Friday, February 20, 2009

The Rings

I’ve got a serious case of wedding-on-the-brain… and it seems to be getting worse by the day. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I’ve got my to-do list running through my head like the credits on the screen at the end of a movie. Talk about distracting! It seems as though I have completely lost my ability to focus. And there are still almost three months left for me to be like this!

I do have some exciting news to share, though: Daniel and I bought our wedding bands last weekend! Daniel’s already fit him perfectly, so we were able to take it home on Saturday when we bought it, and I picked mine up on Tuesday after it had been sized for me.

I would like to have the rings engraved before the wedding, but we haven’t been able to decide on what to put on them. We thought about “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” which is what we will say when we put the rings on each other’s fingers. I think that would be beautiful, but obviously it is too many letters to be engraved on a tiny piece of gold.

Then there’s always the option of doing our wedding date and our names or initials, but I feel like everyone does that. Maybe something in Latin, or even initials for a Latin phrase, like the classic Jesuit motto “AMDG” (Ad Majorem Dei gloriem), meaning “For the greater glory of God.” Others in my brainstorm include—with a little help from Wikipedia’s “Latin Mottos” page and a free online English-Latin dictionary:

Pari Passu, which means “with equal step,” “moving together,” or “hand-in-hand;”
Semper Fidelis, translated as “always faithful;”
Nihil Sine Deo, or “nothing without God;”
Amor et Fidelitas, meaning “love and fidelity;”
In Nomine Domini, which means “In the name of God.”

I guess we will have to make a decision on this fairly soon; I’m not sure how long it takes for the engraving to be done once we take the rings in. Hopefully it’s not too expensive either! I would love to hear what others have engraved on their wedding rings. Anyways, the clock is ticking… pray that I keep my sanity! God bless.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

On our rings we had our initials and the date. No too original but the jeweler said that a lot of stuff didn't fit. Many of your shorter Latin phrases are good - I like Amor et fidelitas or Nihil sine Deo. Semper fidelis is fine - but it is quite famous as the Marine Corps motto.
As a member of our parish's Pre-Cana team I love reading your blog. If you ever need a blog topic - you could write about what was great about your pre-wedding training and items that maybe should be touched upon - I'd be interested to hear.
It is exciting to read about your wedding prep. We were married May 23, 1998 so it is a flash back to hear you say "May is almost here!"
God's blessings upon you both as you prepare for your wedding/marriage.

Kathy

Anonymous said...

being married for 30 years... I am so happy for you two.. even before your marriage it is apparent that God is already the center of your engagement, your lives... and this is so refreshing to read! God be with you in your planning..and remember to ENJOY this journey of
the anticipation of your most special day! It is easy to forget to enjoy it Our rings read "love is eternal"...because God is, and he is love!
in His peace,
Barb

Noemi said...

My husband and I met online...then when we were going to meet in face I found out he was 10 yrs older then me. I thought to myself..."Nothings going to happen"...I'm just going to go on a date with him and be done with it since he was obviously older in my eyes. But things were planned differently for us!

I told my husband what I had said to myself that night when we met, so we always joke about it....after we got married and we were alone before the reception praying....he looked over at me and said..."Nothings gonna happen"... huh.

Then after each of our two kids were born we said those words to each other again. Seems whenever these a special moment or when we're feeling all lovey dovey...he or I will say those words to the other.

Although we havent engraved those on our bands...we do plan to engrave...."Nothings gonna happen"..... :)

If you and Daniel have some special saying or even "pet"name for the other that will be great...or even..."love is patiend, love is kind"...that will be on my engagement ring. Good luck!

Ellen Yun said...

Nihil Sine Deo, or “nothing without God;” is my fave.

I think it will help to remind you when taking steps in the future, who to consult with first.

Anonymous said...

How about "Adoro te devote"? I adore you faithfully. It is the inscription above the altar at my church and is the first line of a hymn by St Thomas Aquinas.

Sarah C. said...

I stumbled across your blog on the homepage. It caught my eye because my name is Sarah and my boyfriend is Daniel and upon reading your blog, I realized that I have many of the same aspirations for my life as you do. As far as ring engravings go, I'm very fond of the phrase "cor ad cor loquitur" which means "heart speaks to heart" and has special meaning to me because that is the motto of the Catholic church where we met.

Anonymous said...

Best Friends to Infinity and your wedding date. BF∞5-16-09

Robert Owen Hood said...

If some of those phrases are still too long, putting just the citation for a Bible verse that holds particualr relevance, maybe one of the reading from your wedding, would work. Good Luck deciding! And your sanity is in my prayers.

The Fighting Polak said...

Congrats on your marriage! My own suggestion is to put a verse. I'm partial to these two:

For Sarah: Ruth 1:16 (But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.)

For Daniel: Ephesians 5:25 (Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her)

Connie V said...

My husband and I have "JMJ" for Jesus Mary and Joseph engraved on our wedding rings. Our prayer is that we would model our family after the Holy Family. We also considered "Totus Tuus" which is Latin for "totally yours" and references JPII's motto. Blessed be God for this blog!

Anonymous said...

My husband and I had the date and our initials engraved on our rings.

Please don't use Semper Fidelis--it's too well known as the Marine Corps motto, and you don't want the jeweler thinking you're preparing for war.

The trouble with the verse from Ruth is that it isn't said from wife to husband, but from widow to her mother-in-law. I've never understood why people have it read at their weddings.

On a cheerier note, if you want something Latin and aren't afraid to do something secular, you could use "Amor omnia vincit" from the Aeneid.

Otherwise, AMDG is very appropriate. After all, your rings are the primary sacramental of your marriage, and it is fitting for them to be a direct reminder that your marriage is not just for yourselves, but for God.

Sheila said...

Check with the jeweler about length -- but I do think the sign of the cross might not be too long. Especially if you did it in Latin: "In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti."