Handfasting - Wikipedia: Handfasting is a betrothal or wedding ritual in which the couple's clasped hands are tied together by a cord or ribbon ??? hence the phrase "tying the knot". The tying of the hands may be done by the officiant of the ceremony, by the wedding guests, or by the couple themselves.
cat's out of the bag now, and trust me, I've had some experience with cats and bags -- Annie's found out about our secret plan for 7:58pm on June the 20th, and yes, that's this year, and yes, that's the exact start of a Friday Solstice that peaks at a perfect party-hour of about 11pm and all of which just seemed too serendipitous a coincidence to ignore, especially when it turns out there's an Officiant who was secretly our nearly next door neighbour and getting right down to business, she specializes in these sorts of things.ya gotta admire a wedding ceremony that involves a bit of bondage ...