In a formal wedding, the ring bearer is a special page who carries the wedding rings for the bridal party. This is almost always symbolic, with the ring bearer carrying a wedding ring cushion on which imitation rings are sewn, while the real wedding bands are kept in the safekeeping of the best man.
Traditionally, the Best Man holds the rings at a wedding. The Best Man will keep them safe before and during the ceremony until the couple exchanges the rings.
A ring bearer is responsible for carrying the couple's wedding rings down the aisle during the ceremony. One of the youngest members of the wedding party, the ring bearer is usually between three and eight years old.
Traditionally, the ring bearer is responsible for carrying both of the wedding rings down the aisle. This task usually falls to the youngest member of the bridal party, who is typically between the ages of four and eight years old. The ring bearer's duties don't stop at simply carrying the rings.
The ring bearer is a direct name for his role. That is to carry the ring down the aisle to the altar.
Courts have ruled that engagement rings are conditional gifts, typically made by the husband-to-be to his fiancee. If the parties marry, then “the condition has been met,” and it becomes a “completed gift.” Therefore, the wife gets to keep the engagement ring as it is her non-marital property.
Today, the decision about buying wedding rings is entirely up to the bride and groom. While they can abide by tradition, and buy wedding bands for each other, they can also go wedding ring shopping together, and pick out whatever they like. This mainly depends on the bride and groom's financial situation.
In a traditional wedding ceremony order, the vows are followed by the ring exchange. The groom usually goes first, though we invite you to be progressive. He puts the wedding band on the bride's finger while repeating a phrase like, “I give this ring as a sign of my love.” Then, it's the bride's turn.
The Best Man or the Maid of Honor
Tradition dictates that the best man holds both wedding rings before the ceremony. Of course, if you feel more comfortable giving the rings to the maid of honor (or another member of the wedding party), go ahead and pass it off to someone you trust.
From walking down the aisle first to last, the traditional order is: Mother of Bride, Mother of Groom, Grandparents of Bride, Grandparents of Groom, Groom, Officiant, the Wedding Party, Maid of Honor and Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl and lastly the Bride and her Father.
Traditional Ring Etiquette
Traditional etiquette would require the bride to wear her engagement ring on her right ring finger to walk down the aisle. During the exchanging of the rings, the groom would place the wedding band on the bride's left finger.
The groom usually buys the bride's wedding band, and the couple gives them to each other during the wedding ceremony. The groom buys an engagement ring before he proposes, but couples usually wait until a few months before the wedding to buy the wedding bands.
The wedding vows are exchanged first. The vows are the promises of love and devotion you and your partner make to each other, surrounded by friends, family and loved ones. The exchange of wedding rings comes after you've each said your vows.
The engagement ring represents the promise to get married, the wedding band represents the actual union and the third ring represents another large milestone for couples. The third ring is given after one of two events: an anniversary or the birth of a couple's first child.
It's customary for brides to receive two rings. An engagement band before the wedding, and a wedding ring during the ceremony. Your first ring is a promise of marriage. The second solidifies the promise.
It's okay to have more than one ring bearer if you want.
You can always include more than one ring bearer in your wedding party, even if they are different ages. Older children can pull little ones in a wagon, or one attendant can carry the rings while the other holds a sign.
Ring bearers are typically younger boys that are close to the couple. They may be nephews, children of close friends or family members, or the child of the maid of honor or best man.
Reasons for Passing Down Wedding Rings
By passing on a wedding ring that has been in your family for generations, it enhances the feeling that the new family you're starting is a part of that tradition and heritage. It's a way to honor and form a connection with your ancestors, linking them to your future family.
The Bride. If you're still following tradition, then the bride is only responsible for paying for the groom's wedding band and wedding gifts for her bridesmaids. However, there are many wedding costs (everything from a coordinator to flowers and décor) that are often shared between the bride and her family.
Tradition has it that each person pays for the other person's ring. So in a traditional wedding, the groom or his family would pay for the bride's ring, and the bride or her family would pay for the groom's ring.
What is referred to as the traditional order of vows is simply the way wedding ceremonies have been performed in a patriarchal religious society for centuries; the groom says his wedding vows first.
The bride's side of the family traditionally pays for the bride's wedding dress and the bridesmaids' dresses. Increasingly, however, bridesmaids are paying for their own dresses.
The two-months' salary rule
In the 1980s, the norm became spending the equivalent of two months' salary on an engagement ring. Nowadays, three months is more of a guideline and less of a rule.
"The ring is a symbol of what binds a couple — and the symbolic removal could indicate a few things such as, that they want out of the relationship at this point, to indicate that the other person has hurt them, the other person is not living up to their expectations.