A couple have tied the knot at Glastonbury in a unique ‘handfasting’ ceremony – with the rest of the music event becoming their honeymoon.
Cake maker Charlie Lowe, 31, and her partner Charles Shires, 32, an aerial surveyor, made their love official this week at the iconic festival.
Handfasting is a spiritual ritual rooted in Celtic traditions where a couple’s hands are tied together to symbolise their commitment to each other.
Charlie told MailOnline: ‘It was amazing, absolutely unbelievable. The ceremony was so emotional, I cried the whole time.
‘We’ve both been to Glastonbury a lot of times, I three and Charles six. We love it here, everyone is so happy and it’s full of like-minded people. It doesn’t feel like real life.’
She added: ‘I got faux bouquets made with disco balls and I made the hand ties myself too.
‘I made a wedding cake and brought it into the festival. I wanted to challenge myself and see if it would survive 30-degree heat and it did.’
Charlie found the service online and booked it three months well in advance ‘to get a good slot’, as the practice has become increasingly popular among festival-goers.
A couple have tied the knot at Glastonbury in a unique ‘handfasting’ ceremony – with the rest of the music event being their honeymoon
Cake maker Charlie Lowe, 31, (right) and her partner Charles Shires, 32, (left) an aerial surveyor, made their love official this week at the iconic festival
The betrothed couple then celebrated the ceremony with a Yorkshire pudding wrap for their wedding breakfast and some champagne
Handfasting is a spiritual ritual rooted in Celtic traditions where a couple’s hands are tied together to symbolise their commitment to each other
Though the ceremony itself was unconventional, the bride kept it traditional in a classic white wedding dress and veil, while the couple swapped vows
The happy pair were joined by 15 friends who managed to get tickets to the highly sought-after event.
Though the ceremony itself was unconventional, the bride kept it traditional in a classic white wedding dress and veil, while the couple swapped vows.
But Charlie joked they won’t be able to stay tied together for the whole festival: ‘I don’t think that would work with the drop toilets.’
The Harrogate natives have been together for five years and met through a mutual friend at a party.
They got engaged in January and plan to have a legal ceremony next year, but hope to keep it ‘low-key’.
The betrothed couple celebrated the ceremony with a Yorkshire pudding wrap for their wedding breakfast and some champagne.
‘The rest of the festival is like our honeymoon and then I’m having an après Glasto hen do when I get back next week. My friend is organising it so it’s going to be a surprise,’ said Charlie.
However, Zoe Burke, leading wedding expert and editor of Hitched, warns the ceremony isn’t actually legal: ‘A wedding like this isn’t legal in England and Wales, even if led by a registered celebrant, so you’ll either need to do the legal bit ahead of time or after the festival celebration.
‘For those planning in Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Channel Islands, it’ll be up to your celebrant to determine if it’s a suitable location for a wedding.’
