The Handkerchief Has Been Thrown!

The voice of conscious weddings for almost thirty years, Cornelia Powell now creates an anthology of ritual wisdom—with a bit of folklore and fashion fancy—for same-sex couples. Here is The Handkerchief Has Been Thrown! Something Old & Something New for Same-Sex Couples {Musings on Love, Weddings & Handkerchiefs}

This is not a “how to” guide on wedding planning or marriage or relationships, but a guide in support of “how to be” while moving through your rite-of-passage—how to be more at ease, more grounded and confident in your choices; more willing to engage with your partner when your intimate connection becomes frayed; more aware of the deeper nature of the journey you’re on as well as its lightness and grace.

In the author’s unique way of storytelling, the book is full of tales like the seductive language of flowers and the princely charm of pocket squares, but also shares the underlying magic of your wedding rite-of-passage; plus …

· it entices with stories of sensuous pre-wedding rituals of fragrant, healing baths in ancient Greece (and why you should do the same) and what love-tokens you really ought to be tossing at your wedding reception;

· it tells how romantics throughout history flirted with a well-placed hanky, yet offers endearing ways to use handkerchiefs at your wedding;

· it explains why we have kings and troubadours to thank for our modern notion of amour as well as why surrendering to love is a sign of strength;

· it even shares the benefits of taking deep, languid breaths because the more at ease a person’s body, mind and spirit the more loving their relationships;

· the book discloses how not to fall into the cookie-cutter, commercial-formula trap of mainstream weddings, but instead become a trailblazer in bringing intimacy back to weddings;

· it reveals tips from “don’t go down the aisle without a serviceable hanky” to the secrets of how to keep your heart open in a less than agreeable world;

· and now that marriage is more available for same-sex couples, the book encourages devoted lovers to be leaders in creating a new archetype of marriage—one of “spiritual partnership.”

In compiling this anthology—selecting bits from her books and blogs, favorite essays and articles, adding new insights and observations—Cornelia shares conversations about our currently changing social culture. She asks: “If marriage is said to add strength for the social good—yet is a social structure that’s been deteriorating of late—why not include all couples in on re-building the viability of this institution?” And then she goes on to tell delightful stories in the spirit of connecting with your beloved in eloquent ceremony and ritual and partnership.

And about those handkerchiefs? Historically the handkerchief has long “represented the bond between lovers.” So using it as her muse, Cornelia takes her stories and moves us beyond romance and ceremony into ways that open our hearts. (She explains the background of the book’s title in its introduction.) Who knew something as practical as the handkerchief could be so entertaining, mysterious—even sexy? ~

[Photographs: Courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings]

{Known as a “wedding folklorist,” Cornelia Powell is also the author of the Amazon bestseller The Bride’s Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself and The End of the Fairy-Tale Bride: For Better or Worse, How Princess Diana Rescued the Great White Wedding.

Now Available in Print!