I’m an enormous fan of the Offbeat Bride blog, and was so thrilled to see one of my shots from this small but very beautiful commitment ceremony show up in this week’s Monday Montage. So, if you’ve found me via Offbeat Bride, welcome! I love to shoot commitments of all kinds, especially alternative ceremonies. This was my first handfasting ceremony, while researching the meaning and origin of the practice, I found this – “Handfasting was originally practiced by the Greeks and Romans. The Romans created a garland made of magnolia, elder and roses. It was then wrapped around the couple’s wrists to signify love and fidelity. In ancient legends, lovers were united together as they “tied the knot” in the tradition of Celtic handfasting.” Such a cool ritual.
Lilith and Michael planned a small ceremony with some of their closest friends witnessing and participating. We met on a perfect bay area day near Stern Grove, surrounded by redwood and eucalyptus trees, while a family of hawks hunted overhead. Michael told me later that he timed the event to coincide with golden hour – which as you can see worked out very, very well.
More below the cut! Continue reading “San Francisco Commitment, a Handfasting in Stern Grove”