Sussex marriage registrar tears up rule book to perform pagan love ceremonies at Glastonbury Festival


Hand-fasting is a neo-pagan custom in which a couple hold a commitment ceremony, often outdoors whole celebrating a love for nature.
Glenda, from Udimore, has held a number of hand-fasting ceremonies at the Glastonbury Festival and other venues and demand for her services is soaring.
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Hide AdGlenda, who retired from the registration service in 2012, said: “Glastonbury Festival hand-fastings have become extremely popular and demand is higher than ever before. I have had over 40 Glasto enquiries since January and have a waiting list of over 100 couples.”
This year, following the huge demand, she is trailing what she hopes will be a fairer system of walk-in Handfastings. These will be much simpler and hopefully allow more couples to become joined in a union of love.
Couples not lucky enough to get tickets for Glastonbury can find Glenda once again at England’s Medieval Festival at Herstmonceux Castle later this summer.
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Hide AdGlenda has created Medieval style hand-fastings for the Festival which she has attended for the last two years. These include an Engagement and Oath Stone Ceremony.
Last year Glenda was awarded ‘Stall of the Show’ for her stand at the festival.
The first ceremony she conducted was in a family garden in May 2014. Since then she is unable to say quite how many she has conducted. “Probably in the hundreds she says”.
Glenda added: “Celebrants whilst unable to legally marry can support couples to create a meaningful celebration of their marriage in a Wedding Ceremony at anytime, in any place. Most importantly celebrants like us offer unlimited time in planning and creating a truly romantic, meaningful and inclusive ceremony. Offering hand-fastings is just one way I support couples.
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Hide Ad“I work with couples to create romantic and personal ceremonies to celebrate their love, whether that love be in engagement or following legal marriage.”
Visit Glenda’s website at www.cloud9ceremones.co.uk or contact her at [email protected].
See also: Seagulls shot and killed in Sussex