As a wedding photographer I hear the terms "tying the knot" and "asking for her hand in marriage" quite often, but I never thought about where the terms came from until last Saturday when I photographed Robyn and Cory's handfasting/wedding. Handfasting is an old world Celtic tradition that pre-dated traditional Christian ceremonies, and is still a common tradition in Scotland. If you saw the movie Braveheart you might remember the scene in which Wallace and Murron are married in a secret handfasting ceremony in the woods. In a handfasting wedding ritual the officient takes the hands of the couple and lightly ties them together with a ribbon or cord, symbolizing their coming together in marriage, just as does the more modern practice of lighting a unity candle. Thus the terms tying the knot and asking for her hand in marriage. Now you know.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
