A Handfasting ceremony for two… or three (or more)

The Celtic ritual has become a popular commitment ceremony for some polyamorous couples.

En October 2019, just over a year and a half after meeting on Tinder, Amber Fontenot proposed to Ashley McFaul in a corn maze. But it wasn't a legal marriage she was proposing - Mrs Fontenot already had a husband of nine years, Chad Fontenot.

Mrs. Fontenot, who is polyamorous, proposed that she and Mrs. McFaul engage with each other in a Celtic handfasting ceremony.

Handfasting is an ancient practice that "has become more popular at every level," said Scarlett Mullikin, an officiant based in Kankakee County, Illinois, and founder of Natural Element Ceremonies. And because it's about Tying partners' hands together - symbolizing the bonding of two, three, four (or more) lifetimes - is "the easiest way to connect multiple partners" or those who are polyamorous, she said. /p>< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Consensual non-monogamy (or C.N.M.) — an umbrella term that includes polyamory and open relationships — has helped to remove some of its stigma, and the practice of C.N.M. er-supervisor and sex therapist in Houston. A 2021 study found that 1 in 6 people surveyed wanted to engage in polyamory, while 1 in 9 had done so at some point in their life.

Interest in open relationships appears to be even higher, according to a 2021 YouGov poll: it found that 25% of over 25,000 respondents were interested in an open relationship. (An open relationship often involves having other sexual partners, while polyamory, which means "lots of love," refers to someone having other romantic partners.)

ImageAshley McFaul, left, and Amber Fontenot, far right, who are in a polyamorous relationship, got engaged in of a wedding ceremony conducted by Mrs. McFaul's aunt, Cindae Wilson.Credit...Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times

"I wanted that Ashley know that I love her as much as I love Chad," said Ms. Fontenot, a territory manager for a manufacturer of hydraulic hoses. Which isn't to say that Chad and Ashley are involved with each other: "Ashley is monogamous," Ms. Fontenot said. They all live together in Houston.

Ms. McFaul, 34, and Ms Fontenot, 30, were engaged on October 31 in a fasting ceremony led by Ms McFaul's aunt, Cindae Wilson, in front of 35 guests. M. Fontenot was one of them. "Chad is very supportive and loves us," Ms. Fontenot said.

"It was important to have a moment to share our love and celebrate it with people that were important to us," Ms. McFaul said. "It's about a basic level of human respect and love and nothing else." (Ms. Fontenot and Ms. McFaul are also featured in an upcoming episode from "Say Yes to the Dress" filmed in New York at Kleinfeld.)

Handfastings" have been used as a wedding ceremony or included in weddings since Norse antiquity “said Mr. Lerman, adding that they pro...