Thoughts from a ring bearer

Being in a wedding is a big deal for a young boy.  Measure him for a tux; size him for fancy shoes; promise him that he’ll walk down the center aisle with his brother as ring bearers–these are BIG things.  Big, exciting things.  With a month to go, wedding talk pervades a lot of our every day family life.  Four of five of my children will play a part in the wedding of my brother-in-law and future sister-in-law in September.  My #4 (MG, 3yo) will be the flower girl, escorted down the aisle by my #1 (M, 8yo).  #2 and #3 (T, 7yo, and J, 5yo,respectively) will be responsible for the rings.  The baby (15mos.) will sit (sweetly and quietly, of course!) in the audience with my parents.

To say the family is ecstatic is a complete understatement.  Just last month we made an hour trek to the bridal shop to get the boys fitted for tuxes.  Mama can’t wait to see them so dapper!  The girls, their Mimi, and I hunted around town one afternoon for matching dresses–score at the local department store for much cheaper than anticipated.  We’ve been making plans for the weekend.  My parents will come into town as babysitters.  We’ll all stay in a hotel for several days.  The boys will get to miss a day of school.  The prospect is grand, especially in the minds of the little people here!  What fun for my kids to experience the wedding of their dear uncle.

With all the wedding talk, though, it occurred to me today that we haven’t properly outlined each child’s duties.  Read on…

““Why does M have to help MG in the wedding?  I want him to throw rings with T and me.”    -ring bearer, J

I had a hard time keeping a straight face as we talked about the fact that his sister would be the one throwing flower petals and that he and his brother would just be carrying two rings (not many!)  We then laughed as we thought out loud of the very special rings being thrown around the church.  “If you threw them, how would we find them?” I implored.  J stared back at me with large, saucer-like eyes and a smile.  He got the point.  lol.

Cheers to summer wedding season and all the special little people that make the crowd “ooh” and “ahh” in anticipation of the bride!  May they perform their duties well and with enthusiasm–and not lose the rings!  God bless.