We just love the idea of a ring warming ritual! A traditional Irish wedding ritual that's regained popularity in recent years, it's a meaningful and low-pressure way to include your guests in your ceremony. And it's really easy to organise, too! So, let's start with the basics...

What is a Ring Warming Ritual?

A ring warming ritual is a traditional Irish wedding ritual that creates a unifying moment during your wedding ceremony. Before the rings are exchanged, they're passed around the congregation to be "warmed up" by the guests. Each guest holds the rings in their hands for a moment and sets an intention, or wish for the couple. Religious guests can be encouraged to say a silent prayer, making this a good option for those merging religious and secular customs.

Variations on the Ring Warming Ceremony

• In some ceremonies, the rings are only "warmed up" by a select number of special guests (immediate family members or the wedding party, for example), while at others, the entire congregation get involved.
• When couples choose a select few guests to participate in their ring-warming ritual, the celebrant might invite them to stand in a circle around the couple while warming the rings.
• At some ring-warming rituals, the guests are asked to speak their hopes and wishes for the couple aloud. Of course, there's only time for a handful of guests to do this, so it's better for small groups.
• We've also heard of couples taking the rings to guests who can't make the wedding - for example, elderly grandparents - to be "warmed up" in the days and weeks beforehand - such a lovely idea!
• Some couples prefer to leave their rings on display at the ceremony, and invite guests to "warm" them on their way in. If you're planning to do it this way, a member of the wedding party will need to keep an eye on them, and prompt guests to take part, like they would with a guest book.
• Conscious of passing the rings around? As a perfect alternative to the ring-warming ritual, you and your partner could hold the rings, and your celebrant could ask guests to hold their hands up in your direction while setting their intention or saying their prayer.

What You Need for a Ring Warming Ritual

A ring-warming ritual requires very little in terms of physical items. You just need:

• Your rings
• A bag or box that will hold both rings (to make it easier for guests to pass them around). If you don't have anything like this already, you could source a small, affordable jewellery pouch on Etsy.

How to Plan a Ring-Warming Ritual

1. Talk to your celebrant about including a ring-warming ritual in your ceremony. Bear in mind that ring warmings are secular rituals, and, as such, may not be permitted at religious ceremonies.
2. Your celebrant may have experience with ring warming rituals already, but if they don't, they will need to prepare a few words to be spoken aloud during the ceremony. They will need to a) talk a little bit about the symbolism of the ritual, b) explain the ritual to any guests who haven't heard of it before, and c) pass the rings to the guests and prompt them if needed.
3. It might be worth asking a bridal party member (or older page boy or flower girl) to pass the rings to the guests, make sure it all runs smoothly, and collect the rings at the end. That way, your celebrant is free to focus on the ceremony.
4. Talk to your celebrant about when the ring warming ritual should take place. If there are going to be a lot of guests, and you'd like them all to take part, it's a good idea to introduce this early on in the ceremony, to allow enough time for everyone to hold them before they're needed again for the ring exchange.
5. You might want to arrange for a piece of music to be played while the ring-warming ritual is taking place, particularly if there will be a lot of guests taking part.

Looking for more ceremony ritual ideas? You'll find our ultimate list of wedding rituals here!