“Who Has The Ring?”
My nephew was getting married. I was to assist my father in officiating. We had gathered at the church for the rehearsal on the evening before the ceremony. Of course, all of the attendants were there, as were many family members. As we went through the rehearsal it was obvious that both the intended groom and bride were extremely nervous. Even though there were attempts to relieve the pressure through a variety of jokes and bantering, the atmosphere was heavy. It was a struggle to get through the rehearsal and on to the dinner that followed.
During the rehearsal dinner I decided that something needed to be done in order to relieve the tenseness. So I came up with a plan. I went to the male attendants and told them of my plan; which they immediately agreed to. I spoke to an uncle of mine; explained what I wanted him to do and he readily said, “Yes”. No one else was told of the plan. All of the participants were sworn to silence.
The time for the wedding arrived. All of the ladies in attendance were beautiful in their wedding attire. The male attendants were handsome indeed. The groom was dapper in his dark suit, white shirt, and tie. The bride was stunning! The church auditorium was filled to capacity with family, friends, and acquaintances. The flowers and other decorations really created a festive mood. The selected music was very appropriate and well presented. Once the ceremony began everyone focused on the couple.
My father and I were carefully, and reverently, leading the bride and groom through the presentations and vows. Finally, it came time for the exchanging of the rings. My father was the one to be leading this portion of the ceremony. He turned to the best man, extended his hand, and requested the ring. Immediately a look of panic came to the best man’s face, he began patting his jacket and pants pockets in sheer desperation, and he said, “I don’t have it”. He turned to the male attendant next to him and asked, “Did I give it to you?” This attendant did as the best man had done. In fact, he even pulled the pockets of his trousers inside out, and then admitted he did not possess it either. By this time, everyone began to be concerned. My father was puzzled as to what was going on. My brother-in-law, seated in the audience began to mouth (silently), “I gave him (pointing at the best man) the ring”. The bride and groom were looking at each other in pure bewilderment. In the meantime, each of the male attendants did as the ones before them had done. None of them had the ring. Needless to say, the small four year-old lad serving as the ring-bearer only had imitation rings pinned to his hand-held cushion. Everyone was caught up in the drama of the moment. There was lots of looking around, whispering, and a general mood of confusion sweeping through the gathering. At that moment, my father whispered to me, “They have lost the ring. What are we going to do?” I whispered back to him, “Let me take care of this.”
Addressing the folks in attendance, I said, “Who has the ring?” After a few seconds of absolute silence there was a voice, from way back in the auditorium, which said, “I have it”. Everyone turned to see my uncle holding up the ring in his hand. Immediately I dispatched the best man to retrieve the ring. He did so as everyone was laughing and giggling, hooting and hollering. The groom was so tickled. There were tears of pure delight running down the cheeks of the bride. My father was speechless. It was, at that very point in time, when the “Wedding Ceremony” became a “Wedding Celebration”. The bride and groom relaxed and really began to enjoy their wedding. So, I took care of the rest of the ceremony. It came off with a “hitch”.
As time has passed, my nephew and his bride have given birth and raised two lovely daughters. Several of the family members and friends that were present for the wedding have passed on, including my “ring holding uncle” and my bewildered father. However, all it takes to bring back the memories of that day is for me to ask, “Who has the ring?”