As used by
mundanes, a
ceremony taking the place of a
wedding whereby one a) doesn't have to formally
divorce if things don't work out, b) doesn't have to invite potentially uncool
parents or
relatives, and c) can have all your friends, whatever music you want, write your own vows and ceremony, and pontificate on how awesomely
traditional it all is -- in short, all the fun,
pageantry, and free
loot of making your sex life public without the messy
responsibility of grafting two families. In the same category as
engaged-to-be-engaged, and any number of other little rituals that lovers design for themselves when they decide that no one's ever felt exactly like this before, and so, any established cultural ritual (from anything less than say, five hundred years ago and/or in the
American sphere of influence) is inadequate to express their joy. Participating in a ceremony outlawed in the
Catholic Church by the
Council of Trent gives a certain...spice to the occasion.
Incredible how many people decide they're Wiccan when they're in love.