What is a ring warming?
A ring warming is an easy way to involve all your loved ones on your big day and make your wedding rings even more sentimental. It’s a ritual that invites the guests to hold the wedding bands and wish you good luck as you move forward together as a married couple. There are a few ways to do this depending on the size of your wedding party.
Larger wedding ceremonies
For larger weddings of 100 guests or more, I would suggest you set up a table at the entrance to the venue giving your guests an opportunity to warm the rings as they walk in. This is also a good place to set up your guest book.
Place a sign on the table asking guests as they arrive to hold the rings in their hands for a few moments and make a silent wish for you both, your marriage and your future.
If you are worried about your rings getting lost, you may also want to task a trusted member of your wedding party with the job of ring chaperone to oversee things. Be sure to make sure the best man
has the rings in his hands when it is time for the exchange as you don’t want to be left waiting around.
Intimate weddings ceremonies
If you are having a smaller, more intimate wedding, near the beginning of the ceremony when your guests are seated and have been welcomed, the celebrant can introduce the ring warming and invite everyone to participate, explaining that your rings will be passed from guest to guest in an orderly fashion. As the rings are passed, like above, the guests hold the rings for a few moments and make a silent wish for you both, your marriage and your future, and then pass them to the next guest.
If you would prefer the passing of the wedding rings to be in the build up to the exchange of rings, the celebrant will explain the ritual to the guests, then music can be played to create ambience while the rings are being passed around. There is almost certainly an Ed Sheeran song out there which would be perfect for this.
After the rings have been passed to each guest, they will be returned to the couple or via the best man. The idea is that your wedding rings have been warmed or infused by the well wishes, positive vibes and loving energies of each guest.
Involve your pet dog
If the family has a well behaved dog and would like to include them, a fun way to do this would be to have them waiting at the end of the back row where the last guest is and the rings could be attached to the dog’s collar and the dog could deliver the rings to the best man for the exchange of rings. Again, it’s a good idea to have a chaperone on hand with the dog to make sure that it runs smoothly, or the dog doesn’t run away with the rings!
By the time your rings make it on to your fingers they will be saturated with the love of your friends and family, not to mention also with the germs, but let’s ignore that for a moment… I also think that this is a fantastic option for couples having a non-religious ceremony but want to consider their religious loved ones. With a ring warming everyone will be welcome to take a moment to bring their own beliefs into your ceremony in a private but meaningful way.
If this all sounds like too much trouble but you still love the idea, you could choose to practice the ritual only with your parents and the small wedding party such as the bridesmaids and the best man before the ceremony.
Ring warming wording example
Here’s an example of wording for a Ring warming:
“Families are people connected by blood, but we also have families as in the people that we choose. Now Bride and Groom would like to invite all of you to take part in a ring warming.” We ask that each of you hold the rings for a moment, warm them with your love and make a silent wish for this couple and their future together. When the rings come back, they will contain your love, hope and a pledge of support in their union.”
For more information on ceremonies such as the Ring Warming or if you would like to discuss more ideas on how to create your unique and perfect ceremony, please don’t hesitate to contact me.