The Love Lock unity ritual has been around for awhile, but I had the opportunity to include it in a wedding ceremony for the first time recently. This ritual is said to have originated long ago in China, but the history is vague. It started to become popular more recently in places like Paris where loving couples locked a padlock onto a gate or chain as a permanent reminder of their commitment to each other.
Since most wedding ceremonies don’t take place near a fence or gate, creative and industrious people now offer free standing, decorative items that a lock can be placed onto. Usually after your exchange of vows and rings, you work together to lock a padlock onto a structure like a plaque or sculpture that can later be displayed in your home. The significance is that you have opened your hearts to each other and are now locking your love and hearts together forever in marriage. Some sets made for this ritual provide locks without any keys, but if your set has a key or keys, they are discarded after the lock is closed so there is no way to unlock it in the future.
If you choose to include the Love Lock ritual, you might also consider readings that use lock imagery, or “key to my heart” phrasing as a way to carry the theme through your ceremony. The Love Lock ritual is a simple but visual way to recall your commitment to each other, and is a welcome addition to the growing number of unity ritual options available to you as you plan your wedding ceremony.