Honey Kiss

You may be wondering why my stand at wedding fayres is adorned with honey?

Did you know that across the globe honey has featured in wedding ceremonies for many years, and with me as a beekeeper it’s the perfect gift. Honey is associated with love, abundance and fertility, and is gorgeously sweet.

The ancient Egyptians made honey part of the contract with the groom promising to provide his new bride with 24 hins – that’s 32 1Lbs of honey every year of their life together – that’s a lot of honey! Persians, Hindus, Greeks are among those who have documented the preciousness of honey in the joining of two souls. 

Now I’m not suggesting that you commit to providing a regular supply of honey as part of your vows, but a ‘Honey Kiss’ is a beautiful ritual for the wedding ceremony. This is when each of the couple dip their little finger in a pot of honey and feed it to their loved one. Mothers or others who are dear can pour the honey from the pot to include them, as if giving their blessing to the newlyweds. Traditionally this is supped just before the first kiss, making the magic moment all the more sweet and symbolic of times to come. Honey can be chosen from a place that has a personal significance to the couple further adding to the significance knowing that the honey bees have foraged on land that warms their hearts.

For me, I am a beekeeper, tending the hives in our apiary to encourage a blooming bee population and a flow of seasonal honey. It is wonderous to watch the honeybees. They dance, they fly, they nestle in the flowerheads, they are an absolute treat to nurture. That said they are time consuming and hard work, with lots of heavy lifting of mucky sticky equipment; and who wants to wear a polyester onesie on a stonking hot day! Yet, like marriage, the ardour brings untold reward. 

Honey is the most precious gift I can give to anyone for everything it symbolizes. It encapsulates all the work and love that both the bees and I have put into each spoonful.  It is from the earth, it is luxurious, pure and full of goodness.

So there’s some food for thought… you two could have a ‘Honey kiss’.