Over the last month or two, I’ve enjoyed two ceremonies—one an elopement at the Top of the Rock in New York City and the second atop Windham Mountain in the Catskills—where the couple has included the so-called red string of fate in their ceremony.
The ritual is based on a Chinese folklore. According to this legend, a lunar matchmaker god, known as “Yue Lao,” the old man on the moon, would tie invisible red strings around two people that shrinks over the years until the couple is married. The thread may tangle and it may stretch, but it will never break. For their union is inspired by the Universe. As one couple reiterated, “The red string represents that we are twin flames, finding each other in this lifetime.”
In the ceremony, I invited the couples to tie the red string around their beloved’s pinky finger, following the Declaration of Intent, the legal portion of the ceremony. The tie that binds them remained on during the vows and ring exchange. The red string offers a nice nod to the background of one or both of the members of the couple, while providing and interesting set of photo opportunities.
