Ring Exchange 101
PHOTO: yaiphotography.com EXPERT TIP BY SOMETHING NEW OFFICIANT (www.somethingnewofficiant.ca) London, ON
"The ring exchange moment in a ceremony is so commonplace that
So how do you take this common tradition and mold it into one
many people believe that it's a legal requirement. However, it’s not
that’s uniquely yours?
- it is customary, and within North America a relatively newer tradition and component of a wedding ceremony. It wasn’t until
I suggest starting the conversation between you and your partner prompted by the following set of questions:
World War II that men began to wear wedding bands at all, said to be a reminder of their spouse at home. And why the left finger of the left hand? A tradition believed to originate with the Romans based on the thought a vein, the Vena Amoris (“vein of love”), runs from this finger leading directly to the heart. This belief has since been debunked by modern science.
Regardless of where we pick up the story of how and why exchanging
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What does the ring exchange element of the ceremony mean to me?
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What will wearing my ring mean to me?
•
What would I like the ring my spouse will wear, to represent to them?
Like anything ceremony related, please carve-out time for each of you to answer the questions before you share your answers with each other. With all the shared decision-making moments
wedding bands became a central feature of wedding ceremonies, the
that happen during wedding planning, the ceremony too needs
practice is not going away soon. Most of the time my clients have
collaboration and communication.
spent more time determining who will have the honour of holding the rings, than thinking about why they are exchanging the rings in the first place. 58 •The Wedding Ring Magazine | www.theweddingring.ca
If you’re lost for words, and beyond it being tradition, are not actually quite sure what exchanging rings means to you, let me give you some guidance.
