In recent years, hosting an LDS ring ceremony has increasingly popular for Latter-day Saint couples and their families. A ring ceremony is a public event where the bride and groom exchange rings. It is most typically done so non-member family and friends can help celebrate their marriage. Here are some basic guidelines when planning your LDS ring ceremony.
Official Church Statements
Since the final decisions about a ring ceremony are personal, the Church has provided limited official LDS ring ceremony guidelines. However, here’s what information is available. All couples should strive to follow the spirit and do what is best for them and their families.
Exchanging rings is not part of the temple sealing ceremony. However, couples may exchange rings after the ceremony in the sealing room. Couples should not exchange rings at any other time or place in a temple or on temple grounds. Doing so can detract from the ceremony.
Couples who are married and sealed in the same ceremony may exchange rings at a later time to accommodate family members who are unable to attend a temple marriage. The ring exchange should be consistent with the dignity of a temple marriage. The exchange should not replicate any part of the temple marriage or sealing ceremony. The couple should not exchange vows after being married or sealed in the temple.
Couples who are married civilly before their temple sealing may exchange rings at their civil ceremony, at their temple sealing, or at both ceremonies. – General Handbook of Instruction, 2020
I know you plan a reception following the marriage. It offers a delightful opportunity for relatives and friends to bring gifts and wish you well, but I hope you will again avoid temptation to go to extremes in following the world in showy pageantry. There is danger that the ostentatious display may detract from and overshadow the simple wedding. With your good judgment and clear thinking, I know you can graciously entertain your guests in a wholesome, friendly, and dignified reception without the excesses so often in evidence. – Spencer W. Kimball
Wedding rings are not part of the temple ceremony. The sanctity and impressiveness of the marriage ceremony should not be overshadowed by any other procedure. The placing of the wedding rings is appropriate immediately after the couple leave the altar. – New Era, 1987
Try to Hold It Before the Sealing
As a general rule, it is encouraged to hold any outside ceremonies before the sealing. The sealing is meant to be the crowning ordinance and nothing should surpass it. However, modern wedding schedules often make this difficult. If you are unable to hold your LDS ring ceremony before your temple sealing, the best time is after the sealing and before the wedding reception. You may invite special friends and guests to a ring ceremony and luncheon or hold the ring ceremony half an hour before the reception.
Speak of Eternal Marriage
Many LDS couples have their bishop or another ecclesiastical leader officiate the ring ceremony. Before the exchanging of rings, consider having your bishop speak about eternal marriage and bear testimony of the temple. If applicable, a brief explanation of a temple sealing can be described.
No matter what is spoken, no part of the ring ceremony should replicate the sacred ordinance of the temple sealing.
RELATED: A Simple LDS Ring Ceremony Program
Invite Close Non-Member Family Members to Speak
If time permits, invite close non-member family to say a few words on marriage or give brief toasts. A musical number, poetry, or other appropriate expressions of love may be shared.
Don’t Exchange Vows, But Do Exchange Loving Words
Since nothing should compare with the sacred covenants you make, it is generally considered inappropriate to exchange formal vows at a ring ceremony. However, exchanging loving words and hopes for your future is a sweet and personal way to involve the bride and groom more deeply in the ring ceremony as they exchange their rings. Consider using one of these prompts for the words you’ll exchange:
- This ring symbolizes my…
- As I give you this ring, I look back on…and look forward to…
- I give you this ring as a symbol of…
RELATED: 3 Examples of LDS Ring Ceremony Wording
Location
Ring ceremonies are most easily held at your reception location. If you are planning on having a reception somewhere other than your local LDS meetinghouse, consider asking about accommodations for a ring ceremony in a separate room or if decor can be easily changed over. Depending on how important a ring ceremony is to you and your family, you may wish to budget a little more for ring ceremony decor and set up.
The chapel is available for both civil marriages and ring ceremonies. However, because of the sacred nature of the chapel, wedding marches, certain types of music, photography, and other traditions are not appropriate. It is for this reason many choose to hold their ring ceremony in the cultural hall or Relief Society room instead.
Talk with your bishop about the specific guidelines on using your ward building.
Other Traditions
Many couples may wish to incorporate other wedding traditions into their ceremony. This includes having the bride walk down an aisle with her father or family member, kissing at the end, lighting candles, or pouring sand. Generally, these traditions are appropriate so long as they do not take on the guise of a formal wedding vow or marriage. The couple should not be married or take the form of being married at their ring ceremony. Outside of this, one of the great joys of the ring ceremony is creating a personalized moment all of your friends and family can enjoy. Feel free to personalize it to you.
Talk With Your Bishop
Your bishop will be able to give specific counsel and direction on your circumstances. He’ll be able to discuss what ideas are appropriate, what sorts of ceremonies are appropriate in each room of your meeting house, and how to best invite the sacred spirit of the day into your ring ceremony.
Photo by Jarvie Digital
Good Post. Helpful. However, you might want to look up the latest info provided in the general handbook.
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These guidelines are Not from the church as far as I know. Therefore it is just someone’s opinion. Almost every wedding reception I have been to has been in the cultural hall “gym” of the church. You’d have to ask your bishop or the building coordinator to see what is ok to schedule. It isn’t a rule you can’t have private events- here we have held toddler type ” joy school” events for moms and kids, ( singing and reading books)–we have had birthday events there as well- as long as you get permission. I don’t think you can have say lulalaroe parties or homeschool classes etc. We had a ring ceremony after our temple wedding- we didn’t do vows but did have a speaker and a special musical number. Looking back it would have been cool to have said some stuff to each other but I guess we didn’t think of that. It was nice for his mom to see our ring exchange to feel that we were married. I always said I didn’t want a reception at church but ended up having a gross lattice background with tewel (sp?) it was almost so tacky it was cool lol!
Keek! We’ve updated the article with the official statements from the Church we based our research off of. We hope that helps!
I’m so glad these guidelines were given! When i got married 42 years ago we were discouraged when we wanted to have one for our nonmember family. We’ve since made up for any bad feelings, but it was a sad memory on a beautiful day.
Sorry. Dictating this is crossing the line. It should be up to the people getting married as to how they want to do a ring ceremony. Maybe they want to have it in a beach somewhere, maybe in a park or some other venue. Maybe they want to have a reaffirmation of their vows. Establishing guidelines for an optional activity adds only confusion and hostility.
I love the church. The church is true.
But the latest doctrines are meddlesome at least and the teachings of man at worst. It creates confusion.
Husband and I are converts with non LDS family. I found the articile helpful. Of course one can do what they want, but these are good things to consider.
You’re totally right that everyone needs to determine what is personally best for them. We did a lot of research on what the Church has suggested and what the most common practices are for Latter-day Saint couples.
We’ve updated the article with two quotes from the Church handbook on why formal vows are discouraged. We hope everyone follows the spirit of the law and does what is best for them and their families.
The article left me some doubts:
1. Are Lds meeting houses used as the reception location? I have been told that we are not to use it for private events.
2. When does that civil wedding take place if we do a ring ceremony?
I would appreciate if you guys help me out with this…
Fernando! This is Aleah from LDSWedding.com. I wanted to give some answers to your questions based on our research.
1. LDS meetinghouses are available for both receptions & ring ceremonies. There are a few rules couples and families have to follow, so anyone wishing to use the chapel for any event needs to talk to their bishop and/or building coordinator.
2. In the United States, the couple may be married civilly in the temple. That means that once the couple has their marriage licenses, the sealer inside the temple is able to marry them according to law. In many other countries, however, couples must be married by a government entity first, such as in the United Kingdom. The temple sealing then becomes a religious ceremony only. So, for many United States couples, the ring ceremony has no legal or religious significance. For couples outside of the United States, a ring ceremony and the official civil ceremony where the government official marries them act as one.
Hope that answers your questions!
The ring ceremony is basically the civil wedding. You have to get a permit from the state first of all – basically means you are married. Anything else is gravy if you want a religious ceremony. Of course you aren’t sealed until your temple ordinance, and basically the piece of paper is just that until that ordinance. If you get married civilly first by your bishop ( where you say “I do”) and then act as man and wife i.e you consummate the marriage you have to wait a year to go to the temple. This article is talking about having some celebration so those that can’t attend the temple can still participate in the marriage hence the ring exchange. I dunno if that answers anything. See comment below for building question.
Mdd