The Wine Box Ritual

I love this little ritual, which can be incorporated into your wedding ceremony. It is very simple really, but its meaning is so romantic, and your guests will enjoy witnessing such a personal, loving moment within your wedding ceremony.

You will need:

•   A wooden wine box (sometimes the groom can make it which makes it even more personal)

•   a bottle of your favorite wine

•   2 wine glasses

•   two love letters sealed in separate envelopes

•   a small hammer and some nails, or a padlock 

What you do:

In the weeks before the wedding, you each write a love letter to one another, expressing your thoughts about why you love your partner, You then both place your letter in a sealed envelope. Do not cheat and read what the other has written.

The unsealed box (with the wine, glasses and letter inside it) is placed in a prominent place during your ceremony. The celebrant will describe the ceremony and it’s meaning and then both the bride and groom will seal the box, with the plan for the wine box to be opened on the 1st or 5th wedding anniversary.

You can open the box earlier, if there happens to be bumpy difficult time during your marriage. Before you give up or leave one another or make any other serious decisions, open the wine box, each go to separate rooms, read your letter, and then come back together to talk, share the wine and reflect why you married one another. The sincere hope is that there will never be a need to have to open the box except on your anniversary!

The romantic words you wrote, the reminder of your love on that day, the reasons about why you chose to marry this person: this will help to put your current feelings (hopefully) in perspective and open the chance for your each to talk your problems through.

This is the perfect, yet simple, ritual to remind you of your wedding day and your intention on that day to  always love and respect each other during all times of your lives, during the good, and especially the not-so-good.