It's usually not about the individuals, though, and love, if it happens, is usually expected to grow after the two have been married.

One example of this is in some Moslem communities in Indonesia.

If they decided they were not a good match, the couple were allowed to dissolve their hand-fast and be free to choose another suitor and bride.

As Celtic culture spread from Ireland and Scotland through Britain and into western Europe, so did the customs of marriage.

We have some great tips on how to design your hand-fasting chord, and some ways to personalize it so it is truly unique to you as a couple. in ancient Ireland, two people who chose to be married were brought together, often on a feast day such as Beltane, and faced each other.

Marriages are still arranged by the mothers, sometimes at birth, although these early agreements are often broken.

There are more females than males within the Traveler communities, so competition for marriage partners is strong.

There's one quaint custom where the groom was invited to the bride's house right before the wedding and they cooked a goose in his honor.

It was called Aitin' the gander and it has to be where we get the expression "his goose is cooked!