Two Male Witches Tie the Knot in UK's First Pagan Same-Sex Marriage

Two male witches have tied the knot in UK's first pagan same-sex marriage.

Tom Lanting, 34, and Iain Robertson, 39, who have been together for 12 years, were married in a ceremony in the 16th-century vaulted cellars of Marlin's Wynd in Edinburgh. They live in the Scottish capital and are both described as being hedge witches, who use herbal remedies to deal with medical and spiritual ailments.

Their wedding ceremony encompassed a number of pagan traditions, including casting a circle, invoking the elements of earth, air, water, fire and spirit, exchanging rings, sharing a quaich of mead,
binding the couple's hands - known as Handfasting - and jumping the broom.

After their wedding yesterday, the couple said:

"Getting married in a legal pagan ceremony means so much to both of us. The new equal marriage law means that we finally have equal recognition and acceptance of our relationship, and it opens the door for all LGBTI couples to take the same step.
As hedge witches we always wanted to have a pagan marriage ceremony in line with our beliefs and it was really important to us to be able to share this ceremony with our friends and family."Scotland is the only part of the UK that allows pagans, and other minority and religious belief bodies, to solemnise legal weddings.