One of the newest wedding ceremonies to come down the pike is the ring warming ceremony. I have no idea where it got its start—It’s more than whimsy, though; it’s become a true tradition. Try googling it for yourself. Now that I have overseen more than a half dozen of these, I feel somewhat qualified to take you through the specifics of the ceremony, and help you avoid some pitfalls! After you read, this, if you are an engaged couple, you might want to share this article with your officiant, if the officiant is other than I! Simply said, in a ring warming ceremony the wedding guests have an opportunity to bless or bestow good karma on the couple’s wedding rings before the rings are actually exchanged in the service.
How it works: The officiant enters with the two wedding rings after the guests and close family members have been seated but before the wedding party processes in. The rings can be in a box, or on a pillow, or not in or on anything, but tied together. The officiant says something like, “Terry and Frank would like for you, their friends and family members, to bless their rings before they exchange them. I have the rings here. I am giving them to you (turn to someone on the end of a row). The couple is asking you to pray over them and then pass them on to your neighbor and so on and so forth. By the time we get to the ring exchange in the service, everyone should have had an opportunity to do that. Just so you don’t worry, please know that the wedding party has already blessed the rings. Thank you.”
When it is time for the ring exchange, the officiant says, “What do you bring as a sign of your promise?” and looks, not at the groom, not at the best man, but out at the people gathered. Hopefully the one who is holding the rings will come forward with them, and hand them to the officiant, who will bless them, and then continue with the ring exchange.
Like I said, I have done this particular ceremony many times. Things to consider—don’t do the service if there is a large number of wedding guests—You don’t want to have to wait five minutes while the rings are passed along.
Remember to make sure that the wedding party has an opportunity to bless the rings. I usually make sue that happens while everyone is standing around waiting for the wedding to begin. Most times there is a hiatus between the before-wedding-picture-taking and the start of the service.
It might make sense to have a close friend or family member in charge of the rings. He or she just makes sure that the rings don’t get dropped or that someone doesn’t forget to pass the rings along. When the ring-passing gets to the end of one side of the center aisle, he or she can take the rings and “jump” the aisle.
Personally, of all the “ceremonies” that can be part of the wedding service—unity candle, sand ceremony, salt ceremony, hand fasting and others, I find the ring warming to be one of the most intimate and spiritual. But then, that is me.
Please write me if you have your own ideas about how this ceremony should unfold.
Happy wedding planning!
Your Wedding Preacher for Hire
Your Wedding Preacher for Hire
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