commitment ceremony

[ kuh-mit-muhnt ser-uh-moh-nee ]

noun

1. a ceremony and celebration that affirms the love and commitment between two people who cannot or do not want to marry each other, typically a same-sex couple.

Word History and Origins

Origin of commitment ceremony¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

One of these is Cameron, an African-American woman planning a commitment ceremony with Amber, her partner of four years.

From The Daily Beast

When they decided to have a commitment ceremony, this was long before gay marriage, so it was a pretty big deal.

From The Daily Beast

Rather, this public commitment ceremony was designed to also bind them to Shivaya, their new 60-something "husband."

From The Daily Beast