Our fully functioning Wedding Bell at The Hunter Barn is for sure a crowd pleaser! It is located in the tip-top cupola of the barn. Ernest actually stopped putting on the roof halfway through and asked if we should put a cupula on top of the barn that we could put a bell in. My initial response was, "A what-a?" and "How in the world are you going to get a bell way up there?!" But, have no fear, Ernest can always find a way with a little determination and perseverance! 

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Ringing of bells at weddings is a long tradition that can be traced all the way back to the Celtic lands, where church bells were believed to have the power to ward off evil spirits and grant wishes. Because of that, Celtic newlyweds were blessed with loud ringing of church bells before the wedding which would announce to anyone their newfound happiness. In Scotland, wedding bells were rung at the conclusion of the wedding, just as the married couple was exiting the church. Tradition of ringing bells before and after the wedding successfully spread all across the world, becoming one of the most famous parts in the modern church wedding.

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In the twenty-first century, the tradition of getting married is slowly starting to reduce, but the tradition of using bells in civil weddings still survived. Ringing of bells both small and large is viewed as a symbol of happiness and the celebration of the couple's new life together. In Ireland for example, newlywed couples always receive small bells as a present. In choices, large bells are rung before and after wedding services. 

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Bells are also used as a universal symbol of marriage on various decorations. Most often the symbol usually depicts two bells joined at the top with the bow. This symbolizes connection between two people, the bride and groom, who have been joined together in marriage and happiness. These decorations (found on wedding invitation cards, wedding programs, hung from the ceiling at reception, part of a wedding cake, etc.) are made usually from gold or silver colors, which were the origin of the terms silver and gold anniversary (celebration of 25 and 50 years, respectively).

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We like to ring our bell whenever you want us to! (If you want us to at all, that is.) Usually, we ring it during the KISS of the ceremony, to signify good luck and well wishes to the happy couple.

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Our cast iron bell is from C.S. Bell & Co. made in Hillsboro, Ohio, in 1886. Charles Singleton Bell became a major bell producer all over the world.