Whether you’re having the simplest of wedding ceremonies, or the most traditional, there’s one thing that we’re sure won’t be missing.  The rings.  Regardless of your choice of type and style and the metal from which these are forged, the wedding ring is a deeply significant item, its never-ending circle symbolizing a love without end.

Put it in the word’s of Shakespeare:

“Look, how this ring encompasseth thy finger, Even so thy breast encloseth my poor heart; Wear both of them, for both of them are thine.”

The earliest examples of wedding bands are from ancient Egypt, with the Romans to first use the ring to mark a betrothal.  As to the custom of placing this on the third finger of the left hand, this was due to popular belief that a vein ran from this finger straight to the heart, ‘quia in illo digito est quaedam vena procedens usque ad cor.’ (in Latin, because a vein that goes to the heart is present there).

Symbolism of the rings aside, we imagine one of your concerns will be how to actually get these safely to the altar.

The most traditional of choices are to place the wedding bands in a small bag to be carried by the bridesmaid, or hand them over to the best man to be safely guarded in his inside pocket and produced at the appropriate moment, or bestowed on a pillow to be borne by a pageboy or pagegirl.  The involvement of little people in the ceremony will always guarantee a smile from your guests, and also invest the children with a sense of involvement in the ceremony.

If you opt for a pillow, the choice of design is endless, as this can be fashioned by a tailor, or family friend, in the same style as your wedding dress, or following the theme of your wedding, or the palette of colours of your ‘mise en place’.  Embroidered with a favourite meme, or even the words of a song particularly significant to you both.

But what if you want to make a break from tradition and look for an alternative choice?  Well, based on our experience, again the possibilities are endless.

Our first piece of advice is to look for inspiration from the theme of your wedding.

What about tying the rings to a branch or fixing them to a piece of wood carved out with your initials, or a meaningful phrase, for a nature-themed wedding? Or incorporating these in a floral bouquet to be carried by the bridesmaid or flower girl, following the choice of flowers you have made for your day?  Or placing them within a fruit basket composition?

For a wine-based theme, you could consider anchoring the rings around a cork, or placing these within an aptly-decorated champagne glass, or fixing them to a personalised bottle of bubbly to be cracked opened during the celebrations.

For a shabby-chic style, what about placing the rings around a candle encased in a lantern, or on a crystal candle holder? Or tied with a ribbon around the neck of a vintage vase.

Or for a music-based theme, placing these on a vinyl edition of your favourite love song, as opposed to the usual pillow.  Or using a music box, to play a favourite tune upon opening.

For the true romantics, what about a nest, fashioned from cane or other suitable material to symbolise the start of your very own love nest?  Or attaching the rings to floating balloons bearing the names of the bride and groom, in this case it would be particularly sweet to have these carried by the children involved– one for the flower girl and one for the page boy.  Cute, huh?  A word of advice, though: Just make sure that the balloons are safely anchored to their little wrists.

Or, if you have a particularly cherished four legged-friend what about attaching the rings to its collar.  Having a pooch deliver the wedding bands to its proud owners is becoming an increasingly popular trend.

But what if you want to make a real break from tradition?

Some of the more novel ideas out there are to place the rings in a model battery-operated car, to be guided to the altar by remote control.  Just make sure whoever’s doing the driving is well-experienced, as they just have to get the trajectory right.  But we’re sure that one of the Grooms friends will gladly rise to the occasion!

Another idea becoming popular is to have the bands flown to the altar in a drone, again it’s important that whoever’s in charge of the controls has the necessary skills and permission!

But one of the newest gimmicks hitting the wedding scene is to have the rings delivered by a Bird of Prey, such as an Owl or a Buzzard.  In this case the groom often keeps this as a closely-guarded secret from the Bride and it is a real element of surprise and amusement to the guests too!

Has our post been of inspiration to you?  We’d be happy to have your feedback, or hear of your own original ideas for delivering your rings to the altar.