Unity Ceremony Tartan

An ancient Celtic marriage rite in which the couple's joined hands are wrapped with cords or ribbons and tied while vows or a blessing are spoken. The phrase tying the knot comes from it. In early practice it marked a betrothal or a trial marriage lasting a year and a day rather than a permanent union.

At least one and a half metres per length, and two metres is better. The cord has to wrap around two joined hands with enough left over to tie a knot, and a cord that runs short in the middle of a ceremony is a problem nobody wants. If in doubt, order longer.

Anywhere from one to several, and there is no rule. A common approach is three braided lengths, one for each family's tartan and one representing the marriage. Some ceremonies lay a separate ribbon across the hands after each vow, which needs one per vow. Agree the number with your celebrant before ordering.

Yes, and it is one of the most meaningful ways to do it, since the cord then physically joins both families. Braiding the two setts together is the usual method. If one family has no tartan, a district, national or universal sett stands in perfectly well and nobody will think it a compromise.

In Scotland a handfasting conducted by an authorised celebrant can form part of a legally binding ceremony. Elsewhere it is usually a symbolic ritual added to a civil or religious service rather than a substitute for it. Check with your celebrant and your local registrar, since the rules vary by country and by state. For the rest of the wedding party, see kilt outfits.

Most couples keep it, and many frame it or display it with the wedding photographs. Some have it made into something else later. If you want it to last, keep it out of direct sunlight and stored flat rather than knotted, since a permanent knot sets a crease into the weave over years. Cords are cut from tartan ribbon by the metre.