Werewolf Wedding Tradition
History
It is unknown when the practice first started, but most likely started as a holdover from the Lycans, and was folded into Werewolves' own culture and traditions, blending with those of the Pack of Ferventi. Although many practices are also found within the Pack, the Pack does not typically follow most of the same traditions except for in interracial marriages wherein one is a werewolf themselves.
Over time, it has become less common for couples to ask Ferventi alone to give a blessing for their marriage. Other gods, often the patrons of the couple or gods relating to specific issues with their relationship or lives overall, are also often asked for a blessing. Traditionally, if a god asked did not respond, the wedding would be put on hold until the blessing was given, however in modern times this is often ignored, especially since the start of the War of the Moon. Olrath, Soliairs Taeyang, Mora, The God of Life, Sobki, God of Crocodiles, and Ryoma, God of Tuna are the most common gods asked in the modern day to bless werewolf marriages.
Execution
Werewolf weddings are quite traditional and have a long history, becoming extremely ingrained in their culture. Traditionally, both partner's families will be present for the affair and assist the couple in their wedding traditions. Couples that have not yet had children or their children have already reached adulthood will build a small shrine to Ferventi, God of Wolves and present offerings given by both sides of their families together. Couples that presently do have young children will often skip this step, as they are considered to have already been given his blessing, but will often adorn their clothing with wolves or crescent moons carved from deer antler or moose bone, and eat a family heirloom meal for breakfast, and then one from the other side for dinner. The couple will then be separated until nightfall.
While separated, each partner will be prepared for the ceremony by their partner's family. Most often this includes extensive grooming, spa treatments, and haircuts and trims, often coordinated with the other family to prevent the couple from being in the same location at the same time. Their fur along the neck, chest, and tail if long enough is often braided with Death's Bloom flowers, charms, and leather clasps. Young children within the families are tasked with braiding floral wreathes for the couple to wear as headdresses, bracelets, and or anklets, though this is typically understood to be a distraction for them, in order to allow the adults to focus on preparing the couple while still allowing the children to feel included.
Men will generally be dressed with a long cloak wrapped around their shoulders and neck to form a hood, traditionally woven and embroidered with bison, rabbits, and wheat in long swirling patterns. Women will be dressed with a waistcloth similarly decorated but with stags, hawks, and bulrush in straight lines or alternating patterns. Regardless of sex or gender, the couple will be adorned with jewelry featuring important symbols of the wolf god- arrows, rabbits, moons and suns, flames, healing herbs and bone carved trinkets which are often given from other members of the family from their own weddings. Other clothing is often used, generally being the couple's finest clothes or gifts specially bought for the ceremony by family members. While being dressed, family members will heckle and needle the couple for what they expect the other to say from their vows, and often have this information brought to the other party in secret.
When close to nightfall, oftentimes in the modern tradition members of the family will be sent to the other partner to distract them in order to buy more time if they are running late in preparing for the ceremony or some kind of issue has presented itself. Often a sibling or cousin of the one getting married will dress up a close friend of the couple, and present them as their betrothed as a prank, allowing the other to finish getting ready in time. It is also often used as a chance for them to practice vows with their 'mock betrothed'.
Once both members of the couple are ready, they will be brought to see one another and presented by their partner's family, most often by their closest sibling or by a cousin or grandparent if no sibling is available. Until they are ready to pronounce their vows, a drape, screen, or tapestry is kept between the couple as they stand side by side so they cannot see one another face to face until their hands are bound with a knit fabric wrapped in a braided leather cord. Oftentimes a sigil of a wolf is tied to one end of the cord made from quartz, alabaster, or marble, and the other end a sigil shaped like a rabbit made from onyx, black glass, or obsidian. The shroud will be removed once the couple finish their vows, and they are given a series of small tasks by their families they must complete together. Oftentimes, these tasks are designed in such a way they must cooperate well and rely on the other- they cannot be done by one party alone and other hands must remain bound through the process. Tying or untying a rope is one of the most common tasks given, often as a closing or opening task for this portion of the ceremony.
Once these tasks have been completed, the couple is officially considered to be married, and celebration periods of the wedding begin. The couple traditionally will dance until the binds on their hands fall off or come undone, and many are known to often prolong this by grasping the fabric to keep it from falling. Feasts are held and often liquor is served, with the expectation of most adults (aside from designated drivers) to get quite inebriated, including the couple themselves and set out to embarrass one another and tell their most embarrassing stories from their relationship so far as a way to 'get all of the awkward parts behind them'.
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