Handfasting

thumb|Betrothed by Richard Dudensing (1833–1899)

Handfasting ( ) is a traditional practice that, depending on the term's usage, may define an unofficiated wedding (in which a couple marries without an officiant, usually with the intent of later undergoing a second wedding with an officiant), a betrothal (an engagement in which a couple has formally promised to wed, and which can be broken only through divorce), or a temporary wedding (in which a couple makes an intentionally temporary marriage commitment). The term refers to making a pledge fast by shaking or joining hands.