The Oathing Stone Ceremony

Looking for some unusual symbolic elements for your ceremony?

Embrace the old European tradition to add a meaningful highlight to your wedding ceremony. The Oathing Stone is an old Scottish tradition where the couple place their hands upon a stone while saying their wedding vows. Called the oathing stone, it was thought to be the best way to express your solemn promise in physical form. Taken from the ancient Celtic custom of setting an oath in stone, inclusion of an oathing stone in the vows can be deeply moving. Etching your vows in stone is a sacred symbol across cultures.

In the Scottish tradition an oath given near a stone or water was considered more binding. In some areas of Scotland, the couple would carve their names on a tree or a stone. During the reading of the couple’s wedding vows, they hold an Oathing Stone in their hands. It is believed that holding the stone during the reading of the vows casts them into the stone.

In a more modern version, the Oathing Stone can be engraved with the couple’s initials in the middle, accompanied by the groom & bride’s initials and date of their wedding. The source of an oathing stone, what minerals are in it, it’s color, or other characteristics are less important than what is said over the stone.