Interesting.   Sounds very similar to a Serbian ritual my wife once told me about.  Her grandparents were first-generation Serbian immigrants and they gave her mother away in a traditional Serbian wedding.

Before leading the couple on their first walk together as husband and wife, (following in the footsteps of Christ), the priest ties the right hands of the couple together while praying for their marriage, the act signifying their "oneness" from now on.  Eastern Orthodox wedding ceremonies are replete with magnificent and profound symbolism and meaning and continue to the present day in this region.

Regards,
Scott Perry