RITUALS TO MAKE YOUR HUMANIST WEDDING CEREMONY EVEN MORE PERSONAL!

Festival vibe wedding - why not exchange hand woven organic bracelets rather than rings?

Humans have marked significant life events with rituals for many thousands of years.  Many of the traditions you see at weddings these days have roots in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome and Greece. And apparently the earliest recorded evidence of marriage as a ritual for joining two people dates from around 2300bc. 

A humanist wedding ceremony focuses on YOU!

On the values, lifestyles, personalities and idiosyncrasies of the couple getting married. Humanist wedding ceremonies are non-religious, but inclusive and welcoming to everyone, no matter what they believe. Everyone is made to feel welcome. 

There is no ‘one size fits all’ for a humanist wedding. Each ceremony will be created just for that couple, with the content being drawn from chats and interactions with your celebrant. Of course you can follow the layout of a traditional wedding ceremony if you want to, and the best part is you can choose a celebrant who you feel resonates with you. My ceremony style is laid back, fun, full of humour with a sprinkle of sentimentality!

One of the other nice things about a humanist wedding ceremony is that you are invited to include one or more rituals, or symbolic actions. This blog post is the first in a series which will explain some rituals you might consider including in your own ceremony - or you might feel inspired to create your own meaningful ritual.

Let’s kick things off with the most common wedding ritual of exchanging rings. . .

Ring exchange in a humanist wedding

Exchanging rings is likely the most common wedding ritual, it is important to note that this is an optional thing - you absolutely do not have to exchange rings if you don’t want to.

One important aspect of a humanist wedding is that every aspect of the ceremony has meaning for you and your relationship. If wearing a ring is important to you, go ahead and exchange rings! If you would prefer to exchange a gift, a necklace, watch, plant…that is also great. If, like me, you never wear rings and can’t see the significance for you we do not have to include a ring exchange in your ceremony.

Wedding rings can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, when people exchanged rings made from reeds or hemp as a sign of commitment within a relationship. 

The rings were worn on the fourth finger of the left hand as it was thought that there was a vein that ran from there to the heart. 

Not all countries wear the ring on the left hand; some wear it on the right. And in some counties the engagement ring is worn on the left hand and then moved to the right during the wedding ceremony. 

The fashion in rings has changed hugely over time, with trends coming and going. There are no rules - you can choose something as fancy or simple as you want. The important thing is that you choose something that is right for you.

Ring warming

A gorgeous way to include all of your guests is to include a ring warming ceremony.

This is where your wedding rings (usually tied together) are passed around all the guests during the ceremony. Your celebrant will explain the ritual to the guests and ask them to warm the rings with their well wishes and hopes for your future. 

An alternative is to hang the rings on some ribbon at the entrance to your ceremony space, and ask your guests to hold the rings and warm them when they arrive at the ceremony.

Annnnnd another option is to pass a long ribbon across the front row of your guests and ask them to thread your rings along the ribbon, warming them as they go.