commitment ceremony

American  

[kuh-mit-muhnt ser-uh-moh-nee] / kəˈmɪt mənt ˌsɛr əˌmoʊ ni /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of commitment ceremony

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Life coach Paul told Charlie she wasn't "giving this experiment any bit of fairness", while his fellow expert Mel called her out for "lying" at the commitment ceremony.

From BBC

We know “To T, or not to T?” has a happy ending, because it begins at D’Lo’s 2015 commitment ceremony to his partner, two months after starting testosterone therapy.

From Los Angeles Times

Among other factors, they look at whether the couple was in a committed relationship, lived together or owned property together, supported each other financially, raised children together, or held a commitment ceremony.

From Slate

“Or you had a commitment ceremony. Even photos and love letters. There are ways to demonstrate that you were in a committed relationship.”

From New York Times

In 1999, my girlfriend and I had a commitment ceremony in Washington, then a Massachusetts marriage in 2004 and a Connecticut civil union in 2007, which was eventually recognized as marriage in every state.

From New York Times