Romantic HandFastings & Weddings

When we were married, my husband and I found no acceptable alternative other than getting married at City Hall, his parents were Jewish of Russian descent and me (being of black Canadian descent). 

We knew of no way to get legally married in a pagan ceremony at that time, as we knew of no legally ordained pagan priests, priestesses, shamans, witches, (or whatever term their path might prefer), in our local area.

I actually, had an interfaith/interracial marriage, he being Jewish by birth and me being pagan.   Since he did not care we were quite happy with our choice and the friends we surrounded ourselves with, who were quite happy with our union.  After my husbands’ passing of cancer Dec. 23^rd 1990, it gave me the impetus to fully pursue my religion more as a mission.

As a result, I had began investigating the Universal Life Church, and a few other online ordination churches.  These extended their umbrella to include many faiths other than pagan ones, with a heavy emphasis among the membership on Christian sects..  As usual when I find one thing I have a tendency to research it to death.  So I also found Church of Spiritual Humanism and was able to ascertain for myself that their official beliefs are not incompatible with my own. I debated heavily, eventually deciding, that the time had come for me to take on this role and responsibility.  I had been asked to officiate a wedding with a Gothic/Celtic/Medieval theme.  So I completed the necessary forms, and became an ordained pagan "minister" of both the Universal Life Church and Church of Spiritual Humanism.  I did eventually lean heavily more toward the latter since they had everything and also can help you become fully licensed in New York City, which is more difficult than just a New York State ordination.  Being mindful that via the internet in no way makes it legal to wed someone in New York City.  NYC does require more stringent documents and questioning.  So please do not indicate to pagans that you are entirely legal here unless you do go the extra steps to make it legal. 

But, as usual, if you tell me ‘cannot’ I find a way to ‘can’ so I found a way to go through everything New York City’s legal demands and became ordained also as a licensed clergy in New York City under our own temple – The NYC Wiccan Family Temple.