Hand Ceremony

Anybody else doing this?? OMG, it makes me cry everytime I read it!!! Soooo touching!

“Blessing of the Hands'
“These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you throughout the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”

yeah, i get REALLY emotional. I know I'll be crying during no matter how hard I try to hold it back.

The one I'm doing has a separate little thing for each of us tho, rather than just one. First they tell the bride to look at the groom's hands and there's a whole big thing geared mainly about the man, like 'These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.'
Then they tell the groom to look at the bride's hands and say something geared towards her. It's really beautiful. I think I'm gonna have my mom & dad read it. I definitely respect them as a couple.

---

Posted by RockysGirl

Anybody else doing this?? OMG, it makes me cry everytime I read it!!! Soooo touching!

---

YES!! We're doing this too!! I found several different versions of the hand ceremony online, and edited them down to a personalized version that's perfect for FH and I. I showed it to FH, and I wasn't sure if he'd like it or not, but he did!!

We met with the rabbi last night and I explained that I want to incorporate this hand ceremony into the traditional Jewish ceremony, and he liked the idea too.

I've always had a fascination with hands, how expressive and useful they are. I've taken photos of people's hands when I had my own darkroom in college, and continue to do that today. So this is really a special thing to me.

The rabbi actually gave us some insight into the symbolism of hands too, explaining that the top Hebrew tribe of Cohen ('priests') had hands as their symbol, and sometimes in Jewish cemeteries, you'll see hands on headstones to show that the person was a descendent of the Cohen tribe. FH and I never knew this.

And yes, every time I read through the hand ceremony, I get totally teary, and I know I'm going to cry during it!

---

Posted by JJC

i was going to do it cuz when i first read it i had the same reaction as all of you...but i changed my mind....i am having a mass and incorporating this hand ceremony in is just too much...plus...when i told my FH about it...he said..it was corny. he said...'we know all these things and the priest is incorporating these words in our mass...and we dont need to be told about our hands to know this'...i agree with him...plus..the more and more i read it....the whole 'hands' thing seems corny to me now...JMO

---

If your priest is incorporating these words into your ceremony thats one reason to not do it but I think most couples know all of those things without looking at their hands. I still think the words are really touching and it is beautiful and not corny at all. jmo

This is new to me, but I am doing this now

Yeah, i definitely don't think it's corny at all. Of course every couple should already know these things about each other, otherwise why are they even getting married. So it's not done in order to teach you something you didn't already know. It's just a beautiful little ceremony which I'm having done by a couple I greatly respect. My prior experience to seeing this at a wedding was very good. Nearly everybody in the church was teary eyed.

I just think it's nice to take that time to truly appreciate what you have at that moment and look to the future together, knowing that you will always have one another. I'm going to cherish that moment.

---

Posted by RockysGirl

Yeah, i definitely don't think it's corny at all. Of course every couple should already know these things about each other, otherwise why are they even getting married. So it's not done in order to teach you something you didn't already know. It's just a beautiful little ceremony which I'm having done by a couple I greatly respect. My prior experience to seeing this at a wedding was very good. Nearly everybody in the church was teary eyed.

I just think it's nice to take that time to truly appreciate what you have at that moment and look to the future together, knowing that you will always have one another. I'm going to cherish that moment.

---

totally agreed...i never saw it as a way to 'Teach' you (the couple) about something you already know. And i said it before but its not corny in my opinion at all. I think it is beautiful way to realize that this is the person you are going to grow old with and love and cherish. I actually found this to be a whole lot more meaningful than some of the other things i ahve read out there or heard done!

We did it It was really sweet...

---

Posted by RockysGirl

Anybody else doing this?? OMG, it makes me cry everytime I read it!!! Soooo touching!

---

Me too!!! I am going to be a friggin mess during it!!!

---

Posted by JamieAnt06202009

So touching, I really want to do it. Will all churches incorporate this into a mass if you ask?

---

No, not usually. It has no part in a Nuptial Mass. It is not part of the Mass, nor of the Catholic Rite of Marriage, which is set in stone and has been for hundreds of years.

I have heard of some priests doing it, but is rare. Everything that this hand ceremony implies is said in your vows. I tihnk it is appropriate for people getting married at a hall or in another faith tradition where the vows are allowed to be written. It has no place in a Mass, IMO.