Each of these governmental authorities can give you information about documents needed to file to officiate legal weddings. Couples wishing to make their Handfasting rite legal need to follow their local guidelines to obtain a valid marriage license. A legally registered Priestess or Priest can sign and process the license. The Handfasting so conducted will be considered as legally binding as any other kind of secular or religious marriage ceremony. The participants decide beforehand how long they will agree to be committed.
Some people renew the vow every year.
Other couples simply part and go separate ways in life. Still others have a ritual to mark the ending of the Handfasting commitment. It has also become popular to follow a Handfasting a year and a day later with a legal wedding. Some couples opt to jump over a broom, balefire, sword or cord. Frequently, the couples are symbolically tied together.