
  • A candle or small brazier that the couple light together. This can be a big bonfire if you wish but we’re just keeping it small here.

The table was decorated simple with flower petals, fruits, nuts and grain and a small bowl for libation of the wedding mead.

Do we need to invoke the Gods for our wedding? If so, which ones, when and how?

The God you invoke in any situation like this should be the God who has your full trust. Some Heathens think that Var must be invoked (because of a line in the Prose Edda that she was called to witness oaths). That’s all fine and good if you’ve got no one else in mind, but if you want to “swear to Thor” because Thor is your guy, then go right ahead.

Whichever God you invoke at your wedding portends nothing about your marriage. If you invoke Loki, it doesn’t mean your marriage is going to be chaotic. If you invoke Odin it doesn’t mean that you’re going to get cheated on. If you invoke Freyja it doesn’t mean someone is going to get cheated on. If you invoke Freyr it doesn’t mean someone is going to get… cheated on. It’s fine.

This couple decided to perform the invocation before the wedding, the morning of the ceremony. This was to minimize confusion and keep things moving along during the ceremony itself. But if you feel like doing an invocation during the ceremony, that would come just after the entrances and benediction.

Ásatrú Weddings: The Ceremony Itself

The Groom’s Party entered first in the following order:

(to music: Telemark Wedding March)

  • The Priestess
  • The Groom’s Parents
  • The Groom
  • The Siblings of the Groom
  • The Witness for the Groom

The Bride’s Party then Entered in the following order:

(to music: Red is the Rose)

  • The Bride’s Parents
  • The Bride
  • The Siblings of the Bride
  • The Witness for the Bride

They Stood at the front of the hall in the following order (from stage left to right)

  • Bride’s Witness
  • Bride’s Siblings
  • Bride’s Parents
  • Bride
  • Priestess
  • Groom
  • Groom’s Parents
  • Groom’s Siblings
  • Groom’s Witness

How do you give a Norse Pagan Benediction?

Benediction just means “Good speech” before a ceremony begins. This is where the skill of a Priest really shines through. The goal here was to welcome everyone and make sure they knew the order of events, the symbolism behind each action and to give a little “homily’ on the idea of what marriage is.

This is going to be specific to your officiant (though you can collaborate) but one thing it shouldn’t be is a history lecture. Keep the benediction about the couple, the family of the couple and maybe a bit of a meditation on love and commitment.

The first key part of the wedding is the statement from each of the witnesses about the couple. This can be something as simple as just saying “yes, both of these people want to be here doing what they’re doing.”

But it can also feature a story about the couple, something about how good they work together and how everyone wishes them well. This statement is going to be written by the witnesses themselves and is going to be similar to what you’d traditionally hear at a reception dinner.

After the speech, the Witness hands the rings they carry to the Priestess. These rings go inside the large oath ring on the table.

The second important event is the giving of gifts by the parents of the bride and groom.

These gifts are meant to be special but symbolic. While we have records of swords being a popular gift, there is no need today to give someone a sword or a weapon of any kind.

The Groom typically received a sword and the Bride a set of keys. In this case, the groom received an heirloom pocket knife and the bride a set of antique keys to a family farm in Norway.

These gifts were accompanied by a speech from both parents welcoming the Bride and Groom into their families. This speech can be joined by siblings as well. It can be something as simple as saying “Yes” when the Priest asks if they accept the Bride or Groom as a member of their own family, or it can be another speech like one you’d hear at a reception dinner.

Now the Bride and Groom finally get to talk and exchange wedding vows.

First, the Priestess raises the big oath ring and blesses it in the name of the God or Goddess invoked. She then gives it to the Bride and Groom and each hold it with one hand.

The wedding vows can be written by the Bride and Groom themselves (as this couple chose to do) and they can read them to each other. You can also have a simple shared wedding vow that goes something like this;

I (name) do swear to love, honor and treasure (name of partner) from hence your honor is my honor, your luck my luck, your sorrow my sorrow , your home my home, and your joy my joy for as long as we both shall live. 

After the vows, the Priestess presents the couple with the individual rings. They then exchange those rings at this point.

You’re almost done!

After the exchange of rings you can kiss each other and then begin some of the post wedding festivities.

After the couple shares a kiss and gets a round of applause, there is one more thing that they can do that this couple chose to add in, which is “frithweaving’ where the new couple passes a horn of mead to each member of the family beginning with the eldest family member present.

In this case, the Bride and Groom filled a horn of mead and walked over and knelt in front of the Grandmother of the Bride (who was very surprised and delighted to be suddenly included) and offered her a drink of mead. They then went to the Aunt of the Groom and kneeling offered her a drink of mead, and she was similarly delighted to be included.

The couple did this to every member of the wedding party until it came to the Priestess, who raised the horn and proclaimed “Peace has been woven today between these families. May it ever be so!” she then took a drink and poured the rest into a bowl as an offering to the ancestors on the table.

One thing this couple chose to incorporate was the sawing of a log.

Some members of the family thought it would be a fun idea to put a log in the path of the couple as they exited for the receiving line and then handed them a saw. They shouted and cheered for the couple to saw the log in half before they could proceed.

Showing great teamwork, the couple took a handsaw and worked together to saw the log in half so they could finally get something to eat.

You can come up with all kinds of challenges for the Bride and Groom on the way out. The main thing is to make the challenge something fun that they can do together to show their teamwork. But do try to keep it to just one challenge.

We’ve gotten through the set up, now it’s time for the main event. This was how the couple chose to set out the ceremony itself. At this point, it’s important to answer a few questions, because not everyone is going to have the kind of “close family” that this couple did. So what do you do in that case?

Do I need to have my parents or siblings in my wedding party?

What if you have a really complicated relationship with your family, or they couldn’t attend? There are a few options.

  • If there is someone in the family that you actually have a good relationship with (a cool aunt, some nice cousins) or just someone who can and is willing to step up in a pinch, then you can bring them in your wedding party.
  • There is also nothing wrong with just having a group of your closest friends as your family in the wedding party. Friends are “chosen family” after all.
  • If you have step-parents that were influential on your life, then there is no reason to exclude them if you want them to be in the wedding party. The wedding party can be as big (or as small) as it needs to be. There isn’t a magic number you’re trying to hit.

What if I or my partner aren’t comfortable with the “Bride’ and “Groom” roles?

There is nothing written in stone that anyone has to be called a Bride or a Groom. They’re just roles, after all. You can change them however you like to fit with your gender expression and identity. This goes for attire as well. While this couple was able to do more “expected” wedding attire, there’s nothing saying who has to wear what.

Could be two tuxedos. Could be two wedding gowns. Could be any number of combinations of outfits. The important thing is that you feel good and like you’re about to do something really important and special with the person you love and all the people who support you.

The Norse Pagan Wedding: The Reception Feast

People sometimes do a “laying of the hammer in the bride’s lap” to bless her at her wedding after she sits down to feast.

There aren’t particular foods or drink that you’re supposed to drink or eat after a wedding. Some have personal beliefs about certain herbs and vegetables that lead to greater “fertility” but it’s a bit weird for people to be so concerned with whether or not some couple is going to have kids.

Great if they want to, but slipping someone a leek and saying it’ll guarantee a speedy pregnancy isn’t always going to be the most welcome gesture, no matter how well meant. (Also lots of hetereonormativity going on here).

But you can treat this like the end of any other religious rite: a big feast or humble supper for all the guests, maybe some dancing (this couple did Polka) and partying late into the night.

There is no requirement for the party to go particularly late or end early. It’s really up to you and the venue.

We hope this has been helpful to you in planning your wedding. If you need any more help or an officiant, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will do our best to help.